Review: The Lost Concerto

The Lost Concerto by Helaine Mario
Published July 2015 by Oceanview Publishing
Source: eGalley ARC from NetGalley

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The child’s godmother, Maggie O’Shea, haunted by the violent deaths of her husband and best friend, has withdrawn from her life as a classical pianist.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 the mystery surrounding her husband’s death, an unexpected love—and a musical masterpiece lost for centuries.

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

My Thoughts

I'll start by saying that I found The Lost Concerto to be an amazing book. With that out of the way, let's look at WHY I feel this way about it.

Helaine Mario draws the reader deeper and deeper into the mysteries surrounding the deaths of Sofia Orsini and Johnny O'Shea—deaths which hit Maggie quite deeply. So much so that the concert pianist hadn't played the piano in almost a year. Maggie's anguish underlines all of the action, but she's not the only one who is grieving. While there are clearly good guys and bad guys, Mario shares with the reader the back story of the villains, creating understanding and perhaps sympathy for how they wound up in the positions they are in.

The story moves quickly from Boston to Paris to Provence with great attention paid to the venues—hotels, concert halls, sanctuaries, coastlines, and more—so that the reader gains a sense of what the characters are experiencing as they move through these spaces. Classical music and works of art are as prominent in The Lost Concerto as are the locations. They bring a sensory quality to the book which engages the reader even more deeply into the action. This is a thriller with lots of drama and characters in peril. And through it all, we see Maggie slowly rising out of the malaise which had almost crippled her after Johnny's death. It starts with having a mission to find her godson and grows as she develops emotional connections to her fellow investigators.

I have to give a shout-out to the publisher and NetGalley who gave me the opportunity to read The Lost Concerto in advance of its publication date. I was immediately drawn to the book when I saw the cover in the “Coming Soon” list at Freading.com, and was thrilled when my request to receive a review copy was accepted.

★★★★☆

Disclosure: I received a free copy of The Lost Concerto from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.