Symphony of Secrets: A novel
A gripping page-turner from the celebrated author of book club favorite The Violin Conspiracy: Music professor Bern Hendricks discovers a shocking secret about the most famous American composer of all time—his music may have been stolen from a Black Jazz Age prodigy named Josephine Reed. Determined to uncover the truth that a powerful organization wants to keep hidden, Bern will stop at nothing to right history's wrongs and give Josephine the recognition she deserves.
“A maestro of musical mystery ... Slocumb’s writing is invigorating, and the detail in his character work makes the main characters in both time periods easy to root for. . . . Thrilling.” —The New York Times
"At once a celebration of music and also a cautionary tale about legacy, privilege, and creative genius." —Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid
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 1920s Manhattan, Josephine Reed is living on the streets and frequenting jazz clubs when she meets the struggling musician Fred Delaney. But where young Delaney struggles, Josephine soars. She’s a natural prodigy who hears beautiful music in the sounds of the world around her. With Josephine as his silent partner, Delaney’s career takes off—but who is the real genius here?
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.
“A maestro of musical mystery ... Slocumb’s writing is invigorating, and the detail in his character work makes the main characters in both time periods easy to root for. . . . Thrilling.” —The New York Times
"At once a celebration of music and also a cautionary tale about legacy, privilege, and creative genius." —Nita Prose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid
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 1920s Manhattan, Josephine Reed is living on the streets and frequenting jazz clubs when she meets the struggling musician Fred Delaney. But where young Delaney struggles, Josephine soars. She’s a natural prodigy who hears beautiful music in the sounds of the world around her. With Josephine as his silent partner, Delaney’s career takes off—but who is the real genius here?
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.
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What’s it about?
When Bern Hendricks gets a call to authenticate a piece of long lost music by his idol he is overwhelmed. After all he is just a new assistant professor at UVA and he is not expecting the call. Bern believes he knows everything there is to know about Frederic Delaney but when he delves into the project he encounters more to the music than meets the eye. Going back and forth in time from 1920’s New York to the present day we delve into a mystery involving race, music, and genius.
What did it make me think about?
All the talent that has been overlooked.
Should I read it?
This was good mystery with lots of interesting tidbits about the music industry in the 1920’s. It handles the flashbacks in time really well. Since the author is a talented musician as well as a talented author the storyline and focus on music composition was very realistic. My two small complaints- I found the mystery a little predictable and the bad guys were almost caricatures. Having said that, I really enjoyed the two main characters and the novel did a nice job of highlighting the brutalities of racism- both then and now. I think most readers would enjoy this novel.
Quote-
” ‘Every so often, however, we discover another portion of the greater story, another section that was left out. We learn- not everything- but a little more. And because we learn more, the world is a little brighter. Our understanding is a little clearer. I’d like to think our capacity for empathy, for caring, is a little stronger, too.’ “
What’s it about?
When Bern Hendricks gets a call to authenticate a piece of long lost music by his idol he is overwhelmed. After all he is just a new assistant professor at UVA and he is not expecting the call. Bern believes he knows everything there is to know about Frederic Delaney but when he delves into the project he encounters more to the music than meets the eye. Going back and forth in time from 1920’s New York to the present day we delve into a mystery involving race, music, and genius.
What did it make me think about?
All the talent that has been overlooked.
Should I read it?
This was good mystery with lots of interesting tidbits about the music industry in the 1920’s. It handles the flashbacks in time really well. Since the author is a talented musician as well as a talented author the storyline and focus on music composition was very realistic. My two small complaints- I found the mystery a little predictable and the bad guys were almost caricatures. Having said that, I really enjoyed the two main characters and the novel did a nice job of highlighting the brutalities of racism- both then and now. I think most readers would enjoy this novel.
Quote-
” ‘Every so often, however, we discover another portion of the greater story, another section that was left out. We learn- not everything- but a little more. And because we learn more, the world is a little brighter. Our understanding is a little clearer. I’d like to think our capacity for empathy, for caring, is a little stronger, too.’ “
Amazing book, I finished it in less than 2 weeks (thats fast for me.) The book is specially captivating for those who love music and are interested in learning about the journey of creating a song from scratch.
I loved this book! The author developed his characters with well thought out research and made them come alive. The plot is very believable and the dual settings of the 1920’s to the present day had smooth transitions were enjoyable and well written! The beginning of the story requires one to really focus in as the author gives background information on the theme of the story which takes a bit to digest first before plowing forward. I really enjoyed the author’s book The Violin Conspiracy and really looked forward to reading this one. I was not disappointed!! This is a great read!
Reviewed by Fallon Vaughn for This BrowneGirl Reads book club.
Outside of SA Cosby, Stephen King, and Kiese Laymon I had not read many books by male authors, so I found myself pleasantly surprised with Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocum.
This novel retells a story that has constantly repeated itself in terms of history whereas the culture, music, and talent of Black people has been colonized and stolen by non-Black individuals. A talented yet quirky composer finds herself in the grasp of Mr. Delaney who uses his influence, power and whiteness to pirate her music as his own. He goes through great measures to keep his theft secret and ultimately devises a plan that he thinks will solve his problem permanently. That is until the story jumps to present times, where two individuals discover some inconsistencies that lead to the discovery of the stolen legacy.
This story reminded me of how Elvis and numerous other artists saw Black individuals doing miraculous things, and stole them as their own. It was well written and flowed easily. I enjoyed the authors writing style and the way this story comes to an end.
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I absolutely loved this book. Am going to an event at the end of September where Brendan Slocumb is appearing in front of over a thousand readers - the whole town reads one book together over the summer, and this book was the choice. I’m looking forward to him sharing his inspiration, as well as the audience Q and A. He has a unique voice in using the music industry - and his vast knowledge of it - as a prism through which a human story is told. And he’s an amazing advocate for marginalized populations who need to be heard. This story delivered on all of this, plus held century-spanning mystery, suspense and incredible character development. I listened to the audio, and the vocal talent really made the story come alive. It’s a story that will stick with me for a long time.
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