A review by sicemsinger
Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I really enjoyed Brendan Slocomb's first novel and was excited to read this one as well. As a musician myself, I love reading books with musician protagonists, particularly when the author himself is a musician, as Slocomb is. This book was just as much of a thrill as his first, with a fast-paced literary style, revealing piece by piece in multiple POVs and timelines the full, complex story. I loved the idea of a Black professor having done his life's work on a composer, not at all predisposed to suspect him of any wrongdoing, thrilled to find himself analyzing a long-lost work of said composer, but discovering an entirely different story. I love the way Slocomb depicted Josephine, an autistic-coded character with synesthesia, as the genius behind Delaney's work. Fred Delaney is a typical "white savior," but Slocomb writes him in a way that makes it clear just how cringe-worthy that is. His possessiveness of Josephine grows as with his success on her stolen music until a full-fledged cycle of abuse begins. As all the pieces of the story come together from both timelines, each receives a satisfying conclusion with the white abusers of power are served their just desserts. 
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