Brendan Slocumb’s second novel, “Symphony of Secrets,” is a beautifully paced thriller which thoughtfully pieces together a mystery that sheds light on racial erasure in the music industry. The story follows Bern Hendricks, a Black music professor at the University of Virginia. Hendricks’ academic work on the globally infamous composer Fredrick Delaney brings him to the attention of the Delaney Foundation when they discover the original, long-lost manuscript of Delaney’s final opera, “RED.” As someone who studied violin through Delaney’s philanthropic foundation, Hendricks is both honored and overwhelmed when they ask him to prepare the manuscript for performance. When he comes to New York City, Hendricks is quickly swept into the fine details of his favorite composer’s life but also under the foundation’s thumb. With outside help from Eboni, an old friend, tech genius and fellow pizza lover, their work on the manuscript leads them to uncover Delaney’s unsettling and mysterious connection to North Carolina-born Josephiene Reed. As decrypted doodles from the original manuscript begin to illuminate the true author of “RED,” Hendricks realizes his favorite composer was not the genius nor the man he thought he was. With the Delaney foundation hot on his tail, Hendricks and Eboni race to bring the truth to light before the performance of “RED.”
Slocumb is a master of pacing in this novel, which seamlessly jumps between 1920s and present day New York City. Sometimes books with multiple narrators and timelines do not transition well, but Slocumb is brilliant with how he cuts and paces the stories. There is a slight disjuncture to what is happening to Josephine and Delney in 1920 and what Hendricks and Eboni are discovering, which builds amazing suspense and ends with a satisfying and fulfilling bang. It is a perfect example of a mystery where a single one block is loosened from the bottom and you get to see how the tower falls. That being said, there were some parts of the story that were predictable, but in a way that once you think you know something, you’re eager to see how it will play out both in real time and in the future.
Ultimately, “Symphony of Secrets” is a book about manipulation, greed, power, silence and genius. It is a book I recommend everyone reads, music lover or not, thriller lover or not, because it does more than tell an exciting story of white supremacy. It brings into question our conceptions of genius and of origin. It leaves you wondering, how many acclaimed geniuses of art, science, philosophy, etc., stole from those they oppressed? Who are the true geniuses of the past and how can we bring them to justice today? A powerful and fast-paced story that looks to the past, present and future, “Symphony of Secrets” will have you thinking about these questions and more long after the curtain drops.
