"Brendan Slocumb's first novel, The Violin Conspiracy, displayed his deftness at crafting character-driven stories featuring amateur sleuths with a deep reverence for music history - and everything to lose. With his pitch-perfect follow-up, Symphony of Secrets, he firmly establishes himself as a maestro of musical mystery... What makes the book sing is how it makes audible the chords that echo between present and past, coming together to create a consonant harmony. Slocumb dexterously interlaces the two plotlines, using them to echo and refract issues that haven't disappeared over the years, only changed resonance... Slocumb's writing is invigorating, and the detail in his character work makes the main characters in both time periods easy to root for. The arc of the story mirrors the sensation of listening to an unfamiliar piece of classical music and thinking 'This is nice' as it starts, then suddenly finding yourself rapt, then thrilled, then, by the end of the journey, entirely astonished. Slocumb is a composer and conductor, and those skills translate well to his mystery writing - his mastery of pacing and tempo and his natural sense of when to soothe the audience and when to jolt them out of their seats are on full display. The novel's examination of white supremacy as an extractive force is clear and present without tripping up the fast-paced and thrilling plotline." -The New York Times
"As rich and suspenseful as The Violin Conspiracy... Absorbing... A fast-paced detective adventure... As [Slocumb] alternates artfully between the 1920s historical narrative and the present-day quest to unravel its mystery, he also parallels the two, which symbolically serves to repair the past... Amid the heart-racing plot, Symphony of Secrets is ultimately an affirmation. Music has historically been the country's ethnically richest art form, particularly embodied in the multicultural story of jazz and in today's cross-fertilization between popular genres. That process has been marred when the powerful extract from the powerless. Josephine Reed's restoration speaks back to such exploitation. Shaping her vast array of colors, ciphers and traditions, she's a seamstress of the torn national fabric." -The Washington Post
"Stirring... A provocative follow to his much-lauded 2022 novel, The Violin Conspiracy, praised for its pitch-perfect dive into the world of classical music and the struggles faced by Black musicians who want to be included and respected for their talents... Compelling... Slocumb writes an intriguing and vivid story about social injustice, cultural appropriation and 'whitewashing.' . . . [The] thoughtful pacing carries an important message about race and privilege and the lengths to which people in power will go to manipulate history." -The Star Tribune
"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
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