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**ENCORE PRESENTATION**

Cat Ellington's Review of Symphony of Secrets

by Brendan Slocumb

Rating: 5 stars

(Originally Posted (2023))

The following three-part analysis contains language which some readers may find offensive. I would strongly advise viewer discretion.

—Cat Ellington

• The Overture

DEFINITION BY DESIGN.

Composer

(kəm-pō-zər)

noun

A person who writes music—as a professional occupation.

The term traditionally indicates composers of Western classical music or those melodists who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also proficient performers of music.

Genius

(jēn-yəs)

noun

Someone who is exceptionally intelligent or creative—whether generally or in some other particular respect.

According to its description in Wikipedia, Genius is "a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for the future, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabilities of competitors."

So, this leads me to ask the following:

WAS HE A GENIUS? OR WAS HE NOT? THAT IS THE QUESTION.

Frederic Delaney, considered by countless people as one of the most revered composers of the twentieth century, never mentioned any of those inspirations for his acclaimed operas, and there was a good reason for it: he plagiarized nearly all of them. Now some would disagree; they would even fight—or worse, kill—to defend the honor of the late Frederic Delaney, especially if it meant maintaining their livelihood: for the works of Frederic Delaney have made tens of millions of dollars, all of which are lain upon a snobbish foundation of sand daring the rain to descend, and the floods to come, and the winds to blow and beat upon it.

Frederic Delaney the Great is a god as far as those who benefit from his estate and namesake are concerned. And he WAS a genius, so say the masses. But some beg to differ. And these would include our two starring leads, who will team up to uncover the truth. However, it may cost the relentless meddlers their lives.

Dear reader? Shall we?

• Part One

THE PRESENT

BURNING BERNING WITH ZEAL.

Professor Kevin Bernard Hendricks, or "Bern," is a well-respected musicologist and professor at Columbia University. It's perfectly alright to admire someone for their work, but Bern's obsession with the late composer Frederic Delaney and the Foundation named in his honor borders on false idolatry. While it is unnecessary, Bern feels indebted to the Delaney Foundation. And why is that? Well, it is because Bern, a native of Milwaukee, grew up poor, living below the poverty line until Frederic Delaney or, rather, the Delaney Foundation saved him and gave Bern a shot at redemption. Yes, the poor, Black kid from the 'hood made good. Thanks to the instruments donated by the Delaney Foundation, Bern learned to read and play music and studied the art of composition, mastering the craft with practice. The Delaney Foundation believed in Bern when no one else did. And while most of his friends from the old neighborhood were either dead or in prison, Bern was ushered through an open door of opportunity and guided down the corridor leading to success and a better life. And it's all thanks to the Delaney Foundation. Therefore, Bern is always eager to please and appease when it comes to anyone—or anything—bearing the name Delaney. Bern would abandon his mother on her deathbed if it meant his assistance could keep the Delaneys in existence.

Indeed, Bern, conditioned to a fault, will always be Johnny-on-the-spot for the Delaney family. No one knows this better than Mallory Delaney Roberts, the great-niece of Frederic Delaney and one of the last of his surviving descendants. Mallory Delaney Roberts is the Executive Director of the Delaney Foundation, situated in midtown Manhattan, only steps from the prestigious Juilliard School in New York. And when she contacts Bern to inform him about some highly-sensitive documents that pertain to the estate of Bern's idol, Frederic Delaney, the professor is intrigued.

Not inclined to discuss the matter over the phone, Mallory insists that Bern visit the Delaney Foundation (all expenses paid) to discuss her findings in person. And Bern, so emotionally subdued in his passion for everything Frederic Delaney, rather than discerning the seriousness in Mallory's tone, asks if she's found a lost piece of music. Without waiting for an answer, the giddy Bern convinces himself that the Foundation has finally found one of Frederic Delaney's most prized, albeit lost, compositions: RED. Mallory doesn't answer; she only insists on seeing Bern as soon as possible and that Bern sign a confidentiality and nondisclosure agreement. And what Mallory Delaney Roberts wants, that she gets. With his leave of absence arranged by the Delaney Foundation, Bern hauls it to New York: for this could be it; the biggest score of his life. Bern will be the most celebrated musicologist alive if this is what he thinks it is!

But will it be? And will Bern be ready for what awaits him?

Way too trusting, Bern. Perhaps he should have read the NDA before signing it, Bern.

THE BELLE OF THE BOOGIE-DOWN BRONX.

Bern, good ol' Bern, is ecstatic about the task at hand: restoring one of the great Frederic Delaney's lost masterpieces. Bern was even content to sign the nondisclosure agreement that the Delaney Foundation insisted on before starting the coveted project. But once he delves into the century-old documents, the dependable professor soon realizes his need for an assistant. Sure, Mallory Delaney Roberts could have provided Bern with a gofer with one snap of her expertly manicured fingers, but Bern has a preference.

Enter Eboni Washington, a computer security specialist, free spirit—to the core of her inner being—pizza fanatic and native of the Boogie-Down Bronx. Bern and the highly-intelligent Eboni go back to when the two attended Columbia together, Eboni then writing code for operas. She is the first person Bern thinks of when considering a comrade to work with him on the Delaney project. But one thing Bern knows for sure: Eboni Washington, a maverick entrepreneur with her own computer security systems company, won't come aboard cheap. The Delaney Foundation will have to pay top dollar for her services—whether Mallory Delaney Roberts, a woman Eboni can't stand, likes it or not. Because where Bern won't dare offend, the blunt Eboni will go there and do as much. She does not bite her tongue, Eboni Washington, nor does she conform well, Eboni Washington. The belle of the Boogie-Down Bronx knows her business. And she is always one step ahead of her foes. No one, not even Mallory Delaney Roberts, is a match for Eboni Washington. And now that she and Bern are back together, conjoined as a double team, let the team work on the lost Frederic Delaney masterpiece, RED, begin.

THE JoR-DASH.

It isn't easy trying to piece together the puzzle of a one-hundred-year-old mystery, but that is the dilemma in which Bern and Eboni find themselves while trying to decipher the hidden meanings in Frederic Delaney's fascinating Doodles. And the enigma grows more perturbing when Bern's sharp eye catches something every other eye missed: the word JaR written in a neat little corner of the sheet music.

Deeming the detail interesting enough to research, Bern and his dynamic partner, Eboni, hunt down any clues that might give them insight into what the JaR means. They search and search, and then Bam! Thanks to Eboni's inability to fail at her job, she and Bern soon learn that the JaR is JoR. The writing on the one-hundred-year-old document was fuzzy, and they mistook the o for an a. Now they must find out what the letters mean. And to do that, they must travel to Oxford, North Carolina.

SEEK, AND YOU SHALL FIND.

It wasn't until Bern and Eboni, while in Bern's office hacking into the Delaney Foundation's computer system, saw the archives and hit pay dirt.

Bern and Eboni saw her pretty face in the photos first. She was seated off to the side, but she was still visible. The celebratory atmosphere in the photograph (from 1920) betrayed the world fame of the man who had been named Frederic Delaney: the trip to Europe aboard the Queen Mary booked for the entire Delaney Party, the food, and drinks, the smiles, the applause, and the cheers—all frozen in time. The guest list of eight names included hers: Josephine Reed, or JoR, Frederic Delaney's mysterious Dark Lady.

Josephine Reed. Now Bern and Eboni had a name—and a face.

THE TRUNK SHOW.

After researching Josephine Reed further and unearthing her family tree, Bern and Eboni jet it south to Oxford, North Carolina, the mysterious woman's birthplace. It is there that the Reed descendants still dwell.

Bern and Eboni can track down the Reed clan from the information they obtained about Howard Reed, the brother of Josephine. The two soon meet Earlene Hill, a lovable woman and the daughter of Howard Reed, and her two daughters Myrtis and Sandra—along with some other Reed family members—and before long, another missing piece of the puzzle turns up: an old steamer trunk, dusty and hidden in the basement of Earlene's quaint home. When they spot Josephine's painted white initials on the trunk's lid, Bern and Eboni, especially Bern, can't open the one-hundred-year-old luggage piece fast enough. Hearts race as Bern struggles to pry the lock loose. And when he finally breaks it open, they find a treasure trove: the Compendium of the late Josephine Reed. It's all there: her doodles, her manuscripts, her notations, her melodies—ALL of it; hundreds upon hundreds of pages, illustrated with masterpieces. Bern can barely believe it. What on earth?

Eboni and the Reed-Hill family form an instant bond. And after Bern offers to pay the family—a nice sum of money—for the trunk, he and Eboni depart with it in tow. Of course, Earlene and her children agree to visit Eboni in New York, and hugs and cheek kisses get exchanged. Bern and Eboni now have proof that Frederic Delaney was nothing more than a fraud, a liar, and a thief. He was no musical genius at all. But Josephine Reed had been, although she had never received any honor or recognition for the magnificent musical works that she, and not Frederic Delaney, composed.

Bern and Eboni are relieved and happy; a couple of smart cookies, especially Eboni Michelle Washington. Until now, they have covered their tracks—to keep the Delaney Foundation off their trail. But they made a mistake when Eboni insisted on flying down to Oxford, North Carolina, on a plane owned by the Foundation.

The powers that be on its Board of Directors know about the trunk. But Bern and Eboni are oblivious to their knowledge. Here is where they got too cute—and tripped.

• Part Two

THE PAST BEFORE THE PRESENT

SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE.

The year was 1918. The city was New York. And Freddy Delaney was part of a jazz combo featuring Bobby, Red, and band leader Eli, who fostered resentment toward the outfit's only White member, Delaney. She would often frequent the smoky joint known as the Alibi Club and sit in the shadows, away from the stage, listening to the guys as they rehearsed their numbers and transcribed the sounds of the world around her. The offensive Eli liked to call her "Crazy Jo," but her name was Josephine. And she may have appeared quiet and childlike in her ways, but she was brilliant, jam-packed with mesmerizing musical ability. Josephine Reed may not have come across as the sharpest knife in the cutlery set, but the woman was amazingly clever. When Josephine Reed transcribed what she wanted to hear, her melodies were remarkable, unlike anything anyone had ever heard.

No one understood her strange language. Like, for instance, The orange is in (the) black and green. To many, the phrase sounded crazy; but once Josephine translated it into chords, the music was beautiful to hear. The lady could compose a masterpiece just by hearing the sound of a car engine, feet on the pavement, a knock on a door, a shape, a color. Each sound or object, to her ears, was a chord. And she would compose what she heard in the sounds of life; her musical interpretations were nothing short of genius. Josephine knew music. And she recognized mistakes, even those that the White guy named Freddy continuously made during the rehearsal.

If it had been up to Eli, the marginally talented Freddy Delaney would've been a goner—out of the band because Eli didn't think that Freddy, who irked Eli with his sloppy piano playing during rehearsals, could cut it: Freddy, on the other hand, was desperate for the approval of his gifted Black bandmates, and he desperately wanted to be liked by them. Indeed, the Indiana native would have done anything to win their affection. But he couldn't get it right in the sets: he was always late, two bars behind on the change. Josephine pointed out as much. And when Eli asked her to show Freddy the ropes, Josephine, in her frazzled dress, sat down at the piano and played the tune perfectly: this was the beginning of life with Freddy and Josephine: A Riding of the White Torrent.

EBONY AND IVORY LIVE(D) TOGETHER IN (IM)PERFECT HARMONY.

The White guy, Freddy, was so enthralled with her gift of music that he took her home to his studio apartment, a shabby spot but a place with four walls, nonetheless. In exchange for a floor pallet, meals, and a bathroom down the hall, Freddy wanted Josephine—a vulnerable but brilliant adult—to teach him how to flourish on the piano so that he would become a better musician. Because he, after all, had something to prove. Freddy Delaney was no songwriter; his boss, the nasty and racist Mr. Ditmars, let him know that in no uncertain terms. Freddy Delaney might be a musician, but his talent is mediocre at best: he pays his rent working as a song plugger for the music publishing entity of Ditmars & Ross. Freddy Delaney. He couldn't get ahead if a strong wind, itself, blew along to push him forward. But he could always go home to Josephine. She would have a hot meal waiting along with the extraordinary music she'd written. They went on this way, and Freddy even got Josephine a job (filing and cleaning) at Ditmars & Ross—after practically begging on his knees: for Mr. Ditmars initially didn't want a "coon," a "monkey," working in his place of business. But Freddy's begging won out. And before long, one humiliation after another, an idea entered the mind of the desperate and self-loathing Freddy Delaney: take one of Josephine's songs to Mr. Ditmars and sell it—under the name of Freddy Delaney, of course. Because Freddy will never tell Ditmars that Josephine wrote the music, knowing full well that the White publisher would never pay for music written by a Black woman, ergo the sole authorship credit given to Delaney.

Bring Back the Moon, an instant hit, was the composition that started it all. By selling the works of Josephine Reed as his own, Frederick Delaney is well on his way. And while Mr. Ditmars might be skeptical—earlier likening the song plugger's songwriting to garbage and trash—he goes on paying Freddy for the exceptional music.

When did such a marginally talented song plugger become a musical wunderkind? Mr. Ditmars figures Freddy just got lucky.

ILL-GOTTEN GAINS.

With time, Delaney's forename would transition through several alternate spellings: Freddy, Frederick, Fred, and Frederic. Time, in cahoots with songs composed by the uncredited Josephine Reed, had also cleaned him up, put some money in his possession, escorted him to Bergdorf Goodman—a department store at which Frederic Delaney would otherwise have never been able to shop—and introduced him to fame: worldwide fame. Sure, Delaney contributed lyrics to the songs, but his lyrical content paled in comparison to the music written by Josephine. It was the music the people wanted to hear; the lyrics were just in the way. Nevertheless, adding them to the compositions soothed Frederic Delaney's guilty conscience.

Buying Josephine one new dress and one pair of new shoes also serves as a salve for the blisters resulting from the burning hot coals upon his head: Frederic Delaney is raking in tons of money with his new music publishing company built on the back of Josephine Reed's magnificent compositions. Delaney even takes Josephine with him on a tour of Europe: for he tells her that he's doing it all for them and not only himself. But the man is a liar: Delaney takes the most for himself and gives only a token amount to Josephine. He lives the good life (at her expense) while Josephine is ignored, overlooked, and limited by her race in a biased, wicked, ungodly, and racist society. Josephine misses the old Freddy and longs to have things back to how they were—when the two lived in the run-down, one-room New York studio. What's worse is that Freddy keeps making her promises he never delivers on. There's always an excuse. There's always an excuse.

The world praises Frederic Delaney as a musical genius, but a musical genius he is not. Frederic Delaney is, however, a double-minded man. And a double-minded man is unstable in ALL his ways.

THE LORD OF THE (OLYMPIC) RINGS.

The genius (the real genius) Josephine Reed was always inspired by the sounds and objects of life when composing what she wanted to hear in her musical works. But her biggest inspiration, the one that exploded into a phenomenon more exciting than all of its predecessors in her Compendium, came after Fred, no longer Freddy but Fred, took her to the Olympic games during their trip to France.

Motivated—and fascinated—by the design of the Olympic flag, Josephine began to transcribe. And the result was the masterwork, The Rings of Olympia. Five operas were composed to represent the rings on the Olympic flag: GREEN, BLUE, BLACK, YELLOW, and RED—the latter which would come back to haunt the descendants of Frederic Delaney, as well as his fraudulent legacy, 100 years later.

Frederic Delaney, not surprisingly taking full credit for composing The Rings of Olympia with four of its internationally acclaimed operas, would stand alone as the most preeminent American composer of all time. He effortlessly rode the wave of a lie with GREEN, BLUE, BLACK, and YELLOW. But when it came to RED, he got pitted. Frederic Delaney—whose reconstruction of the score was sloppy and amateurish—couldn't complete RED without Josephine Reed, the actual creator of the five operas. And when he sensed that his ill-gotten wealth, riches, fame, and the love of the world stood in the path of jeopardy, Frederic Delaney, who'd long ago sold his eternal soul, felt compelled to summon the serpent of old for one final favor — leading the way to destruction and agonizing regret.

• Part Three

BACK TO THE PRESENT

THE UNVEILING OF TRUE SPIRITS.

In the words of the late, great Dr. Maya Angelou, 'When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.' An advisory of sorts reflecting simple wisdom, yes? Unfortunately, Bern Hendricks hadn't allowed such wisdom to be his guide at the outset. And regret now jeers at him as he stands before those he had once believed to be his friends and benefactors: the Board of Directors at the Delaney Foundation.

The bodily waste hits the fan when Mallory Delaney Roberts summons Bern to meet with Delaney Foundation Board members, including its chairman and Mallory's cousin, the octogenarian Kurt Delaney. Bern can sense the ugly spirit of racism buzzing like a wasp ready to sting: Kurt Delaney is on the cusp of calling the Black man with the Ph.D. a boy; Bern can detect it in the older man's tone. They know something; Bern can feel it. The members of the board were discussing him—and Eboni—before his arrival. And his veins are already filling with ice-cold blood as his heart loses its rhythm. Finally, Kurt Delaney asks Dr. Hendricks: What was in the trunk? And then another blow: Tell us about Josephine Reed.

The spirit of fear hauls off and punches Bern in the head with all its might, leaving his mouth agape, albeit speechless, and his brains scrambled. The professor will not answer their questions; he should play dumb, which he does—until they show him the photos on their big-screen monitor. The Board of Directors knows who Josephine Reed was. And they know the contents of the trunk Bern (and Eboni) bought from Josephine Reed's descendants. They want the trunk; 'It is the property of the Delaney Foundation!' Kurt Delaney scolds. He and his board are giving Bern (and his girlfriend, Eboni) 24 hours to bring the trunk to the Foundation. But will Bern and his whip-smart gal pal, Eboni, hand over the precious steamer trunk with its incriminating evidence in favor of Josephine Reed but against Frederic Delaney? They wouldn't be on the run for their lives if they intended to do so, now would they?

The threat of danger waits—while grinning maliciously—at every turn: for is there no one in the back pocket of the filthy-rich, powerful, ruthless, sinister, immoral, intimidating, and murderous Delaney Foundation? Dr. Bernard Hendricks and Eboni Washington are about to learn firsthand that hurting rich people by turning them into poor people is not an option for those on the hunt for their blood.

THE PERFORMING ENSEMBLE.

The supporting players on the pages of this mind-blowing thriller weaved into historical fiction fall into sync beautifully with our top-billed cast members and are as worthy of applause as said starring leads. And the reader will be either pleased or displeased to make their acquaintance. Rounding out our talented ensemble is none other than the following:

• Jacques Simon co-stars as a fellow musicologist and ornery colleague of Bern Hendricks. Jacques Simon fosters the desire to be the alpha male in his and Bern's professional environment.

• Stanford Whitman is a crooked attorney, the chief in-house counsel at the Delaney Foundation, and a man the destroying angel can't eliminate fast enough.

• Mona Keltner stars as a hard-nosed reporter with professional ties to The New York Times.

• Cliff Rich portrays Frederic Delaney's secretary. Cliff Rich is a bigoted racist who, despite his employer, Delaney, would spit in the face of Josephine Reed if he could.

• Brian Etting plays Frederic Delaney's arranger and yet another enemy-minded toward Josephine Reed—the real musical genius and the reason for his having a job in the first place.

• Samantha Bell stars as the granddaughter of a Ditmars & Ross founder and a blessing in disguise.

• Tom Pendleton plays his merciless part well as a member of the Delaney Foundation board. Like Stanford Whitman, Tom Pendleton is a man the destroying angel can't eliminate fast enough.

• Miles Turpin portrays a struggling pianist, a fellow song plugger at Ditmars & Ross—and a doomed man who knows too much.

• NYPD Officers Fields, Fry, and Dickson, along with their superior Detective Kirdahi, portray crooked cops on the take—and flunkies on the Delaney Foundation payroll. A disgrace to the badge, this quartet of numbskulls deserves to be dumped alive in a swamp teeming with ferocious crocodiles.

• Lauren Weber shines in her role as a cut-throat and no-nonsense attorney that it wouldn't be wise for anyone on an opposing legal team to trifle with.

The previously-listed ensemble of bit-part and supporting players are never out of tune with our starring leads. And together as one, the castmates render flawless performances on the well-written pages of this tale.

• The Outro

MY CONCLUDING SECTION.

An extraordinary work of fiction penned by the gifted Brendan Slocumb, Symphony of Secrets is an anger-inducing, perplexing, intelligent, complex, emotional, evocative, entertaining, revelational, thrilling, romantic, and thoroughly suspenseful high-speed time warp from past to present!

Blessed with a spirit reminiscent of John Grisham's timeless masterpiece, The Firm, the high-octane Symphony of Secrets—a powerful historical fiction thriller spanning 100 years—is guaranteed to take hold of the reader, pull them to the edge of their seat, and keep them glued there from beginning to end. I found it quite challenging to put this book down and even more disheartening to complete it. But much like all good things, the story had to end. And in this case, on a heart-pounding note (pun intended). What a splendid read!

The writing style of Brendan Slocumb impressed me tremendously, as did his vast knowledge of classical music and the history of the genre. A musician himself, Slocumb, with Symphony of Secrets, has composed—in an allegro tempo—a fabulous tale of noteworthy intrigue. And I will never forget this literary script or any member of its cast. Trust, dear reader, that Brendan Slocumb's Symphony of Secrets is nothing if not worthy of my loftiest recommendation.

Five D-major-scale stars!

REVIEWER’S NOTE: It is a pleasure to thank the publishing teams of Knopf, Vintage, and Anchor, as well as NetGalley, for the advance review copy (ARC) of Symphony of Secrets for my reading enjoyment and honest review.

Analysis of Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb is courtesy of Literary Criticism by Cat Ellington for The Arts©.

Coming Soon: Cat Ellington's review of The Good Neighbors (Life in Icicle Falls #2.5)

by Sheila Roberts

To feature from:

My rating: ()

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©2025 Quill Pen Ink Publishing. Literary Criticism by Cat Ellington for The Arts. The Cat Ellington™ Literary Collection. The Cat Ellington™ Poetry Collection. All rights reserved.

NEXT UP: Cat Ellington's review of The Plastic Surgeon by AJ Carter