2022 NIEA FIRST PLACE / WINNER — National Indie Excellence Award for Suspense
2022 IPPY GOLD MEDAL — Independent Publishers Award for Suspense / Thriller
2022 FINALIST — International Book Award, Mystery / Suspense
Shadow Music
Maggie O'Shea Suspense Series, Book 3
"Mario has once again hit all the right notes with Shadow Music, drawing the reader into a landscape of art and music... using a tuning fork of spine-tingling suspense."
—Sandra Brown, New York Times best-selling author
Overcoming loss—Finding the courage to move on—Trying to stay alive
Late in the Cold War, a young woman escapes from Communist Hungary, vanishing into the night with a priceless painting and a baby girl, setting in motion a decades-old secret that will change lives for generations to come.
Many years later, classical pianist Maggie O'Shea is drawn to Cornwall in search of a long-lost Van Gogh and the truth behind her husband's death. A journal from World War II Paris holds many of the answers, but only two people know where the Van Gogh is hidden now—a courageous nun and a man presumed dead.
Set against the backdrop of the international music and art world, Maggie finds herself on a collision course with three dangerous Russians who threaten all she holds dear—including her life and the life of the man she has come to love.
Rachmaninoff's Concerto No. 2 is at the heart of this story that strikes the chords of every human emotion. Past and present converge in this haunting tale of loss, courage, vengeance and love.
(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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Praise for Shadow Music
"Mario has once again hit all the right notes with Shadow Music, drawing the reader into a landscape of art and music... using a tuning fork of spine-tingling suspense."
—Sandra Brown, New York Times best-selling author
"The gorgeously enigmatic Shadow Music is pure Helaine Mario. Gripping, intense and lyrical, this is a heartbreaking journey wrapped in a page-turning mystery. Ruthless greed, devastating courage, long-lost secrets—and a riveting ending that's a crescendo of emotional realization, deep understanding, and haunting inspiration."
—Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today Bestselling author of Her Perfect Life
"Music is at the heart and soul of every one of Helaine's Maggie O'Shea books and Shadow Music is the perfect Cadence for her (so-far) three-part symphony. Brava! Shadow Music stands well alone but for deeper character and storyline understanding read the novels, The Lost Concerto, Dark Rhapsody and Shadow Music in order. Fans of women's fiction, romantic suspense and fans of Nora Roberts, Iris Johansen and Sandra Brown will love Shadow Music and Helaine Mario."
—Debbie Haupt, The Reading Frenzy
"THRILLING MYSTERY—If you are intrigued by music and art, espionage and romance, WWII and the Cold War, you'll get happily lost in this fine historical mystery with a classical pianist as the protagonist. Book three in a series, Shadow Music works well as a stand-alone that once finished makes you race to read the first two."
—Char Jones, Facebook/IG Reviewer
