Symphony of Secrets
Fiction
Anchor
April 18, 2023
Hardcover/Audio
449
Purchased/Library
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.
My review:
This author's debut novel was a huge hit with me earlier this year, but could he achieve the same accolades with his sophomore offering? I'm pleased to say that yes, yes he did! I love the way music is used as a part of the plot, and there is also an underlying mystery within each of these first books. In this case, it's whether a highly acclaimed composer actually wrote his own pieces? We follow a university professor as he and a savvy assistant try to uncover a missing last opera piece from the composer, but they end up finding a whole lot more. In alternating timelines the story takes the reader back to a woman who becomes close to the composer, and may be contributing more than just her friendship. The fact that she is a black woman also brings up the race issue, since in the 1920's blacks were not recognized for meaningful contributions that could be passed off as coming from a white person. The writing flowed so well, there was never a place where I thought the plot meandered, and the back and forth timeline (which doesn't always work if not done correctly) was handled seamlessly.
It's very rare that an author can wow me with consecutive books, but this one has. I highly recommend this story, as well as The Violin Conspiracy, both are fascinating in their own ways. I cannot wait to see what Mr. Slocumb comes up with next!
