Wolf on a String

Discord. I kept wondering about the meaning of the title of the new novel titled, Wolf on a String,by John Banville writing as Benjamin Black. When I reached page 189, my curiosity was satisfied: “… it is called a wolf on a string. … it occurs … when a particular note played on a particular string matches some resonating frequency in the wood of the instrument, producing a cacophonous howl, not unlike that of the wolf.” The discord for protagonist Christian Stern involves the intrigue he finds in the court of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II in Prague when he arrives there in 1599 to make his fortune. Instead, Stern finds himself in the middle of power struggles and placed in charge of solving a murder. Fans of Banville and Black will expect and receive finely written prose in this novel, providing complex characters and an interesting plot. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Wolf on a String from amazon.com.