John Hartig

Coffee Break Reading John Hartig

This is a collection of two short stories by Canadian author, John Hartig. The first is a murder mystery about a Baroque violinist and composer, Jean-Marie Leclair, who was stabbed to death in front of his house in 1764. The crime was never solved and there were no arrests, though there were suspicions. It could have been the nephew, Guillaume-Francois Vial who was envious of Leclair's success in the King's orchestra. It could have been the ex-wife, Louise Roussel, who made money from publishing Leclair's manuscripts. The second short story is a science fiction involving Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise who takes the ship back in time in order to retrieve 6 of the best violinists in history. Why? He was ordered to bring them back to the future to have a fiddle contest at the Hollywood Bowl in the year 2328 to see and hear who was the best of the best violinists of all time! Both stories make for excellent and entertaining reading during a coffee and cookie break.