The Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb (audiobook)

genre: historical fiction

When professor Bern Hendricks gets an opportunity to study lost music by the famous American composer Frederick Delaney, he jumps at the chance, even though it means moving to New York and dedicating all of hiss time to the project.  Soon after he begins, though, Bern notices that something in the recently found piece of music makes him ask questions - question that are like a tug on a string.  And soon, that string is going to unravel a mystery that begins all the way back in the 1920s, when a young man meets an unusual woman who is going to change everything for him.

While I'm not usually that into mysteries, this book really captured my attention quickly.  I liked the back and forth in time between the roaring 20s with young musician Frederick Delaney and this mystery woman and the modern day.  I liked Bern's partner Eboni who helps him dig deeper, she's a smart and sassy character.  I appreciated the neurodivergence of one of our main characters as well as the way that both overt and covert racism are splayed out in all their ugliness, the way those kinds of bigotry have really meant a loss for both individuals and the world community.

This really is an interesting story.  It gets 4 instead of 5 stars because it just wasn't BEAUTIFUL the way that I like my five star books to be.  It didn't really make me FEEL all the feelings but it super entertained me and I would recommend it to both music and mystery lovers.