I really enjoyed Slocumb's debut novel, The Violin Conspiracy, and this sophomore book came in exceeding my expectations. This is the story of a professor named Bern who is hired to help authenticate and prepare a lost opera for performance. As a musician myself, the musical tie hooked me immediately. Bern hires his friend Eboni who is a technology guru. As the two work together, they start to generate more and more questions, and start to do some investigation of their own as they start to learn more about a young Black woman named Josephine Reed who may have had more impact in Frederick Delaney's perceived role as a composer than anyone else imagined.
This book demonstrates beautiful writing, a love and appreciation of music, and a good mystery that keeps you turning the pages. It also helps the reader more understand the impacts of race, gender, and age in history and in today's world as well.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Symphony of Secrets
By Brendan Slocumb

I really loved Mr. Slocumb's "The Violin Conspiracy" and looked forward to reading this current book. I enjoyed this book: the unfolding of the truth about Frederic Delaney and Josephine Reed through the investigations of college professor Kevin Bernard (Bern) Hendricks and his security expert friend Eboni.

Bern grew up as an underprivileged kid, who enjoyed the patronage of the Delaney Foundation which supported kids like him around the world who had an interest in music. The Foundation, run by the heirs of Frederic Delaney – widely accepted as a composer and prodigy - brings Bern on board to resolve the question of a long-lost composition. But what Bern discovers in his research is unexpected – indeed shocking – and his attempt to right a great wrong threatens the Foundation itself.

While the story here is engaging, Mr. Slocumb falls back on the same theme of evil white oppressors (the Delaneys) and victimized yet heroic black people (Bern and Eboni) which inhabited his earlier book. I would like very much to see what he can do if he can get beyond this formulaic recurring theme.

Can you imagine one of the best composers ever wasn't actually a composer? This is the question that Brendon Slocumb asks in this fascinating historical fiction tale. In the 1920s Jazz Era in Manhattan, Josephine and Fred meet. She hears music in everything, he doesn't. They decide to work together because she knows that her attempts at writing music will not be accepted, she helps Fred move through the ranks to become one of the best composers of all time. When the secret is discovered today, the secret has more danger than anyone could believe.

This one could perhaps go in the historical fiction category too, with its past/present storylines, but it seems to be billed as more of a page-turner/thriller. follows a music professor, Bernard Hendricks, who is an expert on - and adorer of - an incredibly famous and beloved early 20th century American composer, Frederic Delaney. When his long-lost missing symphony arises, Bern is thrilled to be the one contacted by the Delaney Foundation to get it ready for a world premier concert - but as he works on it, bringing in the help of his grad school friend Eboni, they discover that not all is as it seemed with Delaney's work. And it seems the foundation will do whatever it takes to keep this from getting out... It moves a bit slowly in the beginning, with lots of talk about (fictional) music history, but in general it was actually a bit more of a page-turner at times than I expected, which I enjoyed, and I can see how the stakes would be high on protecting the legacy of THE most famous American composer - but even so I must admit that I didn't quite buy some of the thriller-ish bits with hired goons and such, maybe felt a bit of a stretch at times with the drama. I did appreciate the additional issues woven throughout to give more depth - bringing to light those whose artistic work has been undervalued or appropriated; looking at racism in academia and daily life with microaggressions in the workplace and mistreatment by police; giving a voice to those who have been sidelined by society and righting those wrongs of the past - but at times felt that it was a bit heavy-handed on the issues. The style/content/tone of this type of historical mystery with a present-day investigative timeline that alternates with showing what actually happened in the past - particularly with an emphasis on the arts/figuring out the intent or history of an artist/musician/writer - would be good for fans of authors like Fiona Davis or perhaps some of Kate Morton's work. I love an art history mystery (such as Fiona Davis or BA Shapiro), so moving over into the music history mystery realm felt both fresh and also familiar, for a pretty enjoyable vacation read. I haven't read his debut novel but it's still on my list after trying out this one, even if I wasn't blown away. ★★★.25

Symphony of Secrets is a book that has a lot to say. It says a lot about intellectual property. It says a lot about how black people were treated in the 1900s, about what has changed since then, and what hasn't. It says a lot about how women have been treated. It says a lot about how neurodiverse people are treated. It says a lot about trust and beyrayal.

Along the way, it tells a compelling story of music that was written in the 1900s and rediscovered a century later.

The book focuses on the themes of racism and power, of greed and the ownership of ideas. I really liked how Slocumb was able to draw parallels between the two time periods. The story ramps up faster and faster as it goes on.

I loved the descriptions of how Josephine experienced the world and her ways of describing her surroundings with music, as well as her unique names for things, such as the "white torrents". Her story was at times beautiful and at other times heartbreaking. I found myself wishing that the music in the novel was real so that I could experience what Josephine was writing about.

I highly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction with some mystery/suspense mixed in, especially for people who are interested in music.

After reading and enjoying "The Violin Conspiracy", I was eager to read "Symphony of Secrets." I was not disappointed. The characters in this novel are more finely drawn, more real-feeling. The psychology behind their actions and thoughts are tuned to the era and provide a vicarious and compassionate experience of what living through the events in the novel must have been like. The antagonist develops into the bad guy over time and so is believable. But it's Josephine Reed, the novel's protagonist, who makes this story sing. The introduction to hearing in color, which I've read many musicians do, also added depth and expanded the story line along with the other subplots lining this exceptional novel. It's not common for a new author to out do their first book, but Slocumb did it.
Reviewed for Net Galley.

Brendan Slocomb does it again. This Sophomore book started off slow for me. But once it picked up, it was full speed ahead. Touching on various topics such as cover ups, fame, greed, power, racism, and autism made for a read that tossed my emotions all over the place. I wanted to be Josephine's friend; I wanted to put Fred Delaney on blast; I wanted to help Bern & Eboni solve the mystery; I wanted to actually hear RED. In short, although I was iffy at the beginning of the book, I ended up absolutely loving this book.
Thank you Netgalley for an advanced reader copy.

Delighted to include this title in the April edition of Novel Encounters, my regular column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction, for the Books section of Zoomer magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

Thanks to NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor Publishing for providing me with this free ARC in return for my honest review.
What a great followup to Brendan Slocumbs prior work, The Violin Conspiracy. This book follows the travails of two individuals who are hired to transcribe a newly discovered last symphony entitled RED, by the prestigious Delaney Foundation. The Foundation was started by Fredric Delaney who was the most accomplished and respected classical composer from the 1920-30's. Bern Hendricks is a Delaney expert, and was brought by the Foundation to update the lackluster RED Opera, the last of 5 that he was commissioned to write by the International Olympic Committee. All prior works were masterpieces, as were his regular popular songs of the 1920's. But there are these strange doodles on the manuscript which nobody can figure out until Bern enlists the aid of his Cybersecurity friend Eboni, And now secrets are discovered as we go back in time to meet Josephine Reed a black lady who met Delaney. The pages of doodles contain the initials JoR and the duo try to figure out who JoR is, and then what she meant to Delaney. We go back and forth from the present day travails to the 1920's and the relationship between Delaney and Reed. Who created this music, who owns the music, to whom were royalties paid or not paid. Who owns the music? It is a fascinating look at race, and minorities who have been slighted in their contributions to music and society. It is a wonderful mystery, a masterful tale, and makes me wonder if Slocumb might just be a better writer than musician!! A well done book that realistically takes us back in time and see how society treated blacks, women, minorities and their music. Cannot say enough good things about this book, a well deserved 5***** effort

I was somewhat hesitant to begin this novel. I absolutely loved Slocumb's earlier "The Violin Conspiracy" and frankly anticipated that this one couldn't quite measure up. I was very, very wrong. If anything, it is much more powerful. I rarely give a five star rating. This one is so good that I'm tempted to go back to any that I have recently done and take them down a notch so that this one will stand out and scream "READ ME!" to anyone who may see it.

After finishing, I sobbed for several minutes due to the release of tension that had built over the last chapters. I also cried for the long overdue justice. (Hope I'm not giving too much away there.)

I was taken with Slocumb's art at developing mirrored exploitations past and present. I marveled at the growing absurdities of justifications from relatively benign to horrific. How can these things happen? And yet I know that they have and continue to do so.

The novel left me contemplating larger implications, about what may be unseen around me. What genius is nearby but overlooked, undeveloped, ignored, or suppressed? How should I be seeing? How can I be saving?

Thanks to NetGalley and Anchor Books for early access to this title.

Thanks to NetGalley and and the publisher for sending me this ARC. Symphony of Secrets, Slocumb's sophomore novel, is every bit as good, if not better than, The Violin Conspiracy. Once again, the story takes place in the world of classical music. Kevin Bernard Hendricks or Bern, is an African-American musicologist with a PhD and a professorship. Raised in a poor midwestern town with few opportunities, Bern was the recipient of a French horn donated by the Frederick Delaney Foundation, that he credits his success to. A scholar in all things Frederick Delaney, a genius composer from the early 1900s, Bern is called in by the Foundation to transcribe a recently discovered piece of music composed by Delaney, who's career took a downturn in his later years, in the hopes to restore Delaney's reputation as one of the greatest composers of all time. This newly discovered document also contains mysterious doodles that Bern with a data specialist friend, Eboni, try to decode.
The story goes back and forth between Bern in the present and Delaney in the past. Delaney's chapters where he starts off in a local jazz band and subsequently meets Josephine and becomes a huge success is equally as compelling.

Symphony of Secrets is a propulsive mystery that deals with issues of racism, appropriation, and with how far a wealthy powerful family will go to keep family secrets.

Bern Hendricks has just received the call of a lifetime. As one of the world’s preeminent experts on the famed twentieth-century composer Frederick Delaney, Bern knows everything there is to know about the man behind the music. When Mallory Roberts, a board member of the distinguished Delaney Foundation and direct descendant of the man himself, asks for Bern’s help authenticating a newly discovered piece, which may be his famous lost opera, RED, he jumps at the chance. With the help of his tech-savvy acquaintance Eboni, Bern soon discovers that the truth is far more complicated than history would have them believe.

In the present day, Bern and Eboni begin to uncover more clues that indicate Delaney may have had help in composing his most successful work. Armed with more questions than answers and caught in the crosshairs of a powerful organization who will stop at nothing to keep their secret hidden, Bern and Eboni will move heaven and earth in their dogged quest to right history’s wrongs.

Take heed of this synopsis: the promise here is delivered upon. Slocumb found a way to balance mystery, appropriation, and heritage without sacrificing the heart and dignity of the characters he created. This is a welcome change from his first novel, and I recommend this book without hesitation.

Slocumb is easily becoming one of my favorite new authors! I love the realistic suspense, slow burn mysteries he sets up that are almost also historical fiction. I hope he continues to write such great novels! This was a lot of fun to read!

Brendan Slocumb captured my heart with an appearance at the LA Times Book Club review of his first book, The Violin Conspiracy. His passion for music as well as mystery led me to request an ARC of his latest book, Symphony of Secrets. I relished it. Suspenseful, original and well written, I found the novel that will be published on April 18, 2023 to be a winner and far more gripping and enjoyable than the first book.

Bern Hendricks is a Ph D in music working as a professor at UVA. He is of African American ancestry and a leading expert in America’s most famous musician of the early 20 th century, Frederick Delaney. Fred was the foremost American composer of popular music, acclaimed symphonies and opera until he seemingly lost his touch and became a has been. His masterpiece, Red ( one of the colors of the Olympic banner) has been missing for decades. Bern is honored by a request from the Delaney Foundation to review the newly found music and attest to its authenticity. Bern combines his expertise in music with the technological skill of his friend, Eboni, to get this job done. It’s not a simple task.
Together Bern and Eboni discover the existence of Josephine Reed, a genius, with the ability to hear music in the colors and sounds of the world around her, and using an original code, transcribe her unusual notations into beautiful music. Josephine, a black woman, on the streets, destitute, and looked upon as mentally ill, finds that her acquaintance and friendship with young Frederic, to be altering. But somewhere along the way, everything changes for Josephine. Who can she trust?
As Bern and Eboni delve more deeply into the mystery of Delaney’s prolific musical compositions, they discover information that puts their very lives into jeopardy. The author deftly weaves societal issues into the narrative. Themes of racism in the USA both current and historically , the understanding of the rights of authorship, the relationship between honesty, greed, and the power of money to change people and events, bring tense dramatic moments as the story unfolds.
To say much more would spoil the joy of reading and uncovering the plot for yourself. A few slow spots at the beginning lead me to rate this four and a half stars but rounded to five as the completed book was compelling, engaging and very satisfying. I thank NetGalley and the publishers Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an early copy of Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb

Author Bernard Slocumb has once again captivated his readers with a "can't put it down" back story set in the New York of the 1920s in tandem with a present day Ph. D music teacher who sets on a course to change history.

Professor Bern Hendricks received his education in music through the Delaney Foundation which had as its mission a desire to aid at-risk young people in reaching success in music. Hendricks is contacted by the Foundation to research and authenticate what the Foundation feels is an authentic opera composed by Frederic Delaney in the 1920s. When Hendricks unearths evidence that Frederic Delaney compositions may have been "stolen", he embarks on a journey with absolutely no stop signs as he engages the help of a female tech genius to aid in his quest to prove that it was an autistic black woman who actually composed the hundreds of musical scores credited to Delaney.
what was
The relationship between Frederic Delaney and true composer Josephine Reed is complex as readers are treated to the early musical meetings of the pair, the growth of musical success and the tragic ending to what was never a true partnership.

As evidence unfolds, Dr. Hendricks and partner Ebony Washington never let up on their quest to give Josephine Reed the recognition she deserves, even as they are threatened, taken into custody and certainly belittled.

Slocumb's Symphony of Secrets offers readers an opportunity to learn more of the world of musical composition along with an authentic portrait of the New York music scene of the 1920s.

A wonderful read!

This review will be posted on April 18, 2023 to: https://instagram.com/amandas.bookshelf

This was SO SO THRILLING! Absolutely an excitingly fast paced ride! @brendanslocumb really did an outstanding job. I loved every single thing about this novel, its message, and the beautiful descriptions of the music. I especially adored when we viewed the music and sounds through the lens of Josephine. Read this, read this, read this! #SymphonyOfSecrets Rating: 😍 / loved it
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This book is scheduled for publication on April 18, 2023. Thank you @vintageanchorbooks for providing me this digital ARC via @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As much as I enjoyed The Violin Conspiracy, I believe this one is even better. From the fascinating characters and the rich setting of New York in the 1920s to the intrigue of a lost opera of questionable origins, Symphony of Secrets is an exciting ride from the first note to the last.

Thanks to NetGalley and Anchor Books for the advance copy.

When Dr. Bern Hendricks, preeminent scholar of the famed American composer Frederick Delaney, gets the call of a lifetime from the Delaney foundation, it’s his wildest dream come true. They want him to authenticate the legendary composer’s long-lost opera, RED. Bern thought he knew everything there was to know about Frederick Delaney, but as it turns out, there are long-hidden secrets that could change everything. As he delves further into the music he uncovers far more than he bargained for. Is the composer he has built his career around a complete fraud? Why are signs pointing to a mysterious woman and the growing suspicion that she was the actual genius behind the music?

Like The Violin Conspiracy, Slocumb’s first book, Symphony of Secrets is a fast-paced music thriller that doesn’t sacrifice character development or great writing. Told in two timelines, the story unfolds slowly and then all at once.

I loved this book, a thought-provoking story about the nature of representation and who gets to be acknowledged and rewarded for accomplishment. It would make a great read for book clubs, and I strongly recommend it!

Thank you to the publisher, @Netgalley and @BrendanSlocumb for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dr. Bern Hendricks, considered to be one of the foremost experts on 20th-century composer, Frederick Delaney, has been asked to authenticate a recently discovered piece of music believed to be Delaney’s lost opera. He recruits Eboni, his tech-savvy friend, to help with the project, but their research soon turns up questions that lead to more questions – questions the Delaney Foundation doesn’t want answered.

I enjoyed this author’s first book and was excited to read this one – which, fortunately, lived up to expectations. It is told in timelines alternating from current day to the 1920s, but the switch from one to the other was not hard to understand. It was fun to follow the development of music in the historical time period, but the prejudices and attitudes of that same time were difficult to swallow. Much of the technical side of the music was over my head, but that didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the book.

I really liked Bern and Eboni and admired their resolve when it came to getting answers to their questions. Eboni seemed to be the stronger of the two, but they were knowledgeable in their respective fields and worked well together. My thoughts about the other characters – in both timelines – changed as the story unfolded, and by the end of the book, I wanted to throttle several of them. It was obvious how things were going to work out, but the journey to that conclusion kept me turning pages to see exactly how it was all going to come to a head.

I look forward to reading this author’s next book and discovering more about the world of music.

This book was a win in my heart. I already love The Violin Conspiracy so when Brendan was coming out with this book, I had to get the ARC! As a fellow musician, I end up reading any book about music.

It started off a tad slow but around 35% of the way in, I was hooked till the end. Was it a bit predictable? Yes, but I still enjoyed reading how Ebony and Bern figured everything out.

The writing was beautiful, and I loved how Brendan wrote in dual POVs going between the present and the past with Freddy and Josephine.

Of all the things I loved, I love how Bern's primary instrument he grew up with and loved was the French horn. That was my first instrument that I learned to play and continued to play the rest of my life.

Overall, if you love a good historical fiction book detailing about music and symphonies in the case of a thriller, this is the book for you

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘣, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘙𝘊.