Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb (★★★★☆)
Brendan Slocumb is making a name for himself in the subgenre of musical literary thrillers. Super-niche, right? But somehow, it works. These are not fast-paced, page-turny thrillers, but rather more of a slow burn. This book is all about a man named Frederick Delaney. He’s one of the greatest musical composers of the twentieth century, but there’s a discovery that could lead to two people unearth the true secret of his greatness: All of his works were actually composed by a young Black woman whose name has been lost to history. This book is about the love of music, the way Black people’s contribution to music is often erased, and corruption. I listened to the audiobook, which was expertly narrated, and those last few hours of the book were incredible. I couldn’t stop listening! A fantastic book with a well-paced plot, vibrant characters, and a satisfying conclusion. (library audiobook, 2023)
Queen of Thieves by Beezy Marsh (★★☆☆☆)
This book has a pretty low Goodreads rating (3.49) so I didn’t have high hopes for it. I tried reading it as a print book, but I found the writing to be a bit cheesy and elementary, so I decided to listen to the audiobook. Sometimes, a book that’s not well-written comes off better in audio form! Unfortunately, this is not the case for this book. It’s 1946 in London and the city is trying to rebuild itself after the Blitz. It’s a tough time with food rations and few job prospects, which is why many Londoners seek “unseemly” professions like thieving. The best thieves are under the wing of Alice Diamond, dubbed “the Queen of Thieves.” Her all-female gang of thieves is the scourge of high-end stores throughout London, and when Alice takes a young, pregnant girl named Nell under her wing, Alice thinks she’s found a new right-hand woman. But is she? While I appreciated learning about this time and place in history, I just found this book to be rather boring. It should be exciting, right? Female thieves! London in the ’40s! But no, it wasn’t well-written and the plot was meandering. I’d skip this one. (library audiobook, 2023)
Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas (★★★☆☆)
Ahh… this book. It was a nice, easy read but I finished it feeling a bit unsatisfied. It follows the story of Kathleen and Devon. Kathleen’s husband of three days was unexpectedly killed in an accident and in turn, it gives his cousin, Devon, the earldom and ensuing estate. He doesn’t want this responsibility—nor to be saddled with his cousin’s three young sisters and his widow. Not to mention, his cousin was in massive debt that Devon is now forced to deal with. And then, as these romances are wont to do, the more time Devon and Kathleen spend with each other, the more they realize their deep feelings for one another. This was a fine romance, but I found Devon to be particularly churlish and demanding. He was just an asshole, not a rake with a heart of gold. Eh. I’ll probably keep reading the series when I need a palate cleanser, knowing I’m not going to get much depth from the books. (library e-book, 2015)
What are you reading?
I read the Violin Conspiracy a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed it so I will definitely put the Slocumb book on my list! I listened to VC as an audiobook and the format worked for me, plus, although this seems a little strange, they would intersperse the narration with classical music. It was not an entire song, just a chord or two, but it was…interesting.
I recently read a couple that I gave four (plus) stars to: Take My Hand, which is about forced sterilization of minorities in the 70s, We Were Liars, which is about a family on an island and I can’t really say more because it would spoil it, and Finding Me by Viola Davis, who I actually am not that familiar with but the story was well told (I also listened to this and she narrates it herself, which is usually a plus).
I was hoping Symphony of Secrets would have a little bit of musical flavor to the audiobook; I love when audiobooks do that! Now I want to reread The Violin Conspiracy in audio to get those musical chords. That sounds amazing!
Finding Me was sooo good!
Ooh thanks for reminding me about Brendan Slocumb! I’d heard raves on his books but forgot about him. My TBR is getting low so I’m looking for new books to add.
Perfect! I’d love to know what you think of his books. I really enjoyed both of them!
I have enjoyed both of Slocumb’s books! It’s such a cool, niche category. I have a musical background so feel like I have an extra appreciation for what he is doing. I’ve heard critiques about the quality of his writing but I haven’t really noticed that personally. But I am not reading super critically – I’m reading to be entertained and these books fit the bill!
I just finished “In Memorium” which was a 5-star books about 2 males soldiers during WWI. Each person has feelings for the other but that couldn’t necessarily be revealed in the 1910s. It’s a very sad, sobering look at the life of a soldier and the impacts of PTSD but it was gorgeously written. Now I’ve lightened things up and am reading “Paper Names” which was written at night by a woman who worked as an Investment Banker which is a job that is known for batsh!t crazy hours. I do not know how she could have possibly had the stamina/energy to write a novel on top of her 80+ hours/week kind of job! So I had fairly low expectations but I’m enjoying it so far! Next up I will read “here for it” by R. Eric Thomas which I’ve heard great things about!
I haven’t noticed anything about the quality of Brendan Slocumb’s writing, honestly. Like you, I’m reading for entertainment value and he definitely delivers in that arena.
I had heard about Paper Names – didn’t Sarah at Sarah’s Book Shelves talk about it and how astounded she was that someone could write a novel when having a job like that?! Crazy!
I’m reading The Librarian of Burned Books – it’s historical fiction which rarely hits for me, and this is…not hitting. I mean, it’s fine. It’s fine! But it’s not great. It’s okay for a lighter read though.
I’m sorry you’re not enjoying that book! From the title, it sounds fascinating. I’ll have to look it up!
I’ve been wanting to read Symphony of Secrets. Sometime fast-paced thrillers make me anxious, so this one sounds like a good one for me. Of course it will be a while because I’m still making my way through my Robert Galbraith book- but I’ll need something good to read when I’m done.
The last 50 or so pages are a little fast-paced but nothing too pulse-pounding, I don’t think. You may appreciate all the musical elements, too, with your background!
Ha ha. My review of CHR includes the following: But Devon? He’s very flat and not actually in the book much. And Kathleen is just acerbic and charmless. I didn’t enjoy the main characters very much at all. However, as a set up for a longer series with all these other charming side characters, I was happy. I was right, too. The following books in the series get much better and actually, so does Devon!
The folks over at Sarah’s Bookshelves Live really like Brendan Slocumb, but I am not particularly interested in them. However, your review makes me think I should look beyond the superficial topic and actually read one. Hm… I’ll consider it.
Oh, I’m so glad to hear that the books in the Lisa Kleypas series get better. Hooray!
YMMV on Brendan Slocumb – I definitely do not think he’s for everyone. But his books have worked for me so far!