Brendan Slocumb’s phenomenal first book, the Violin Conspiracy, is followed up by another literary masterpiece. Slocumb combines the historical mystery of the Da Vinci Code with the suspense and intrigue of the Silent Patient to create a page-turner centered around the 1920s New York music world, racism and the extraordinary lengths some people will go to to become famous. One of the best books I’ve read all year!

The famous Delaney foundation reaches out to Bern Hendricks, a musicology professor, to ask him to prepare a long lost opera by Delaney for production. The foundation recently found the opera, Red, and Bern reaches out to his friend, Eboni, for assistance. They discover an odd note in the copy of Red which leads them to discover that Delaney may not have been the genius everyone thought he was before he died of suicide in 1936. A woman, Josephine Reed, seemed to have known Delany and been key in his success but they can't quite figure out how. The alternate narratives between the present day and the early 20th century builds suspense and the quick dialogue moves the novel at a fascinating pace.

This book is interesting on SO many levels. It's dual timeline, and both timelines are equally interesting, so the book doesn't drag as it moves back and forth between them. Thinking about how women were treated back then in general, much less a neurodivergent woman of color, and it's easy to see how something like this could actually have taken place. The hardest thing is the descriptions of the music made me wish so desperately to listen to it...

I received an advanced readers copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for a review. I greatly enjoyed the authors first novel and was thrilled to read this one. This book was fantastic! Filled with suspense that kept me going until the last page! What an amazing dual timeline story! Only reason I took so long to read this was I wasn’t reading much of anything due to recovery from surgery, but when I did read I read i had trouble putting it down!

The delightful sparkle of Symphony of Secrets is found in two strong female character: Eboni Washington, a pizza-loving cybersecurity expert, and Josephine Reed, a musical composer. Professor Bern Hendricks has been hired by the Delaney Foundation to examine RED, a missing piece of an opera quintet written after the 1928 Olympic Games, and published by Frederic Delaney, an American composer. Bern begins to question if Delaney wrote the piece. The novel, written chapters that flashback between current day and the 1920s, examines how the opera came to be. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy strong female characters.

A famous opera, missing for decades, has been found, and Bern is chosen by the Delaney Foundation to transcribe the music and bring it to life. But he discovers so much more. Following clues starting within the written music itself, he begins to learn about the hidden composer, Josephine Reed, who was not given credit. In the dual timeline, Josephine meets Freddy Delaney and is given the chance to write the music she wants to hear. Is it too good to be true? Music and mystery, secrets kept, and secrets discovered. An interesting story with wonderful characters. Already looking forward to the next!

I'm pretty picky when it comes to mystery reads, but as someone who grew up playing clarinet from the time I was in 5th grade all the way thru college, anything that takes place in the world of music immediately grabs my attention. In this, his sophomore novel, Brendan Slocumb builds a world around the charismatic figure of Frederic Delaney, one of the most celebrated and amazing American composers of the early 20th century. That is, until he completely bombed, particularly with the final opera he wrote. Bern is a professor and musicologist who has been given an extraordinary task by The Delaney Foundation - transcribe the lost original copy of that final opera which Delaney had lost and had miserably failed when he tried to rewrite it from memory. The job is a dream come true until Bern starts realizing that information about Delaney is not adding up, and an emerging figure from the past further complicates Bern's work and quest for not only an accurate music score, but an accurate telling of the facts. I enjoyed this story, and was always eager to get back to it when I had the chance. Since I read an ARC, my two cents would be that if the Author's Note remains at the start of the text, do NOT read it first! Because I did, I felt like it spoiled some significant information that I otherwise would have been surprised by or puzzled out myself. If you like music and mysteries, this is a solid pick.

I think this book has a ton of potential to rank as a best book of the year. A must purchase for most libraries.

This was really more like 4-1/2 stars for me and the only reason why it's not 5 stars is because I felt like the beginning was a little slow. Once I got 20% into the book, I was hooked and toward the end I could not put it down. I loved Brendan Slocumb's The Violin Conspiracy and this one is really good too. If you love mystery/suspense and historical fiction, this is a great combination of both. Music professor Bern Hendricks is an expert on the famous composer Frederick Delaney. He has studied and revered the man and his music for years. When he's asked by the Delaney Foundation to authenticate a recently-discovered piece, he's thrilled to look into it. He asks his most tech-savvy friend Eboni Washington to help him decode the documents given to him by the Foundation. Eboni and Bern soon figure out that everything was not as it seemed with Frederick Delaney. There are markings on the new documents that lead them down a dangerous path. The story goes back and forth in time from the 1920's with Frederick Delaney meeting homeless music prodigy Josephine Reed to the present with Bern and Eboni uncovering their past. The Foundation is a powerful organization with a lot to lose if Bern and Eboni can prove that Josephine was the real music genius, not Frederick. Did Frederick steal his music from Josephine? I definitely recommend this book and can't wait for Brendan Slocumb's next one. Thanks to #netgalley #anchorbooks and #brendanslocumb for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Symphony of Secrets
By Brendan Slocumb


Symphony of Secrets is expertly told and plotted in two time lines. In the present day, Dr. Bern Hendricks can’t believe his luck when he is enlisted to transcribe an opera. Not just any opera, it is Frédéric Delaney’s Red, the final piece of the Five Rings of Olympia. The newly discovered version of Red contains “Doodles” which are thought to be a secret annotation system. Bern invites Eboni, a dear old college friend and talented computer expert, to help decipher the meaning of the Delaney Doodles. And here is where things get really interesting, the more this dynamic duo searches for answers, the more certain they become that Delaney may not be the talent everyone believes him to be. Bern and Eboni are busy investigating a game changing secret while trying to keep the rich and powerful Delaney Foundation at bay.

The second timeline is set during the Roaring 20’s when Jazz is in it’s Hay Day. We meet Delaney when he is a lowly musician beating out tunes trying to sell sheet music and playing with a jazz combo. One night he is playing at The Alibi Club and is nearly fired by his band mates, when he encounters Josephine Reed an unusually talented woman who experiences the world around her as beautiful music.

The author creates a palpable sense of time and place. His noir-ish1920’s Manhattan is especially atmospheric. Brendan Slocum is quickly becoming an author to rely on for memorable characters, musical mystery and a thrilling chase to discover the truth. You won’t want to miss this one!

Thank you to the author @BrendanSlocumb, @NetGalley & @VintageAndAnchorBooks for this gifted digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Look for it - Pub Date: 18 April 2023

This was an excellent book. The story was so thought-provoking and had me wondering if there were other artists/musicians that this happened. This story takes place in the 1920s and current times as the famous Dr. Bern Hendricks is brought in by the Delaney Foundation to transcribe RED, the real RED, an opera piece part of an Olympia series that Frederic Delaney originally performed. While Bern is transcribing and researching he finds information that needs further digging. The story takes a twist of deceit and surprise.

I can't wait to read this author's other book

I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher for an honest review.

I loved this second novel by Slocumb. It takes all of the amazing parts of Violin Conspiracy and ratchets them up a notch. There is everything to love about a novel - a look at social issues, a mystery, a great historical element and a unique voice. My favorite parts of this novel were the unique voices throughout and the decision to go back and forth in the timelines. I loved watching the story unfold from the different viewpoints and my favorite character was Josephine Reed. This really explored how easy it could be to take credit for work that isn’t your own and profit from it. This novel takes appropriation to a whole new level. I loved every bit of this story!

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. It starts off a little slowly, with a couple of geeks holed up in a sub-basement poring over musical scores and computers, but once they make a huge, life-altering discovery, the shit hits the fan. Rich imagery really brings the reader into the story, and you'll be along for a wild ride. The rich and powerful Delaney Foundation certainly won't allow a lowly musicologist and computer programmer to spill their dark secrets!

Professor Bern, a young black man, is an expert on the famous early 20th century composer Frederick Delaney. The infamous philanthropic Delaney Foundation comes to him with a project that will be the epitome of his career! Eager to dive in, he enlists the help of his longtime bestie and tech genius, Eboni.

As Eboni and Bern dig deep into the past, they discover that Delaney may not have been the musical genius the world thought he was but perhaps a fraud. Knowing the Foundation would never accept this, Bern and Eboni embark on a mission of their own, despite the legal and dangerous consequences.

Slocumb has done it again! I could not put this one down! This is a fast paced thriller with themes of racism, greed and power weaved through. Told in dual timelines set in present day and in the early 1920’s, this one will take you on another musical ride! If you enjoyed The Violin Conspiracy, you will enjoy this historical fiction/thriller.

Thank you to @vintageanchorbooks @netgalley and @brendanslocumb for the privilege to read this early review copy. This one hits the shelves on 4/18/22.

Brandon Slocumb masterfully weaves music, treachery and suspense in Symphony of Secrets to create a mystery that should capture most people’s imaginations. I found the beginning third+ of the story slow. I don’t know much about musical composition and even less about the history of music in America, which made it challenging to follow where the story line was taking me.

The overall premise is believable - as a child, Bern Hendricks, an underprivileged African American, is given a chance to excel when he is gifted with a new French Horn from a generous Delaney foundation grant. I had a hard time imagining anyone as obsessed as Bern was with the composer Frederic Delaney. He listened to his music over and over to the point of losing track of where he was or what he was supposed to be doing. And he was eternally grateful to the Delaney Foundation as their gift changed his life’s direction.

Bern earned his Ph.d in musicology, focusing primarily on the works of his idol, Frederic Delaney. He was teaching at UVA when he is invited to participate in a career changing opportunity to review and notate a long-lost work of Frederic Delaney at the Delaney Foundation offices. This is an unbelievable dream come true for Bern. As we know, sometimes what looks like a "dream come true" move often turns out to be just the opposite.

Slocumb does an outstanding job in exposing the facade and subterfuge at the world-renowned and much beloved non-profit Delaney Foundation. Sadly, I think this part of the story is laced with more truth than fiction as these days we hear more and more about sham organizations that take the money and run. Or, as in this case, launder the money in ways known only to the wealthy.

Bern’s sidekick Eboni, a computer genius and proficient hacker, possesses none of Bern’s naivety when it comes to the Delaney Foundation. Together, they uncover secrets Delaney’s heirs want hidden, and will do whatever it takes to make sure Bern and Eboni’s discoveries never see the light of day. The last half of the book was well worth my time as the twists and turns took me on a most suspenseful journey.

I liked Symphony of Secrets and I’m glad I stuck with the story and finished the book. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday for the opportunity to preview Symphony of Secrets.

When I read The Violin Conspiracy in late 2022, I was enamored by the intricacy of Slocumb's story and his interweaving of music, Black history, and a solid mystery. Slocumb has done the same this time, but with a completely different and heart-grabbing story. Delaney, a struggling musician, meets Josephine Reed and they become partners in music writing and composing, but because Josephine is black and it's the 1920s, she has to be kept a special secret and Delaney promises he'll keep her safe. She's a musical genius and Delaney capitalizes on this. In present day, Professor Bern Hendricks is asked by Delaney's descendants, to score a musical piece that was found - and he's signed a non-disclosure agreement. With the hard work Hendricks does (and with the help of his cyber-sleuth friend, Eboni), we read about the present-day findings Bern brings to the surface that the Delaney Foundation want to keep hidden. This was a gripping novel that interwove the past, present, and even the future of the Delaney Foundation, while also telling the stories of Black people in 1920s Manhatten to today. It is a gripping novel of family, legacy, musical creativity and redemption. Outstanding.
#netgalley #symphonyofsecrets #fivestarread

This was an amazing book. I loved Brendan Slocomb's Violin Conspiracy and this is even better.
In 1920s NYC Fred Delaney is a sort of music hack - less talent than desire. He is about to be kicked out of his combo when he meets Josephine Reed. She has been living on he streets where everything she hears is music. She gives Fred some lessons and his abilities "improve".
In the present day, Bern Hendricks, an expert on composer Fred Delaney, is asked to look over a manuscript of a lost symphony - but first he has to sign an NDA. He and his tech guru, Eboni, begin to uncover some oddities in the musical notation and some big questions about attribution arise. The descriptions of Josephine's musical vision are so well done. This is a really well written book with good character development and suspense. It will be fantastic for discussion. I'm already telling friends to put it on their "to read next" lists.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Let me start by saying that I read and loved The Violin Conspiracy and got to meet Brendan Slocumb last year and think he is a wonderful person. That said, I loved Symphony of Secrets more. Where The Violin Conspiracy was often a veiled memoir for Slocumb's own experience coming to prominence as a Black man in the predominantly white world of music, Symphony of Secrets invents its own famous composer, gives him a complete history and permeation throughout culture, and brings the reader on a historical journey. I liked the broader scope this book had as a result and the dual timelines made me want to keep reading the next chapter to find out what was going to happen next in each time period.

Bern Hendricks has studied Frederick Delaney for years, but is brought on board for a secret project to examine Delaney's long thought lost opera RED. He enlists his friend Eboni to assist him, and the pair begin to look into Delaney's history. What are the doodles that appear all over his work, and who is the mysterious woman who Delaney was photographed with? As Bern and Eboni start to uncover the truth, they learn that history is harder to uncover when it challenges the powerful. The book switches in perspective between Bern studying Delaney in the present and Delaney rising to prominence as a musician and composer. This allows for a great combination of a scholarly thriller and a historical mystery.

This book often made me feel the same way I felt after watching Tar: thinking first "wow what an excellent and accomplished person in music that feels so real" followed by "I can't believe they did those things how dare they." Slocumb creates so many excellent details about Delaney that make him feel so believable as a historical figure. Delaney's historical story is a slow burn that leaves a mark. Slocumb has once again written a fantastic book that will leave the reader with a lot to discuss about how we praise historical figures and respond to discoveries that challenge our beliefs.

Thank you to Anchor Books and NetGalley for a copy of Symphony of Secrets in exchange for a review copy.

The author of The Violin Conspiracy is back with a smashing success of a novel!

When a new work by the world renown composer Frederick Delaney is found, Delaney Expert Bern Hendricks is beyond the moon to be called by the Delaney Foundation to examine it. Very quickly however he realizes that Frederick may have had help. Between a series of flashbacks we learn more about Frederick's life and the truth might be something that more than one person wants to keep hidden.

This story is beautifully paced and planned, I wish these characters were real artists - I could almost hear the music. If you like composers, musics, thrillers and conspiracies, Symphony of Secrets is for you!
#knopf #SymphonyofSecrets #BrendanSlocumb

I love this author. I loved Violin Conspiracy, and he's done it again. Deeply compelling characters, can't put it down mystery, on top of taking me into the world of a black person in America in a way that's so necessary right now. Bravo.