"Eye of the Moon is a gothic mystery of the finest order, Eyes Wide Shut meets Agatha Christie."
Johnny's legendary socialite Aunt Alice mysteriously died while reading the Egyptian Book of the Dead when he and Percy were ten. They have been kept in the dark about that night ever since...
Twenty years later, they are reunited, along with family and guests, for a weekend house party at Rhinebeck, the sumptuous estate once owned by Alice.
But Rhinebeck holds more than just childhood memories.
From the family butler, they learn that Alice's story is far darker than anticipated, and will impact all their lives, particularly Percy's, before the weekend concludes.
All who attend are ensnared in a surprising web of mystery, Egyptian occultism, sumptuous elegance, and intrigue, where family members, guests, and even the servants have their own agendas, and nothing is what it seems.
This complex and sophisticated gothic mystery thriller is a page-turner you will not be able to put down.
What readers are saying about Eye of the Moon
"It's gripping, intense, thorough. Everything I wanted in a thriller and then some."
"This was such a surprise. If you like big house mysteries, Downton Abbey and Cluedo 'who done its', you will love this."
"Eye of the Moon kept me engaged from start to finish. I read it in three days."
"Eye of the Moon is a well written, enjoyable gothic mystery filled with secrets, treasures, twists and turns, and the paranormal."
"Truly magical! A compelling story, with an original plot full of mystery, colorful characters and unexpected twists and turns, that keeps the reader in suspense until the very end."
"This story held me spellbound throughout."
"Eye of the Moon is a delightful suspenseful adventure into a world of aristocracy and mystery. Lively conversations, wonderful, diverse characters and vivid detailing gives one a feeling of being there. Overall this is an intelligent read that keeps you turning the pages."
"I could not stop reading as I was entangled in the many twists and turns, a fun and unforgettable read."
"True to the promise it makes, it's a book that kept me reading well into the night. It's incredibly suspenseful and full of great conversations and characters."
"This is one of those books where you'll have a sudden realization while flying through the pages that you don't want the book to end. If there ever will be a sequel to this book, I'll definitely read it."
About the Author :
Ivan Obolensky grew up regaled by tales of his aristocratic Russian ancestors while surrounded by high society. Those stories of intrigue and adventure inspired him from an early age and nurtured his love of storytelling, which he brings to his writing, both fiction and nonfiction. He is a lifelong reader and devoted enthusiast of diverse subjects, seeking out the way worlds intersect and connect. His nonfiction articles, weaving history, current events, science and finance, are published online. "Eye of the Moon" is his first novel, colored in no small way by his experiences and the stories of his youth. He lives in Southern California with his wife, Mary Jo.
Review :
"Obolensky conjures a remarkably imaginative tale, seamlessly juxtaposing the quotidian and the magical in a way that renders the latter mesmerizingly plausible.... Alice's complex character powerfully emerges as the plot's tonal center, a bewitching amalgam of moral strength, intellectual vitality, and a lust for life.... ingeniously constructed.
"Despite its length, an engrossing tale of mystery and magic."
-Kirkus Reviews
"A gothic mystery set in 1977--involving the occult, stolen treasure, family secrets, and financial sabotage--Eye of the Moon is sumptuous in its description of white-tie dinner parties and sexual tensions with baronesses, and sharp in its maneuvering of several secret puzzles at once... The mysteries are finely woven together and readers must think fast on their feet..."
-IndieReader, 4.7 stars, IR approved
..". Eye of the Moon by Ivan Obolensky is a thrillingly eerie mystery novel with a Gothic ambiance and supernatural elements seeping through the storyline... Despite the chronology of the many events the characters had experienced before the story began, they are combined to create a fabulously spine-chilling plot. This is an amazing novel..."
- Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite, 5 stars
"Ivan Obolensky's Eye of the Moon is a house party mystery much in the style of Agatha Christie--without the body.... Readers have time to get to know the characters and the lifestyle they'll do so much to protect. It's like having brandy and a cigar in the library with Lord Peter Wimsey rather than confronting bad guys a la Kinsey Millhone...."
-BlueInk Review
"The novel is unusually formatted, told almost entirely in the form of dialogues between Percy and various habitues of, and visitors to, Rhinebeck over the course of five days full of discovery and confrontation.... The surprising revelations and apparent coincidences come fast and furiously as the novel approaches its climax, but the groundwork was carefully laid for this intricate plot structure."
-Bradley A. Scott of Foreword Reviews, 4 stars Clarion rating
..". As a reader, it felt as if this novel had been exclusively produced just for me and I'm sure many readers will feel likewise. Reading Eye of the Moon was such an enjoyable experience. It may be a big book, but the reading is easygoing and there's enough humour, mystery, suspense, romance and adventure to satisfy even the most jaded of appetites..."
-Carl Delprat, Compulsive Reader
..". By the page 30, or so, I was well ensnared by Obolensky's captivating spiderweb. Richly nuanced, complex, highly readable, this yarn combines mystery, implied horror, the patrician class seen through a glass darkly, romance, and a wholly acerbic view of the inherent goodness (or evil) of man (and woman). Eye of the Moon is anything but an author's 'first work.'"
-Hugo N. Gerstl, international bestselling author of Scribe
"...The author paints a story of an aristocratic house party in which not all of the guests are of this world. Filled with hidden motives, mysterious relics, and sinister unknowns, Eye of the Moon evokes the drama of Dynasty with the atmosphere of Manderley."
-Jennifer Whitman, professional bookseller, Barnes & Noble
