Sophomore novels don’t get much better than this.
A scholar discovers his favorite composer's secret in this page-turning thriller.
When Bern Hendricks, a musicology professor at the University of Virginia, is contacted by the Delaney Foundation, he’s shocked—the organization, dedicated to the legacy of Frederic Delaney, the man Bern considers “the hands-down best composer…in the entire world,” is a worldwide phenomenon, with “its name and logo as recognizable as Walt Disney’s.” Bern is even more floored when it turns out the group has discovered the manuscript of RED, a long-lost Delaney opera, and wants him to prepare it for performance. Bern enlists the help of his friend Eboni, a computer scientist who’s worked on musical analysis of Delaney’s other operas. Bern discovers a mysterious notation in the copy of RED, which puts him and Eboni on the track of a Black woman named Josephine Reed who knew Delaney, but they can’t quite figure out what the relationship entailed—until they do and begin to realize that Delaney, who died of suicide in 1936, might not have been the genius Bern thought he was. The Delaney Foundation is, of course, none too pleased with their discovery. Slocumb’s narrative alternates between the present day and the early 20th century, and his transitions are seamless. The dialogue in the novel, particularly between Bern and Eboni, sparkles, and the author does a brilliant job building suspense. Slocumb’s debut, The Violin Conspiracy (2022), was solid, but he seems to be having much more fun with this one, writing with a refreshing looseness and well-earned confidence. This is a superb novel that will appeal to any thriller fan, not just readers with an ear for classical music.
Sophomore novels don’t get much better than this.Pub Date: April 18, 2023
ISBN: 9780593315446
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Anchor
Review Posted Online: Feb. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
An existential crisis that steps on its own final moments.
With only a month left until the world ends due to a swiftly approaching black hole, Don and Rodney, a retired gay couple, road-trip from Maine to Washington to spend their final days with their son.
After reports that a planet-swallowing black hole is making its way toward Earth, Rodney and Don—who have been together for 40 years and survived everything from homophobia to the HIV crisis—decide to pack their belongings into an RV, say goodbye to their neighbors, and travel from Camden, Maine, to Washington to uphold a promise to spend their final days with their son. They can’t wait any longer, since there’s already chaos around the country: “Military vehicles in the streets of most cities and towns. Looting, rioting, the burning of cars and buildings and people, all of it had already happened.” As they make their way west across the country, they encounter fellow travelers ranging from close-knit families to free-spirited hippies, some of whom have come to terms with the impending end of the world and others who haven’t. While the story seems to be asking readers what they would do if they had 30 days left to live, and reflects on what different kinds of acceptance might look like in the face of unavoidable tragedy, it loses some of its poignancy in a series of thinly padded monologues about the meaning of life. Clearly intended to pack an emotional punch, it’s failed by an abrupt ending, and the way the journey’s mystery—which will be obvious to many readers—is revealed by an info dump in the last chapter.
An existential crisis that steps on its own final moments.Pub Date: April 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781250881236
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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