helaine mario

Dark Rhapsody

Maggie O'Shea Suspense Series, Book 2

Dark Rhapsody
Now in paperback!

"Mario writes with the soul of poet, painting her characters
and scenes with deft touches of insight and wit."
   —Gayle Lynds, New York Times best-selling author

In 1945, an Austrian girl discovers a priceless Nazi treasure near a remote alpine lake and sets in motion a decades-old secret that will change lives for generations to come.

Many years later, classical pianist Maggie O'Shea is preparing her return to the world of music. Instead, a nightmare of a haunting rhapsody and hundreds of roses from a psychotic stalker propel her into a world of terror. Forces drive her to revisit the mystery of her mother's death, her father's startling disappearance, and a terrible secret from World War II. Maggie finds herself on a collision course with a brutal, disfigured killer who threatens those she holds dear—an aging pianist with a long-buried secret, a grieving cellist, a charismatic Maestro, and the crusty retired colonel she has come to love. Chord by chord, Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody becomes the heart of this story of profound loss, courage and love. Music tells our stories...

Book Club Questions

(Note—author royalties will be donated to programs that support reading, music, art, nutrition and scholarship programs for children and families.)

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Dark Rhapsody Awards

Winner: Best Book Award from American Book Fest, Mystery 2018
Official Amazon Best Seller
Top 20 List: The Reading Frenzy, 2018
Finalist: Foreward Indies Award, Mystery 2018
Finalist: International Best Book Award, Mystery/Suspense 2019
Finalist: National Indie Excellence Award, Suspense 2019
Finalist: Next Generation Indie Award, Suspense 2019


Helaine Mario

Praise for Dark Rhapsody

Special treat: Dark Rhapsody was a Bedside Reading Program Choice (a program that places accepted books by the bedside in designated luxury hotels), offered for one month each at the Acqualina Resort & Spa in Miami, the Mandarin Oriental DC, and Morrison House in Alexandria, Virginia!

"From Manhattan and Washington to Vienna and Salzburg, Dark Rhapsody by Helaine Mario takes the reader on a suspense-rich journey into a violent collision of the worlds of lost art, famous musicians, and international politics. Mario writes with the soul of poet, painting her characters and scenes with deft touches of insight and wit. Her heroine, Maggie O'Shea, will burrow into your heart. Dark Rhapsody is that rare novel—story that's a page-turner and a deeply felt character study."
   —Gayle Lynds, New York Times best-selling author

"As much about art as music, [Dark Rhapsody] reveals the transformative power of both."
   —Library Journal

"Romantic suspense fans will find much to like."
   —Publishers Weekly

"Dark Rhapsody by Helaine Mario is a book not to be missed. My only complaint is that it ended! I wanted this marvelous work to go on and on."
   —BookLoons

"Dark Rhapsody is full of mystery, intrigue, love and loss, and a great way to spend some down time! Music and art...what's not to love?"
   —InD'tale Magazine, Lynne Bryant

Reader Reviews:

"Another gripping, magnificent novel by this talented writer. Not to be missed."
   —John F. Dobbyn, author of the Devlin/Knight mystery series

"To say that I loved it just doesn't express my feelings."
   —G. Zecchino

"I am sitting in my garden room with your amazing book on the table before me & Mozart's piano concerto no. 19 playing. I cannot begin to tell you how moved I have been by Dark Rhapsody... I read the last few words through a veil of tears... but tears of happiness. Thank you so much."
   —A. Isotta, England

"The reader will become so engrossed that the real world slips away. Mario is the quintessential story teller."
   —H. Gari