Curtis Wilson, his father Zippy, and surrogate mother Larissa live in the Washington DC projects. Curtis receives a cello through a charitable organization when he is 5 years old, and it changes his life. He immerses himself into practicing his cello, attends Julliard, and his goal is to become a cello soloist with major orchestras. He is so close to achieving his goal when his family's life comes crashing down due to his father's drug dealing. His life is forever changed and his family is on the run.

I have read both of Brendan Slocumb's other books and love how they are infused with classical music and musicians, a theme which is continued in this book. In addition, this novel brings in superheros, comics and animated videos, juxtaposing them with both classical music and rap. The chapters alternate between the three main characters - Curtis, Zippy and Larissa - each bringing their own point of view and enhancing the development of each character. The themes of class struggle, the importance of family, commitment, haves and have-nots, goals and success are all addressed. Overall, quite a page-turner!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for an advanced reader copy to review in exchange for an honest opinion. This book will be published May 13, 2025.

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.

I was very excited to read Brendan Slocumb’s third book, thank you NetGalley! Although it is very different in tone and in plot from his first two books, it was a great book that explored some new themes. Truly a family drama, it's about a Cellist prodigy coming from the gritty, drug ridden part of DC, and you get a tight knit family that has each other’s backs. The father, Zippy, a drug dealer who has set his sights on better things, and a step mom, Larissa, who works with battered women. Of course there is also Curtis, the child prodigy who loves his cello so much and I wish my child loved to practice as much as he does! As the plot progresses, you can tell the author is using some fantastical and wish fulfillment storylines for his own healing, and I truly love this about the story. I also enjoyed the family dynamics and that even though they came from some tough backgrounds, they always loved each other and tried to do their best in the world. It also begs the question - if you are working for someone that seems to be too good to be true, is just doing your job enough? Or should you be asking where the underlying money comes from?

Wow. The Dark Maestro will keep you on the edge of your seat as you read to see what will happen next. The author Brendan Slocumb has combined the worlds of Classical music, rap, comic books, black market organ donation, forensic accounting, crime syndicates, and the local, state, federal, and international policing agencies into this extraordinary novel that follows music prodigy Curtis Wilson and his family as they navigate life. The story will keep you guessing until the very end. I highly recommend this book.

This was such a wild ride. Having read Brendan Slocumb’s first novel, The Violin Conspiracy, I was really excited about this. It tackled many real life issues but also eventually asks the reader to suspend disbelief. Overall I really enjoyed it so much but a star comes off because I was pretty disappointed with the ending and some of the questionable choices made by the main characters. The ending didn’t make sense to me and felt all for nothing, and some of the violent actions just did not fit the character’s at all. But beyond that it was a really great story. I will definitely get to Symphony of Secrets soon since I never got to it! Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for the ARC!

This book is vastly different from his previous novels which I loved. Curtis is a child prodigy on the cello. He lives in the poor part of town and dreams of making it on stage to play with symphony. His father Zippy, is a drug dealer and at first believes him always practicing is a waste of time. His boss sees Curtis on the television and now invites the family to barbecues and to perform as he is impressed with Curtis.

Curtis has trouble fitting in at school and often gets picked on. He leans into comic books as his way to escape reality. When his life gets turned upside by his father landing them in witness protection he invents his own comic hero Dark Maestro. He sets out to get his life back to performing.

His father claimed to always have his back but was rarely there for him and was hard to read about the neglect he lived with. Larissa had a heart of gold and truly loved Curtis and nurtured him.

Doubleday Books provided an early galley for review.

I have been a fan for Slocumb's novels for the past several years, so I was very excited to see the listing for his latest one. I correctly concluded that I was in for another good reading experience.

The narration bounces between the three lead characters (Curtis, Zippy and Larissa) as the story unfolds across the years. From the set-up chapters, we get a good sense of who they are, the world they are coming from, and what they do to survive in it. The story momentum builds to a fevered pitch over the last third of the novel.

As a comic book fan, I enjoyed the added touch of Curtis' reference to comics. For those in that loop, they serve as nice Easter eggs. They are more than just character-quirks as comics do tie into the plot of the story. Per his notes in the back, the author is also a big fan.

Slocumb also ties in the musical elements as this is something he knows personally from his own life. This is a signature component across all of his novels to date. There is also a bit of worldbuilding going on as a few things in this novel tie into earlier works as well, thus setting the books in a shared world.

This novel is quite different from the first two which I would call historical mysteries. We learned backstories of the main characters and then well plotted mysteries were woven into the stories.

I would call this novel a family drama with suspenseful elements!

This novel grabbed me from the beginning! We are introduced to one of our main protagonists, Curtis Wilson. At age 5 Curtis is introduced to music and then to the cello after his school music teacher quickly learns how naturally talented he is.

Curtis lives with his father Zippy. They live in the very worst areas of inner city DC and he makes a living dealing drugs.

Larissa is Zippy’s live-in girlfriend and loves Curtis and does everything she can to help him advance his musical talents.

The novel has a great blurb explaining how many things go wrong in this trio’s life and how they attempt to get their lives back after having to enter the Witness Protection Program. Curtis’s blooming career playing with esteemed orchestras is over - seemingly forever!

Where this novel started to lose me was about half way through. It was a struggle for me to keep interest in the workings of gang and cartel related activities!

When the novel took a sharp twist into comic-book heroes and podcasts - I admit to starting to skim portions of the book to finish it.

This book was a disappointment for me. After reading the Author’s Notes I learned a bit about why Mr. Slocum wrote this novel - but I will leave that for the next reader to discover.

This is a well written family drama but the mystery elements were missing which I had enjoyed so much in the first two novels.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.

Slocumb has written a dynamic third novel set in the world of music. 5 year old Curtis is given the opportunity to play the cello and it quickly becomes his world. Recognized as a virtuoso, supported by his dad and his long time girlfriend, this is Curtis’s ticket out of poverty. He’s thriving until his accountant father is criminally charged and turns in evidence against his bosses. The family’s only hope is to enter witness protection, meaning the end of all music, hopes and dreams for Curtis. Filled with compelling characters, a loving family, this is a novel about music, human relations, starting over and loyalty toward each other. A tour de force.

Brendan Slocumb can do no wrong in my literary opinion. As a former violinist turned librarian, his novels really hit my sweet spot. This one is full of Slocumb's edgy intrigue and tantalizing plot twists. The music, while a key part of the story is not central to the plot of hiding from comic book level bad guys wanting to do a family harm in horrific ways. Because of that, I didn't have as deep a connection to the story as I did with Symphony of Secrets where I spent several minutes weeping at the conclusion. Nevertheless, the music is there and the story is well-paced and grabs. Thanks Brendan for another great read!

There is something powerful about playing an instrument. Is it how the instrument draws you in with its sound that captures your soul? Is it how the musician focuses intently on understanding it, let alone mastering it? Is it how the people around you are affected by it and how it can change your lives forever? Or is it that the music lives within us far beyond after we put our instruments down?
"The Dark Maestro" by Brendan Slocumb examines these questions and more in this (in my humble opinion), summer blockbuster of the season! The mystery and suspense in this thriller is intense (in a very good way). There were times when I could not put the book down. I loved how the main character connected so strongly with the cello-thus resonated with me (no pun intended) as a kid who also learned through their after-school program. However, the author's note at the end is what really ties this book together into something more. In a time when we are looking for superheroes, can we answer the call and put on the cape ourselves?

@brendanslocumb I have no words-you have outperformed yourself again. Bravo and 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Huge thanks to @doubledaybooks and @netgalley for the eARC. This book, fittingly enough, comes out May 13 (before the Memorial Day blockbuster weekend). If you love mystery/thriller, cellos, and justice, do yourself a favor and get this book! #netgalley #thedarkmaesto #bookstagram #read #music #violin

The author of The Violin Conspiracy and Symphony of Secrets, Mr. Brendan Slocumb’s third musical masterpiece, The Dark Maestro delivers another gripping but yet thrilling mystery, blending it with music and suspense.
The story follows Curtis a talented musician whose world is upended when his family is jeopardized by a series of forces of hidden in the dark. As they navigate the world of classical music, secrets unravel, putting everything at risk. Mr. Slocumb’s ability build to add tension into his story is beautifully written and woven into the story as if it is just a part of the melodic part of the character’s journey.

4.25 ⭐️

THE DARK MAESTRO by Brendan Slocumb

This novel had a really intriguing, and taken-from-real-life, premise. Curtis is a young, accomplished cellist with a father named Zippy who is earning a living working for a Bad Guy. After a prison stint, Zippy gets involved in an *interesting* business proposition that has the whole family fearing for their lives.

➕ This had a really engaging plot with some unique aspects. Was it a little *too* much in terms of being a little far-fetched? Maybe, but it was still really interesting and I kept wanting to read it.
➕ It was easy to empathize with Curtis.
➕ I really liked how the family collaborated on its project.

➖ There was a lot in this novel in terms of subjects brought up and themes. When I thought about what I wanted more of and less of, I thought the author gave a balanced lens to each item. Maybe it’s more than I can’t wholeheartedly give this novel more than 4.25 stars because of the suspension of disbelief and the sheer quantity of areas brought up.

If you’re a fan of Brendan Slocumb, this one definitely has more plot than THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY. Actually, at many points when I was reading this, I thought I was reading an S.A. Cosby action-packed novel. (That’s quite a compliment!) I thought it was a strong novel, yet more unique.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

It publishes May 13, 2025.

In Brendan Slocumbs third novel he has stayed with a musical theme but has also taken a left turn here while adding a superhero theme as well. It centers around Curtis, who at the beginning is a child prodigy cello player, growing up with his father Zippy, who is tied up in the local drug trafficking trade and his girlfriend Larrisa who has a heart of gold but has some shady dealings as well as she does what she has to do to make a living on the poorest streets of Washington D.C.

I really enjoyed the character the development and the growth of these characters, as well as the eventual teamwork that develops on what becomes a family project. I was all in as the family has to go from place to place as they are involved in the witness protection program and really felt for Curtis as he had lose things that were so important to him.

You do really needed to suspend belief in the last section however as the story takes a turn, and I was willing to do that, as the book turns into more of an action story. The Dark Maestro has a unique storyline, and is a bit different from his other 2 novels, but I did find it a page turner and would encourage you to give it a try. Thank you to net galley and Doubleday books for an e galley in exchange for a review.

I loved Brendan Slocumb’s first two books and I also liked this one, but not as much. The music theme was consistent and well done. The characters were well-drawn and captivating. I didn’t care for the whole gang/drugs storyline. It just didn’t grip be in the same way. Still a worthwhile and entertaining read.

Toss your preconceived notions about poor minorities in the cities aside. In The Dark Maestro, Brendan Slocumb introduces the reader to Curtis, a musical prodigy, Zippy, his father, and Larissa, the maternal figure in his life. On the surface Zippy and Larissa fit almost all of the stereotypes. Zippy is a drug dealer trying to work his way up the hierarchy of the gang he's in, who eventually gets busted and sent to jail. Larissa is a part of the same gang, just managing the women that are the side pieces of the gang. But the reader learns that Zippy is there trying to support and provide a good life for his son, born when Zippy was a teenager to a mother that abandoned them. With a head for figures, Zippy always dreamed of being an accountant. Larissa becomes increasingly focused on helping provide a new life for women who have been abused or addicted to drugs, rehabilitating them and helping them with job placement for a better life. And Curtis. All Curtis wants to do is play his cello. A skill that he's beyond exceptional at and is lucky enough to have a person in his life that recognizes his talent and helps get him on a path where it can help get him off the dangerous streets in which he lives. When Zippy gets out of prison, he's acquired more training in accounting and gets offered a new opportunity by the gang leader to be a part of something much more lucrative than dealing drugs. Not questioning the process, Zippy feels like he is part of doing a good thing - matching sick people to organ donors, until the FBI comes along and tells him differently. In sharing what he knows with the Feds Zippy puts a target not just on his back but on Curtis and Larissa too, forcing them into the Witness Protection Program and for all intents and purposes, ending Curtis' career as an internationally renowned cellist. Curtis chafes at having everything he is stripped away from him, and the three grow increasingly impatient with how long it's taking the FBI to identify the ringleaders of the organ black market ring. To save his sanity Curtis creates a comic book superhero that plays the cello, The Dark Maestro, who's story increasingly gets tied up into the investigation the three launch on their own to find who's behind the organ harvesting. The comic book element gets a bit goofy and nerdy, but it's about a comic book superhero, what do you expect? The family's ability to hunt down the people behind the organ harvesting also feels like a bit of a stretch, but the exploration of family dynamics makes it easier to overlook. This book won't have quite the same level of mystery to it as Slocumb's first two books did, but he's does a great job of exploring an unconventional family that sticks together through the good times and the bad. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Brendan Slocumb's new novel The Dark Maestro, while feeling entirely like one of his books is as different from the first two as they are from each other. Curtis is a cello prodigy who is growing up in public housing with a dad who is a drug-running gang member. In the opening scenes of the book, we see Curtis taken from his final concert by the FBI for his own protection. We then go back to his childhood to see where he came from and how we got to this point.
The main characters are very well-drawn and sympathetic, and don't rely on stereotypes and caricature. The chapters rotate between focusing on Curtis, his father Zippy, and his father's girlfriend Larissa, although all the narration is in third person. (There should be a Larissa in every story - she, in particular, is a great character.)
For me, though, the story just didn't ring as true as it could have. It was difficult at times to tell why the characters were making the choices they made and to feel emotionally connected to what they're feeling. It was a quick read with an interesting plot, so it was worth reading, but it just wasn't as deep as Slocumb's other books.

I feel a lot of regret awarding this only 3 stars. I adored The Violin Conspiracy and gave it 5 stars. I specifically requested this book and I guess I expected it to be similar in tone.

This is an entirely different type of novel. At first I was interested as we are introduced to Curtis who is a young boy from a poor neighborhood who is a cello prodigy and is able to obtain success and prosperity.

Then it got less interesting for me and diverged into comic book themes which I just didn't get.

Thank you Doubleday Books for giving me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lots of appeal here for readers who love to delve into a good, contemporary story that has a lot going on -- keeps you turning the pages. Curtis is a young music prodigy. After a challenging childhood with poverty and racism, he emerges as a very successful cellist, and is on the brink of a brilliant career when everything abruptly crashes. His dad, a low level drug dealer, cooperates with the FBI to bring down a shadowy criminal organization. Because of this, Curtis and his family must enter a witness protection program. Curtis has to give up performing, and seeks a new creative outlet. He creates a comic book hero, The Dark Maestro. When the FBI cannot seem to bring the criminals to justice, Curtis and his family take matters into their own hands and hatch a complicated, daring plot to do it themselves.

I have greatly enjoyed Brendan Slocumb's previous books, and I was excited to read the newest one.

The story revolves around Curtis, a Black cello prodigy from a rough part of DC. His father, Zippy, as an ambitious drug dealer, wants to be successful and care for his family. He has moved up in the organization due to his affinity with numbers. But he gets picked up by the FBI and the family gets placed in Witness Protection.

Since the feds seem unable or unwilling to catch the bigger fish in the criminal organization, Curtis and family turn the tables and try to resolve matters themselves.

The story takes some unlikely turns, but knowing that Curtis's other love in life is comic books, viewing the tale as a sort of non-visual comic book, it works. And the strong characters pulls you through the unusual story. I recommend it as a twist on the unusual crime / mystery fiction.

I’ve read both of Brendan Slocum’s previous novels, The Violin Conspiracy and Symphony of Secrets, and really enjoyed both. As a former music teacher, Slocum brings us back to the world of music in his latest novel, this time focusing on Curtis Wilson, a cello prodigy. The first part of the book explores Curtis’s difficult upbringing in a crack house in D.C., where music and comic books become his escape. The second part shifts to Curtis as an adult, forced into witness protection, where he and his father, Zippy, and stepmother, Larissa, team up to take back their lives in a gripping crime fiction narrative.

I really enjoyed this one, especially Zippy’s character and his determination to be a good father. The first half of the book really tugged at my heart as I watched young Curtis discover his extraordinary gift. I also loved how the family bonded over creating their comic book series, Dark Maestro—it’s so refreshing to see a family choosing to spend quality time together.

This is a fantastic read, and I highly recommend it: a perfect mix of comic books, music, and crime. Slocumb is officially an auto-read author for me.