Good book on a war that you don't see much written about. Loved the art and music aspect. Some of the mystery felt a little forced but over all a good book!

Missing art, music and love are the driving themes of this engrossing mystery. From Budapest to London to the hills of Virginia, the search for a missing Van Gogh has taken lives. Maggie O'Shea is finally remembering into life and music again after the traumatic death of her husband 18 months earlier, but the search he was on threatens her again. As this was the third in a series, I was a little confused at the outset, but the story is totally worthwhile and enjoyable.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this book incredibly interesting the author really kept me hooked until the end. very well written I highly recommend.

It wasn't for me. I really tried to enjoy this book, but I couldn't.

Also didn't help it was the third in a series and I haven't read the two previous books before, probably that would've made a difference and I'm open to give this author a second chance, but not in the near future.

The blurb really grabbed my attention but and the story was nice. The writing style was also pretty nice but this book just wasn’t for me.
I am still going to give it an above average rating for its plot and style.

I've been looking for a reason to not continue reading this book, and then I realized that simply not wanting to was reason enough.

This is a fictional story of the Russian mafia in the USA - specifically the Boston area - and the people tied up in it, relating to stolen artwork and musicians. I stopped reading at 20%. It's interesting, but I don't feel interested or invested. A lot of it was feeling cliche too - a main character who forgets to eat, runs from problems (literally runs to deal), bad guys, lots of names to keep track of and secret links to each other... could be good, but not what I want to read right now.

CW: gang activity, murder

A captivating novel with enough sub plots for anyone. Maggie O'Shea is a heroine I can identify with. She lost her husband, is attempting to move on with her life and finally capturing some of the joy in her return to her music. Michael and his dog with 'tude" Shiloh bring fun and laughter.

A slow burner.

‘Shadow Music’ begins at the end of the Cold War when a daring escape is made from communist Hungary by a young woman with an infant baby and an extremely precious work of art.

I gather that this is the third book in a series, featuring Maggie O’Shea. It can be read as a standalone, but it would be preferable to have read the first two books. For me, it was a slow burner, which was confusing at times when it switched between different timelines.

It wasn’t until I had read several chapters that I found myself fully engaged in the plot. Several decades had passed when Maggie felt drawn to Cornwall, in an earnest quest to find out the truth about her husband.

Another strand of the plot concerned three dangerous Russians who were also searching for the infamous Van Gogh painting. Maggie finds herself embroiled in the art and music world and fears for her life.

It is a pity that at times there was a lack of cohesion, hence three stars.

Galadriel.

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of this book to review.

This was not what I expected. It was not intriguing and i wanted to DNF it at some point. The storyline is interesting, about a murder mystery with the chapters rotating between the past and the present. At the beginning, I liked the characters, especially in the past. I secretly wanted the whole book to be about them but then all of a sudden there were new characters and i felt they weren't even going with the flow.

It's the third book in the series, but I still understood it. The whole storyline is a bit mushy with many characters and stories. However towards the end, new things emerge and i liked that part a bit more.

I'm sure a lot of people would enjoy this historical suspense. It just wasn't for me.

I hadn't realized that this was the third installment of a trilogy and hadn't read the others, but thankfully it was not confusing to read. It seemed the explanations were pretty standalone and made for an enjoyable read. I really enjoyed the short chapters as it was easier to stop and start and make for a quick read.

"Grief is just love with nowhere to go...grief is a circle filled with sorrow. It doesn't shrink over time - life just grows around it in a bigger circle. Love grows around it." (quote from the book)

This is the third book in the Maggie O'Shea Mystery series that is as poignant, intense and haunting as the previous two (The Last Concerto #1 and Dark Rhapsody #2). Reading the first two will only enhance your understanding and connection with the characters within, for there are definite threads running through them all. Music is at the heart of each of the books and Rachmaninoff is at the soul of this one.

"A message, photographs. And a missing child." (quote from the book)

I was thrilled to be back in the lives of these characters, especially Maggie, Beckett and Shiloh as they are plunged into the world of international art smuggling and the ruthless Russian mafia. But through it all, the beauty of music and art runs deeply through it. I was even compelled to check out the original pieces of art described in the story. However, the scene at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. brought me to tears. This is one memorial I would love to see...one honoring the lives of over fifty-eight thousand veterans...a huge loss of life and a haunting reminder. But we never learn...

"Music tells our stories." (quote from the book)

This story is multi-layered and in five parts, with our beloved characters dealing with separate issues that come together and build to a dramatic crescendo. The chords that pull Maggie and Beckett closer will be tested, old and new characters will help them, and the music will live on in our hearts.

"She slipped into my soul - and I let her in...She took the darkness away." (quote from the book)

I highly recommend the Maggie O'Shea mysteries. It is not often I read 'modern mysteries', but this series has completely captured my imagination. I do hope we see more of Maggie in the future. I also want to say how much I love the cover and title which makes beautiful sense once you read the novel! Brava Ms. Mario!

Thank you to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing in making a copy of this book available. I am voluntarily leaving my fair and honest review.

I would like to begin by thanking NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ebook. I did not realize this was a book from a series when I began to read it but I was quick to discover this as there were so many characters that were not given a backstory so I felt rather lost. So I bought the two previous books on Amazon and read them! Wow! For this reason, I haven't written a review for so long. I really enjoyed reading the trilogy! Everything was so smooth, so melodious! It was like I was playing the piano myself!

Maggie is the main character and she has faced many hardships yet still manages to love deeply. This is a book that covers murder, mystery, suspense, grief, love and starting over. This may seem like a lot for one book but the author manages to weave all of these things into one book. I had a great time reading a book. The storylines are beautifully written. The characters turned out to be very convincing. I expected to get romantic prose, but it turned out much better! I got real emotions!

Thanks again!

Shadow Music is an entertaining mystery thriller with a touching love triangle involving Maggie, the heroine of the novel; her long-lost ex-husband; and her new lover. There are great storylines about a valuable, lost Van Gogh painting, a missing boy, and the long-ago murder of a young mother that all come together perfectly at the end, The heroine is a classical musician, and I enjoyed living in that world, as well as learning things about 20th century European history. This is a really good, fun read.

this was a wonderfully done mystery novel, the characters were great and I enjoyed the way the author writes. The world was really well done.

I've added Helaine Mario to my 'must read' author's list. Her masterful manipulation of plot and characters is symphonic blend of mystery, music, and machinations of both good and evil. She is an artist with words.

SHADOW MUSIC may seem more like a standalone then, suddenly, the pieces start to fall into place. Like DARK RHAPSODY, SHADOW MUSIC is as much about art as it is about music. I am loath to even introduce the characters as I review these books because I am afraid of giving something away. Maggie O'Shea is a complicated woman dealing with sorrow, loss, and fear as she stands strong against mysterious adversaries. Meeting the other characters is an integral part of the adventure.

Maggie is practicing Rachmaninoff's piano concerto #2 throughout the book. One night, while reading, I found myself saying "Alexa, play Rachmaninoff's piano concerto #2." I confess it was a little distracting, but after a short while, listening definitely enhanced the story.

Once you get about halfway through the book, you will find that putting it down to do something as mundane as sleeping will be impossible. You will put it aside, turn off the light, toss and turn a bit, turn the light back on, pick up the book and read to the very end. You will enjoy the music, you will contemplate the art, and you will be choked with emotion as tears trickle down your cheek. Yes, this book is that good!

Although the blurb says these books can be read as standalones, and in any order, I do recommend that you read them in the order listed - THE LOST CONCERTO, DARK RHAPSODY, SHADOW MUSIC - in order to appreciate the intricate development of the series. It is my sincere hope that more books will follow.

When I first started reading Shadow Music I couldn’t help but wonder if I needed to have read the first 2 books in Helaine Mario’s Maggie O’Shea series, I felt the initial few chapters jumped around and presumed previous knowledge. However this concern soon abated, I was captured by Maggie’s story. The story is full of strong characters – some you love easily and some equally unlovable. With the threads of music and art winding their way through the story, we become immersed in the Maggie’s quest to find out if her husband is alive, while at the same time following the quest for Van Gogh’s “Shadow Music” painting, which had been lost in the Nazi’s blitz against the Jews in WWII, and was being hunted by a number of (mostly evil) people for various reasons. Despite all Maggie goes through, her love both for her lost husband Johnny and now for Michael Beckett is stoic, and her passion for her music returns despite all the hardships and tests she faces.

My advice to anyone who plans to read Shadow Music – take the time to read “The Lost Concerto” and “Dark Rhapsody” first – I wish I had, and I plan to rectify this error in the very near future!

My thanks to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for allowing me to read this beautiful book in return for my unbiased review.

I didn't realize that this book was one of a series about Maggie O'Shea which made the beginning and some of the references a bit jumbled at first. However, once I got into the story, I couldn't put it down. The mystery of an undiscovered Van Gogh was fascinating and the intrigue around its origins well developed. It's a great diverting read with some good surprises and twists.

Maggie O'Shea, a world renowned pianist has finally mentally recovered from the death of her husband 18 months earlier in an explosion that sank his boat in the Mediterranean. Finding life and love again with Michael Beckett, a former military man who has his own haunting past, Maggie is suddenly stalked by the Russian Mafia who believe that her deceased husband told here where a famous Van Gogh painting missing since 1942 is hidden. Author Mario weaves the stories of Maggie and her husband Johnny with that of Beckett and his promise to care for the grandson of his deceased Vietnam buddy. The grandson, Dov, is also a target of the Russian Mafia and Mario weaves these seemingly disparate stories into a cohesive narrative. This is the third book in the series about Maggie O'Shea and the ending hints at yet another adventure awaiting Magggie.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Maggie is on the trail of a painting that she hopes will help her find her husband's murderer. The more she digs, the more she becomes a target.

In 1985 Donata Kardos and her infant goddaughter escaped from Hungary. The infant was the granddaughter of a famous composer who had been in possession of a lost Van Gogh. During the escape the child’s mother was killed and Donata disappeared with the child and the painting. In the present, Maggie O’Shea, the widow of a noted journalist, is drawn into the hunt for the missing painting. Her husband Johnny had been in contact with Donata shortly before his death. His last interview was with Yuri Belankov, a wealthy Russian living in Washington who collects art. Yuri believes that he is the father of the child who escaped with Donata and finding her will finally reveal the location of the Van Gogh. He is a dangerous man who arranged an encounter with Maggie hoping to discover what her husband knew.

Maggie is a concert pianist who lost the ability to concentrate on her music after her husband’s death. It has been well over a year and she is finally performing again. With the support of Michael Bennett she has also found love. Contacted by someone in her past, she discovers that Johnny may still be alive. While Michael is her current love, she also has feelings for her lost husband and sets off to find the truth. Michael has a quest of his own. The daughter of a friend who saved him in Viet Nam has been murdered and he has to find her missing teenage son. She had worked for the Russian mafia and passed information to her son shortly before her death. Now Michael searches the streets of New York to find him and offer him protection.

Maggie displays passion not only for her music, but also for the men in her life. She has finally emerge from the grief that almost destroyed her and she is stronger and more determined not only to find the truth, but also to master a difficult piece of music. As she works to achieve her goals Helaine Mario merges each of the story lines into a final showdown. Along with Maggie, Mario offers strong characters. Michael runs a ranch that offers rehabilitation for veterans. Despite his past, he feels ill-equipped to deal with a teenager who refuses his help. Yevgeny witnessed his mother’s murder and is distrustful of the help being offered. The one thing that brings them together is Shiloh, Michael’s dog with an attitude and personality that no one can resist. Mario’s characters and the surprising twists that she offers make this a story that hits all of the right notes. I would like to thank NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for making this book available for my review.