Standalone sequel to the bestselling While the Music Lasts, Ghost Music finds the fictional Orchestra of London beset by difficulties. A demanding, Polish-born conductor drives musicians to greater performances and personal desperation, while a Shakespeare-quoting orchestra manager performs damage control. William, a cellist, then buys an antique cello only to discover that it has magical qualities and plays as if possessed. When the cello debuts in the pit, a mysterious young woman also joins the orchestra. She seduces the conductor and attempts to seduce William, who is struggling to get back together with his estranged wife. Neither a European tour, a libidinous harpist nor a scramble for orchestra funding can keep William from confronting the cello’s true nature – as well as his own. 

“McVeigh defines an orchestra as ‘a combination of the unlikely and the insufferable, attempting the impossible.’ The same may be said of her novel, which smoothly harmonizes disparate themes and perspectives. Sexy, romantic and satirical, the narrative captivatingly chronicles personal politics and the world of music, ghostly and otherwise.” (Publishers Weekly)