Symphony of Secrets

By: Brendan Slocumb

Narrated by: Chanté McCormick, Brendan Slocumb

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 Gut Wrenching Thriller

I usually don’t choose the thriller genre as I’m just not thrilled by sex crimes, political intrigue, life threatening chase scenes, or that one gorgeous guy who survives multiple near death experiences only to unwittingly solve the puzzle, wipe out all the bad guys and save the world.
This could be the first literary thriller that breaks the mold and will keep me coming back to see how this author can make the world of classical music so thrilling! Thank you Brendan Slocumb!

Suspense

Twists and turns of the story and life of Josephine and Fred. It they were ever a couple

Excellent

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, was very 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!

Symphony of Secrets, a Wonderful Book

Enjoyed the development of both the characters and the story line. The book is a chilling example of systemic racism in the 1920’s, in the music industry and how the remnants still exists today.

I would recommend this book!

Worth Reading

I liked the message of the book. Although I didn’t dislike the technical music aspects of the book, those areas were boring to me due to my lack of experience in that field of music.