SYMPHONY OF SECRETS

Author: Sharon Hinck ISBN: 9780764202827 2/2008 SUSPENSE Publisher: BETHANY HOUSE

Talented flutist Amy Johnson's dreams come true when she wins a spot with the Minneapolis Symphony. But this amateur sleuth has trouble concentrating on the notes as she begins to see devious motives behind her fellow musicians' many mishaps. Meanwhile, her musically talented daughter wants to give it all up for--gasp--the cheerleading squad! What's a musical mom to do? Can Amy fine-tune her investigation before the symphony is forced to close and she loses not only her dream job but her promising new relationship with its conductor?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

SYMPHONY OF SECRETS by Sharon Hinck is a delightful story that showcases the ability of the spirit to change the world-one person at a time.

Amy Johnson is a fairly typical mother, if you believe a symphony flutist who sees mystery in every little thing while raising a teenage daughter on her own is ordinary. She's obsessed with her music, in tune with her daughter and open to solving mysteries in their lives-as long as she doesn't have to let anyone, besides Clara, her daughter, get too close. Amy feels isolated, by her musical career and secrets she harbors deep within her.

Amy and Clara's lives change when Amy's friend Lena clues her in that there may be an opening soon in the Minneapolis Symphony. She practices harder than ever, hoping to secure the spot, while Clara has a tryout of her own. The fifteen-year-old's dream is to make the cheerleading squad. While mother and daughter try to understand and support each other's dreams, it isn't always easy for them. And when Amy meets Peter, Clara seems open to her mother's having a relationship. But Peter's attempts to move closer to Amy are rebuffed-sometimes rudely.

This book was a pleasure to read for so many reasons. First, I enjoyed the first-person storytelling. I felt like I was right inside Amy's head and world. Every chapter begins with a different musical term which is explained. Each one is pertinent to the chapter that follows it. I liked that, and actually learned a term or two. And the fact that Amy wasn't a "perfect" heroine, that she was a mother who didn't always make the right decision the first time around or gave an ideal response to Clara or Peter, and had secrets, doubts and insecurities of her own to deal with, made me love her even more than I probably would have otherwise. Her journey was a realistic one, on so many fronts.

I very much enjoyed this book. It is a quick read, but touched my heart many times over. I will look for future novels by Sharon Hinck. SYMPHONY OF SECRETS definitely struck a welcome chord with this reader!

Kay James