Culturally Speaking Returns: Brendan Slocumb Author Talk

Thriller author Brendan Slocumb credits music with saving his life.

Slocumb describes himself as growing up in a rough part of Fayetteville, North Carolina. Early on, his passion for the violin provided an opportunity for meaningful engagement that kept him out of trouble. His dedication to the violin led him to a career as both a musician and music educator. He has performed with prestigious symphonies and earned a degree in music education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. For over two decades, he has shared his passion with students, helping them form a deep connection with the language of music.

Then, 2020 hit. Covid. Lockdown.

Slocumb’s debut thriller novel, The Violin Conspiracy, came out in 2022. It was a grand success. The story follows Black classical musician Ray McMillian, whose priceless heirloom violin is stolen on the eve of the biggest classical music competition in the world. The Violin Conspiracy draws on Slocumb’s lived experiences with racism in the classical music world to craft a mystery that deftly explores family expectations, greed, and coming of age.

The Violin Conspiracy was a Good Morning America Book Club pick and won a Goodreads Choice Award. Both are prestigious honors that marked a rising trajectory for the author’s career.

Slocumb’s sophomore novel, Symphony of Secrets, meets a self-imposed challenge: keeping his concept of the classical music thriller fresh and engaging. In Symphony of Secrets, we delve more firmly into the territory of historical fiction. A professor discovers that a famous American composer has stolen his music from a young neurodivergent Black woman. This novel explores the timely question of how to address history’s wrongs and who gets to have their story told.

His latest novel, The Dark Maestro, treads into new territory while keeping some familiar scenery. We follow Curtis Wilson, a classical music prodigy who has accomplished the impossible: using his gifts and grit, he has risen from life in inner-city DC to the upper echelons of the classical music world.

Curtis is only able to enjoy his success for a while. His father’s drug dealings run him afoul of a powerful kingpin, and the whole family must go into the witness protection program. When law enforcement isn’t able to bring the drug cartel down, the family must take them on themselves–using Wilson’s music.