Synopsis:

THE MAGGIE O’SHEA SUSPENSE SERIES

Perfect for fans of Sandra Brown and Iris Johannsen.

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 deranged 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 haunted 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 …

Praise for Dark Rhapsody:

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

“Mario manages to hold all the plot pieces together surprisingly well. Romantic suspense fans will find much to like.”
~ Publishers Weekly

“Mario hooks you with layers of mysteries almost completely enough to overcome the sentimentality seeping out between perils.”
~ Kirkus Reviews

“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

Inside the Author of Dark Rhapsody:

I’m so excited to share that Helaine Mario, author of The Maggie O’Shea Suspense Series visited with me recently. Here is a highlight from our conversation.

Why Maggie O’Shea? What is it about her and this storyline that drew you to her and want to share her story?

I first met Maggie O’Shea during a New England summer, as I sat by the sea writing the prologue to my first book, The Lost Concerto. In that prologue, a child hiding on a Breton island vanishes into the mist, setting in motion a story that will ripple like water into the future. That day, I knew only that ‘someone’ would have to search for that missing child.

Enter Maggie O’Shea. The character was inspired by my pianist son, Sean, and the classical music I loved; by my own life; and by the fictional women whose stories resonated with me over the years. Maggie would be a classical pianist named Magdalena. She would own a music shop, The Piano Cat, in Boston’s Beacon Hill – my favorite neighborhood when I attended Boston University. And, because I was ‘of a certain age,’ Maggie would be a mature, almost-fifty-year-old mother of a grown son. I knew one more thing that day – that I would tell Maggie’s story through classical music.

What kind of woman did I want Maggie to be? When I closed my eyes, I saw a slight woman with the body of a dancer, a cloud of hair the color of midnight and deep green eyes. (My character Colonel Beckett calls them ‘speaking eyes.’) I wanted Maggie to be like the strong women characters in favorite espionage and romantic suspense novels by Helen MacInnes and Mary Stewart – smart, passionate, stubborn, funny, loving, strong and brave. She would always lead with her heart. Many months later, I realized that I had created the woman I wanted to be.

Of course, good characters must have flaws, and there has to be conflict. When readers first meet Maggie, she is alone – a ‘soloist’ in every sense. Haunted by the tragic death of her husband, grief has crushed her passion for music. Threatened by a vicious killer, she must confront her deepest fears to save an innocent child. The next two books in this series, Dark Rhapsody and Shadow Music, continue Maggie’s story as she struggles to reclaim her life and her music and protect the people she loves. Readers learn more about her past as she searches for the truth behind her father’s disappearance and her husband’s drowning, while finding a new and unexpected love.

Which brings me to my newest book, #4, Echoes on the Wind. What drew me, and Maggie, to this story? For me, it was a Washington Post article on a young French woman who became a spy during World War II. And for Maggie, it was her need to understand her past and herself, to know where her music came from. What if I wrote a Dual Timeline story connecting Maggie’s current life to her French grandmother’s life in war-torn Paris? And so I wrote Echoes on the Wind, about two strong women, generations apart, who are connected by the echo of Chopin’s music. It is the story Maggie deserves, a story that echoes with music, heart and humanity.

Book Details:

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Published by: Oceanview Publishing
Publication Date: July 3, 2018
Number of Pages: 368 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9781608092925 (ISBN10: 1608092925)
Series: A Maggie O’Shea Romantic Suspense Book

The Maggie O’Shea Romantic Suspense Series:

THE LOST CONCERTO Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

DARK RHAPSODY Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

SHADOW MUSIC Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

ECHOES ON THE WIND Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads

Author Bio:

Best-selling author Helaine Mario grew up in NYC and is a graduate of Boston University. Now living in Arlington, VA, this mother of two, grandmother of five, and passionate advocate for women’s and children’s issues came to writing later in life. Her first novel, The Lost Concerto, won the Benjamin Franklin Award Silver Medal. Echoes on the Wind is her fifth novel and the fourth in her Maggie O’Shea Classical Music Suspense Series. Royalties from her books go to children’s music and reading programs. Helaine recently lost her husband, Ron, after 57 years together. Her new book echoes with loss, grief, and, ultimately, the healing power of love.

Catch Up With Helaine Mario:

HelaineMario.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub – @helainemario
Instagram – @helainemario.author
Facebook – @helaine.mario

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