I loved The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb, and this follow up book was excellent as well. I am not knowledgeable about racism in music history, and the author does a fantastic job of teaching through storytelling. This was engaging from beginning to end.

Thank you #NetGalley and #Anchor Publishing for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book more than Brendan Slocumb's first novel. It's well written and I like the historical fiction element. There are two parallel narratives: one in present day and one in the 1920s. Both are interesting and the pacing and telling of the stories is smooth - all coming together in the end. My only criticism is that I had trouble believing that Freddy would turn violent and cruel. Slocumb shows Freddy getting more absorbed by his new life and success; perhaps the greed and desire could produce anger and killing? In any case, it made for a great story - part history, part mystery, love story and ultimately a tale of redemption.

This story follows Bern as he tries to splice together a missing piece of music from his hero, Frederick Delaney, only to realize Delaney - and his descendants - are very far from the philanthropists the public knows them as. The true story lies in the history of Frederick’s rise to fame, and the woman who is responsible - a black woman named Josephine Reed. She is arguably a synesthete in that she translates her music into the feeling of colors, adding a layer of transcendence to her art, and the way she processes her emotions and relationship with Delaney is beautifully complex. However, she is also a black woman in the early 1900s - and her art is stolen by a white man and her story is hidden by history. Her layers compliment those in Bern and Eboni so well - a man finding his childhood hero was really the villain, and an intelligent woman with morals and humor and trauma - that it feels only right they take up the mantle to find justice for Josephine.

The writing in this book is simply gorgeous. I am normally not a fan of split timelines, but Slocumb made the drifts in time feel seamless. He has created a poignant piece touching on topics such as racial/gender injustice, gaslighting, neurodivergence, the complexity of early 1900s jazz, corporate greed, and more. He weaves together the stories of the past and present sufficiently to create an overlapping piece that felt as if the two stories were made for each other. It makes me so excited to pick up more of his work.

After reading Slocumb's first book, I could tell he was a gifted writer, particularly in the realm of music where he has an abundance of knowledge and expertise. But this book really blew me away. In his debut, the plot and dialogue came across as more amateur, while in his sophomore novel, the writing surpassed all of my expectations. The premise is extremely unique, and the story he tells is both propulsive and full of fascinating information about music composition I never knew I wanted to learn.

The portrayal of the music scene in the 1920s was so colorful and lively, I could almost hear the brilliant compositions playing in my mind. Slocumb wove the stories from the past and present so seamlessly, and the details of the full story were revealed masterfully. Josephine Reed is an unforgettable character, and she was really brought to life in this story.

"Symphony of Secrets" might be even better than the "Violin Conspiracy." I was immediately drawn into the world of Josephine and Freddy. I loved how the story unraveled and the way Bern and Eboni worked together. After reading this novel, I will never view pizza with an uncritical eye again.

Shelf Awareness for Readers, Starred Review: A present-day musical researcher digs into the legacy of one of the world's most beloved composers, and whether his music was truly his to begin with. Brendan Slocumb (The Violin Conspiracy) explores the intersections of race, wealth, power, and legacy in the gripping novel Symphony of Secrets.

Bern Hendricks is the preeminent living scholar of composer Frederic Delaney, whose career in the 1920s and 1930s rocketed toward fame and stardom before crashing with an epic failure. When the Delaney Foundation--founded and funded by the composer--reaches out to Bern to help study a newly discovered piece of Delaney's music, Bern, who had always felt a "deep, unreasonable connection" to the composer, leaps at the opportunity. But Bern and his colleague Eboni discover clues that Delaney may not have written any of his music but, instead, taken it from a neurodivergent Black woman named Josephine Reed, and they find themselves scrambling to uncover a truth that the wealthy white descendants of Frederic Delaney are determined to keep hidden.

Slocumb moves between the present-day story of Bern and Eboni's research work and the story of Delaney and Josephine Reed in the 1920s and '30s. Both timelines build with an increasing sense of urgency and desperation as the characters work to release epic music ("invention... synthesis and heartrending melodies") into the world. Set within the racialized dynamic of American history, Symphony of Secrets poses questions of power and autonomy, authorship and attribution. It is a compelling tale of music and mystery not to be missed by fans of either. --Kerry McHugh, freelance writer

I mostly enjoyed this novel. I found it more enjoyable than Slocumb's previous novel. I feel it is a more compelling story with a better mystery and less obvious plot twists.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was my first read by Brendan Slocumb, and I really enjoyed it overall. While I cannot speak to the quality of the neurodivergent representation, I did appreciate the author's note at the beginning, which made it clear that Slocumb had good intentions. I liked the use of a dual timeline to show how power dynamics varied (or stayed the same) between the previous century and now. I also liked the overall flow of the plot, and kept finding myself wanting to read just one more chapter. Additionally, it's very clear to me that Slocumb truly lives and breathes music in addition to valuing the importance of artists, especially marginalized artists, receiving credit for their work. His passion bleeds through the pages of the book and made it even more enjoyable.

I do want to make it clear that the book handles several sensitive topics including racism, police brutality, murder, misogyny, and ableism. I would urge readers to proceed with caution if any of these may be triggering. That being said, I enjoyed the reading experience and would indeed recommend. I'm now excited to read Slocumb's debut novel and look forward to future publications by this author!

While not my usual genre, this page turning sophomore novel was one of my favorites of the year!

What would you do if what you thought you were an expert in, you didn't really know at all? That is what happens to Bern Hendricks when he is invited to come work on on the long lost finale of his idol's final work. What he discovers is not what he thinks and could change how he views his legacy and his own future.

The writing and character development is fantastic. Not a music lover but I am now!

While I didn't find "Symphony of Secrets" *quite* as compelling as Slocumb's debut, "The Violin Conspiracy," this was still a fantastic historic mystery. Plus i really enjoy the music-themes of his books.

Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb was the kind of novel that I could not put down! I gave this brilliantly written, masterpiece of a book, five very strong stars and in my opinion, it deserved every single one of them and more! Symphony of Secrets was the second book that Brendan Slocumb has written. I wasn’t sure how he was going to top his first novel, The Violin Conspiracy, but he surely did.

This was a very interesting story and well written. Hard to put down.
Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor snd to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved The Violin Conspiracy and this is even better. Slocumb has a way of making you invest in the central topic - violins, composition. Great plot, pacing and characters. Looking forward to the next one! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Symphony of Secrets tells the story of a historian named Bern Hendricks. He discovers that in the 1920s Frederick Delaney, a legendary composer, likely stole his work from a black woman named Josephine Reed. As Bern uncovers secrets about Frederick Delaney’s past there are powerful people who are fighting to force Bern to keep those secrets hidden. But Bern is determined to discover and expose the truth.

I loved this. I loved the main characters, and I felt like all of them had distinct personalities. I wanted all (well, most…) of them to succeed. It was enjoyable to follow each of their individual journeys, and there weren’t any POVs that bored me. Nothing that unexpected happens in Symphony of Secrets, so I wouldn’t describe it as a mystery, but it’s still satisfying to watch Bern dig into the past to learn about Frederick’s and Josephine’s stories. It was also entertaining to watch Frederick’s rise to fame and learn how exactly he got there even though we’re already told, of course, that he ends up being one of the most famous composers in history. I know I’ve already said that I loved the main characters, but I want to specify that I really loved Josephine. I really liked the feeling of being in her mind, and she was my favorite character. As unlikable as he was, I also liked reading through Frederick’s perspective. I love a good villain, and he’s definitely a villain.

Speaking of Frederick’s villainy, something that was shown in this story that I didn’t expect at all is a detailed, complete portrayal of the cycle of abuse. I thought that Frederick and Josephine’s relationship would be between two people who only somewhat knew each other, and I was surprised to learn that their relationship was more similar to that of of a victim and abuser in a romantic relationship. It was difficult to read, but I think it was well handled.

I read and enjoyed The Violin Conspiracy last year and I thought this book was a great improvement. I could see how Brendan Slocumb has grown as a writer. I think a lot of people might think that the pace of this story is too slow in the beginning, but I thought the pacing was fine. To me this felt like a fast paced book that covered very heavy topics while still being easy for me to quickly read.

The reason I had to give Symphony of Secrets 4 stars instead of 5 is that once the pressure on Bern to keep Josephine’s story hidden was really intensified the story became over the top and corny. Because of that I didn’t like reading Bern’s POV for the last 20% or so of the book. But I did still like reading Frederick’s and Josephine’s POVs, so I didn’t completely dislike that last 20%.

I recommend reading this! Please read it!

This book was awesome! I loved the characters and the mystery aspect. Brendan has a great way of bringing in real life situations, and social problems and making them so clear!

This book is a perfect followup book. Music as a “main character” in this book is masterfully done. Bern and Ebony are characters that compliment each well and an allow for the music to be an active main character. There is a perfect amount of mystery, racial conflict, sexual tension and plot twists to make this a fast moving enjoyable read. Slocumb is able to take the topic of music, specifically composing, and make it exciting for a regular reader - is an art in and of itself. This book is well worth your time to read it!

Wow! I read Slocumb's first book which I didn't think could be surpassed and his latest provided stiff competition.

Bern Hendricks is an expert on the work of the brilliant composer, Frederick Delaney. He is recruited by the Delaney Family Foundation to help decipher the mystery of the namesake's lost dominant musical competition.
Bern accepted the assignment of a lifetime and the hijinks, tragedy and creativity begins.

There is so much to ponder and contemplate in this book. Thievery, loyalty, dishonor and ambition are just a few of life's mysteries that are discussed. The twists and unexpected occurrences kept me going straight from the beginning. The characters were so complex and multifaceted. The labyrinthian plot was fascinating. What an exceptional read!

This was very intriguing and well written. I enjoyed the dual timelines and was vested in finding out what really happened with Josephine and Fred. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this

As is becoming a normal for me, I picked up Slocumb’s sophomore novel before picking up The Violin Conspiracy. Even though I haven’t read his first book, it’s clear to me that Slocumb hasn’t hit a sophomore slump.

I was intrigued by this dual timeline plot the entire time.

Present time, Dr Bern Hendricks is called on by the Delaney Foundation to look at the authenticity a piece by Frederick Delaney of what supposed to be his magnum opus song. He brings in his friend Ebonie to help, and as the two dig deeper, nothing is what it seems.

In the 1920s, song-writer, pianist, and salesman Frederick Delaney meets Josephine Reed, a neurodivergent woman living on the streets who a keen ear of music. As the two pair up, success comes quickly, but as we all know success comes at a price.

As Bern and Ebonie dig deeper, they come closer to revealing something that would ruin the Delaney’s and their perfect reputation.

I loved this mix of mystery and music (so much piano) and the twists and turns kept me hooked the entire time.

Highly recommend.

If you loved The Violin Conspiracy, then this one will not disappoint. When a music professor is brought in to vet a previously lost work by a legendary composer, he quickly starts to realize that something is amiss. Once he and his computer-savvy friend start to investigate, they discover something that will change history forever. Told in two story lines (then and now), the reader gets is transported into the music scene of the 1920s and the systematic racism that was the norm. Great story! Highly recommended.