Staff Pick
Dr. Bern Hendricks has landed his dream job, authenticating a lost manuscript by his favorite musician. While researching the piece of music by Frederick Delaney, Bern and his friend Eboni discover that the revered composer might not be the musical genius everyone believes him to be. I loved the alternating timelines, one modern and one during the jazz age, both populated with fascinating characters. As more secrets are uncovered and the drama heats up, I could not put this book down. Recommended By Jennifer H., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
From the celebrated author of book club favorite The Violin Conspiracy A riveting page-turner about a professor who uncovers a shocking secret about the most famous American composer of all time — that his music was stolen from someone else, a young Black composer named Josephine Reed. Determined to uncover the truth and right history's wrongs, Bern Hendricks will stop at nothing to finally give Josephine the recognition she deserves.
Bern Hendricks has just received the call of a lifetime. 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. So, when Mallory, a board member from the Delaney Foundation, asks for Bern's help authenticating a newly discovered piece, which may actually 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, a young Black woman, 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 information that indicates Delaney may not have composed his own 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.
Review
"Music lovers will revel in Symphony of Secrets, a novel that is 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
Review
"Brendan Slocumb's Symphony of Secrets is a wonderfully compelling page-turner that's so authentic you'll swear that Slocumb himself was part of the 1920s Manhattan music scene. Slocumb's musical background along with his unique characters and gorgeous prose create a fascinating story of astonishing talent and extraordinary deceit. I loved this book!" — Karen Dionne, #1 internationally bestselling author of The Marsh King's Daughter and The Wicked Sister
Review
"Both a beautiful, joyful, celebration of music and the people who love it, and a chilling portrait of how easily good slides into evil — and echoes through the years. I loved this book." — Sara Gran, author of The Book of the Most Precious Substance
About the Author
Brendan Nicholaus Slocumb was raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and holds a degree in music education (with concentrations in violin and viola) from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. For more than twenty years he has been a public and private school music educator and has performed with orchestras throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC.