Introduction

SILVER WINNER: 2016 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards

FINALIST: 2016 National Indie Excellence Awards

FINALIST: 2016 International Book Award  – Mystery/Suspense Category 

A woman and her young son flee to a convent on a remote island off the Breton coast of France.  Generations of seafarers have named the place Ile de la Brume, or Fog Island. In a chapel high on a cliff, a tragic death occurs and a terrified child vanishes into the mist.

The child’s godmother, Maggie O’Shea, haunted by the violent deaths of her husband and best friend, has withdrawn from her life as a classical pianist. But then a recording of unforgettable music and a grainy photograph surface, connecting her missing godson to a long-lost first love. 

The photograph will draw Maggie inexorably into a collision course with criminal forces, decades-long secrets, stolen art and musical artifacts, and deadly terrorists. Her search will take her to the Festival de Musique, Aix-en-Provence, France, where she discovers answers to her husband’s death, an unexpected love?and a musical masterpiece lost for decades.

A compelling blend of suspense, mystery, political intrigue, and romance, The Lost Concerto explores universal themes of loss, vengeance, courage, and love.

(Helaine Mario)

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Excerpt

CHAPTER 1


BOSTON, TEN MONTHS LATER. JULY 2

“Luze? Are you here? Hello?”
Maggie O’Shea closed the blue door of The Piano Cat music shop and stood motionless, listening.
Too quiet.
The large, book-lined room was cool and empty of customers. Late day sun spilled through the huge bow window onto scattered sheet music and the Steinway grand piano that stood in the curve of the window. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. How do people handle grief and loss, and how do they find a way to move on?

2. You may have seen the movies, Monuments Men and/or Woman in Gold. Were you aware of how many treasures disappeared or were looted during WWII? Did you know that music disappeared as well?

3. I wrote the book that I wanted to read. That meant writing about something I love – classical music. In The Lost Concerto, it is music that sets this story apart, music that tells Maggie’s story. How important is music in your life? What are you passionate about, what would YOU write about?

4. How do the choices we make shape our lives?

5. What is your definition of courage? What did you like the most about Maggie’s character? Did you enjoy reading about older, ‘more mature’ characters?

6. Can you talk about the emotional toll of wars on our service men and women?

7. What do readers take away from this book?

Weblinks

»	Author Helaine Mario's web site
»	Publisher's Book Info

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