“Brendan was easy to work with and personable with each and every audience member. We received lots of great feedback on Brendan’s talk, the book, and our community-wide read program.” — Buncombe County Public Libraries, 2024
“New Castle County Libraries hosted Brendan Slocumb for our county-wide book event. His book, The Violin Conspiracy, resonated with our community; over 1,200 people came to hear his presentation. Brendan is super friendly and engaging. Before the event started, he took the time to walk through the venue and meet with the audience. The event ended with a book signing. Even though the event went long, he made sure to spend time with every single person who wanted to chat with him and take a picture with them. Our patrons loved his presentation and the stories he shared. We received a lot of positive feedback, with several patrons saying they felt a real connection with him. A month on, we are still receiving compliments about Brendan’s presentation. We loved working with Brendan and would welcome him back anytime!” — New Castle County Libraries, 2024
“Brendan Slocumb was a dynamic and engaging keynote speaker. He spoke on the theme of gratitude and talked about the transformative role that public education and a few dedicated teachers played in his life. He was funny and heartfelt. I would highly recommend him to speak at any event!” — Grosse Pointe Public Library, 2024
“We really enjoyed how Brendan talked about his personal experiences and how they tied together with the stories he has written. The crowd really enjoyed hearing his story.” — Fox Cities Book Festival, 2024
“Brendan is so personable! Everyone has said how enjoyable the evening was meeting Brendan and hearing speak.” — Boyden Library, 2024
“Brendan is a wonderful speaker, thoughtful, funny, and inspiring. We’d love to invite him back to our library when the next book comes out!” — Schlow Centre Region Library, 2024
“Brendan Slocumb was an outstanding speaker. Audience fully engaged. Brendan on stage exceeded expectations but he is also great with the one-to-one conversations.” — Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary and Altrusa, 2024
“Brendan was eager to hear directly from the audience during Q&A and thoroughly engaged with readers at the signing. He was genuinely a delight to work with, very easy going and inspiring.” — Columbus Metro Library Carnegie Series, 2024
“His message was authentic, positive and inspiring.” — Brookfield Library, 2024
“I just wanted to say how much we enjoyed meeting Brendan and having him speak at our library! Brendan, you are such a phenomenal speaker, and truly gave one of the best author talks we’ve ever had. Your warmth, honesty, and connection to the audience was wonderful. Thank you so much.” — Ocean City Reads, 2023
“We had a sell-out venue with 600 readers for Brendan’s talk on Sunday. Everyone loved him, the first standing ovation we have had in 21 years! He is genuine, honest, is so comfortable in front of an audience, and manages to remain positive regardless of the indignities he has faced.” — Fort Collins Reads, 2023
“Words cannot express how grateful we are that you visited our library for Millis Reads. Two weeks later and people are STILL talking about it. You were incredibly gracious and giving of your time.” — Sandra Scott, A Novel Occasion, 2023
“Slocumb imbues his character’s life with so much authenticity in the details, details that anyone who has played a stringed instrument, or played in a professional ensemble, will recognize. . . . Where Slocumb shines … is in the passages where he shows Ray’s grit. . . . [Brendan Slocumb] has plenty of brio to share with readers as well as listeners.” — NPR
“Such a page-turner . . . a musical bildungsroman cleverly contained within a literary thriller. . . . Slocumb isn’t too different from his protagonist: a natural. He easily conjures the thrill of mastering a tough musical passage and the tinnitus-like torture of everyday racism.” — The New York Times
“Engaging and suspenseful story about an aspiring musician and his great-great-grandfather’s violin….This novel, which will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very last page, is sure to be a favorite in 2022.” — The Washington Post
“A spellbinding first novel that melds classical music, the mystery surrounding a stolen violin and history, too—by way of some troubling insights into our nation’s painful legacy of slavery.” — Ebony
“Brendan Slocumb hits all the right notes in his engrossing debut about a young Black man whose natural talent for music has become the only way to secure his future.” — South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“….The Violin Conspiracy takes the reader on a musical journey ripe with passion and intrigue. Slocumb’s cogent narrative explores time-worn themes with a fresh and powerful voice.” — The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“A big proclamation, but here goes: This is my new favorite book. . . . It’s page-turning, poignant, beautiful, and altogether engrossing.” — Zibby Owens, KatieCouric.com
“Generally, I avoid hype. . . . Slocumb’s book, however, is something I cannot hype enough.” — CrimeReads
“Deeply engrossing….Authentic and unexaggerated, this captivating coming-of-age story meets suspenseful crime mystery is a sharp debut.” — Shelf Awareness
“Entertaining. . . . A gripping novel. . . . A solid page-turner.” — Kirkus Reviews
“[A] galvanizing blend of thriller, coming-of-age drama, and probing portrait of racism….This flawless debut will do for classical music what The Queen’s Gambit did for chess.” — Booklist, starred review
“Utterly original and downright gripping, The Violin Conspiracy is more than a mystery—it’s an unflinching peek into the heart and soul of a gifted Black violinist striving to pursue his passion in the face of adversity. Brendan Slocumb’s debut is an essential lesson in artistry, prejudice, and persistence.” — Zakiya Dalila Harris, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Black Girl
[A] gripping debut. . . . Slocumb sensitively portrays Ray’s resilience in the face of extreme racism. The author is off to a promising start.” — Publishers Weekly
“I loved The Violin Conspiracy for exactly the same reasons I loved The Queen’s Gambit: a surprising, beautifully rendered underdog hero I cared about deeply and a fascinating, cutthroat world I knew nothing about—in this case, classical music. I devoured this fine novel: every page and every word. And that ending? Never saw it coming.” — Chris Bohjalian, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant and Hour of the Witch
“Finally, classical music gets the complex treatment it deserves. A wide-eyed look at the art form and its discontents.” — Gary Shteyngart, New York Times bestselling author of Little Failure and Lake Success
“Magnificent, from the first page to the last, the pace never slackens. It is a gorgeous read. Old violins, international music competitions, human greed, determination, decency—all of these feature in this first-rate novel.” — Alexander McCall Smith, bestselling author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series
“The Violin Conspiracy reminds all of us that dreams are worth pursuing, no matter the obstacles in front of us. The struggle to follow your heart is always the same—and this novel inspires us to take the chance, make the leap, and dare to be better…” — Misty Copeland, New York Times bestselling author of Life in Motion and principal dancer, American Ballet Theatre
