Two books about music that go beyond the notes

Pair the words “classical” and “thriller” and you might raise a few eyebrows. But Brendan Slocumb’s new novel “The Violin Conspiracy” is replete with suspense and drama and details about classical music.

Here’s the story: Ray McMillian is a young Black musician with little formal training but a powerful gift for playing the violin. His grandmother has given him an old, weathered instrument that has come down through the family but when McMillian discovers he’s in possession of a Stradivarius, he becomes the target of thieves.

Slocumb finds what feels like fresh and compelling imagery to put his readers in McMillian’s point of view as the musician performs his favorite compositions and competes in the renowned International Tchaikovsky Competition of classical music.

He also writes some vivid scenes that reveal the stubborn racism faced by musicians of color, telling us in his author’s note: “As a Black violinist, I have had to work twice as hard as my non-Black counterparts to receive the same benefits.”

Jackie Kay’s book, “Bessie Smith: A Poet’s Biography of a Blues Legend,” plumbs the fierce independence and deep influence of groundbreaking singer Bessie Smith on the music of the 1920s and '30s.

Kay writes: "She sang songs about experiences that were lying in wait for her, further on down that old blues road. Her blues were premonitions.”

Subscribe to the Thread newsletter for the latest book and author news and must-read recommendations.

• Ask a Bookseller: ‘The Wedding People’ by Alison Espach
• Author A.J. Jacobs attempts a year of living constitutionally
• Three great fiction audiobooks