On The Table Read Magazine, “the best arts and entertainment magazine UK“, William “Grit” Laskin delivers a gripping international thriller in which Canadian guitar makers accidentally uncover Antonio Stradivari’s long-hidden secret formula, igniting a deadly chase from Toronto to Cremona in The Stradivari Formula.
The Stradivari Formula
Internationally celebrated Canadian luthier, musician, and author William “Grit” Laskin has published his first mystery/thriller, The Stradivari Formula (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, April 2024). The fast-paced novel bridges centuries of musical craftsmanship with contemporary intrigue, drawing directly on Laskin’s half-century of experience building some of the world’s most coveted acoustic guitars.
Laskin
For over fifty years Laskin has crafted steel-string, classical, and flamenco guitars played by artists including k.d. lang, Rik Emmett, Tom Cochrane, Jesse Cook, Stan Rogers, Ottmar Liebert, Lillebjørn Nilsen, and many others. He originated the arm bevel and co-developed the sideport soundhole—innovations now standard on high-end handmade instruments. His engraved inlay work transformed instrument decoration from ornament into visual storytelling, earning him worldwide recognition as the artist who elevated inlay to fine art.
Laskin remains the only luthier to receive Canada’s prestigious Saidye Bronfman Award for Excellence in the Crafts. In 2012 he was named a Member of the Order of Canada (C.M.), the country’s highest civilian honour. His waiting list for new commissions currently stretches just under four years.
From Workshop Curiosity to International Conspiracy
The novel began with a historical oddity that had long puzzled Laskin: Antonio Stradivari, history’s most revered violin maker, built only five guitars, and today just one remains playable. That anomaly led to a cascade of “what if” questions that became the book’s foundation.
The story imagines that Stradivari did possess a genuine secret formula explaining the unrivalled tone of his instruments—and that someone close to him hid evidence of it where no rival would ever look. Three centuries later, a small group of Canadian luthiers tasked with restoring the surviving playable Stradivari guitar accidentally uncovers the concealed clue.
The discovery triggers a high-stakes chase across continents. Protagonists travel from Toronto and Ottawa to London, Paris, Cremona, Sardinia, and Phoenix while evading violence from parties determined either to expose or forever bury the truth. MI6’s Art and Antiquities Fraud division, Russian hackers, and the world’s most expensive stolen painting all enter the fray.
Luthiers as Unlikely Heroes
The book portrays the international community of guitar makers with rare authenticity, from the scent of fresh lacquer to the ethics of restoration and the genuine camaraderie that exists among builders worldwide. For the first time in fiction, luthiers take centre stage as the heroes rather than background figures.
A Natural Evolution for a Multifaceted Artist
The Stradivari Formula marks Laskin’s return to fiction after his 1996 debut novel Angel Could Smell the Fire. It follows a distinguished line of non-fiction titles including A Guitarmaker’s Canvas (2003), Grand Complications (2016), and The World of Musical Instrument Makers (1987).
Beyond building, Laskin is an accomplished performer and recording artist on guitar, mandolin, concertina, and Northumbrian smallpipes. He co-founded Borealis Records (Canada’s first national folk label) and the Canadian Folk Music Awards, and he helped establish the Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans (A.S.I.A.), authoring its original Code of Ethics.
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