An immersive and entertaining gothic mystery-thriller
Eye of the Moon is an immersive and entertaining gothic mystery-thriller. After a period of estrangement after a business deal went sour, main character Percy is convinced to join the friend and confident of his youth, Johnny Dodge, at a gathering of the wealthy Dodge family at their Victorian country property, "Rhinebech", on the banks of the Hudson River in Upstate New York. Having lived much of his childhood as a "half-Dodge", taken in by the family while his parents were absent overseas, Percy is cautiously excited at renewing his acquaintance with Johnny's parents and other relatives, and also at revisiting the Rhinebech estate, where he and Johnny spent summers together as children. While navigating the series of formal dinners and other social interactions expected of them over Johnny's parents' anniversary celebrations, the two 30-ish protagonists start a covert investigation into the death of Johnny's much-loved Aunt Alice, who died suddenly while reading a copy of the The Egyptian Book of the Dead 20 years previously. Author Ivan Obolensky writes with intelligence and wit, creating flawed but convincing characters and a fabulously gothic setting. Despite the length of the book (554 pages), I never felt that the narrative was "padded" with extraneous or repetitive detail, and thoroughly enjoyed following the progress of Percy, Johnny and rambunctious canine companion, Robert the Bruce, as they create chaos at every turn, while upending long-held family secrets. I'd recommend Eye of the Moon to readers who enjoy witty gothic thrillers, great characters and spooky settings. It's the first book in a trilogy that I look forward to returning to in the future. My thanks to author Ivan Obolensky, publisher Smith-Obolensky Media, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this title.