One Book One Henderson

A Good Book Brings a Community Together

The Dark Maestro by Brendan Slocumb

Do you love book clubs? Here's one for our entire community! Join Henderson Libraries, the City of Henderson, and your fellow booklovers as we read and discuss The Dark Maestro, the acclaimed novel by Brendan Slocumb.

Physical copies are available at our libraries and can also be accessed online. Log in with your library account to start reading:

Read the book and then meet the author
A Conversation with Brendan Slocumb
Saturday, September 12th at 10:00am

Henderson Multigenerational Center

About the Book: The Dark Maestro

Curtis Wilson is a cello prodigy, growing up in the Southeast D.C. projects with a drug dealer for a father. But through determination and talent, and the loving support of his father’s girlfriend Larissa, Curtis claws his way out of his challenging circumstances and rises to unimagined heights in the classical music world—even soloing with the New York Philharmonic.

And then, suddenly, his life disintegrates. His father, Zippy, turns state evidence, implicating his old bosses to the FBI. Now the family—Curtis included—must enter the witness protection program if they want to survive. This means Curtis must give up the very thing he loves most: sharing his extraordinary musical talents with the world. When Zippy’s bosses prove too elusive for law enforcement to convict them, Curtis, Zippy, and Larissa realize that their only chance of survival is to take on the cartel themselves.

A propulsive and moving story about sacrifice, loyalty, and the indomitable human spirit, The Dark Maestro is Slocumb at the height of his powers. 

About the Author: Brendan Slocumb

Brendan Nicholaus Slocumb was raised in Fayetteville, NC, and holds a degree in music education (with concentrations in violin and viola) from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. For more than twenty years he has been a public and private school music educator and has performed with orchestras throughout northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC.


2026 One Book One Henderson Programs & Events

We've scheduled a variety of fun and interesting programs inspired by the book. 

August

Music Therapy Workshop
Wednesday, August 12 @ 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Paseo Verde Library

Maestro in the Making: Instrument Petting Zoo
Tuesday, August 25 @ 5:00pm - 6:00pm
James I. Gibson Library

The Etched Sonata
Friday, August 28 @ 3:30pm - 4:45pm
James I. Gibson Library

Sip & Social for Adults
Saturday, August 29 @ 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Green Valley Library

The Etched Sonata
Monday, August 31 @ 12:30pm - 2:00pm
Paseo Verde Library

Music Therapy Workshop
Monday, August 31 @ 5:30pm - 6:30pm
James I. Gibson Library

September

An Evening with Strings
Wednesday, September 09 @ 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Paseo Verde Library

Midterm Blues & Syncopated Grooves
Tuesday, September 15 @ 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Green Valley Library

Listening Like a Maestro
Wednesday, September 23 @ 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Paseo Verde Library

Book Clubs Reading The Dark Maestro

Malcolm 
Book Club

Tuesday, August 04
4:30pm - 5:30pm

More Info

No Pressure Senior
Book Club

Wednesday, August 19
1:00pm - 2:15pm

More Info

Page Turners
Book Club

Tuesday, September 15
5:30pm - 6:30pm

More Info

Henderson Libraries
Book Club

Tuesday, September 29
6:00pm - 7:00pm

More Info

Sponsors & Partners

One Book One Henderson Through the Years