An award-winning gothic mystery series inspired by true family ghost stories
“The dark shadows by the cypress trees or the brooding marble statues could harbor all sorts of spirits, both friendly and unfriendly. The dark, silent emptiness could be a scary place to grow up in, and I was easily frightened.”
Percy, Eye of the Moon
Photo of Alice Astor's estate in NY. “Rhinebeck” is based on this home Ivan summered at as a child, which was said to be haunted by the ghost of Alice.
Ivan Obolensky draws from a remarkable family legacy to craft his gothic mysteries. Inspired by ghost stories his father told about his grandmother, Alice Astor—a noted philanthropist, Egyptologist, and friend of Aldous Huxley—Ivan transforms family lore into spellbinding fiction.
When W Magazine speculated that Alice might have been murdered under mysterious circumstances while reading an Egyptian Book of the Dead, Ivan found his muse. The result: the critically acclaimed Eye of the Moon series.
The Eye of the Moon Series
Book one
Eye of the Moon
An estranged friendship rekindled at a haunted estate. A house party turns into an occult investigation.
Book two
Shadow of the Son
Lord Bromley returns to claim Rhinebeck. Betrayal, cunning schemes, and old debts collide.
Book Three
Dark of the Earth
A coma, a murder plot, and secrets that demand a price. Friendship and revenge meet in the shadows.
The Story Behind the Stories
The Rhinebeck Estate
“Rhinebeck” is based on this home Ivan summered at as a child, which was said to be haunted by the ghost of Alice.
The Story Behind the Stories
The Rhinebeck Estate
© fig 1 Rhinebeck Estate, New York
Stories behind the books, thoughts on the occult, family histories — discover Ivan’s musings in his blog.
Explore the WorldMidwest Book Review
A deftly crafted and simply riveting gothic mystery by a master of the genre, Ivan Obolensky's "Eye of the Moon" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Mystery/Suspense collections.
Small Press Bookwatch, Mystery/Suspense Shelf
Reader's Favorite Rating
Eye of the Moon by Ivan Obolensky is a thrillingly eerie mystery novel with a Gothic ambiance and supernatural elements seeping through the story line.
Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite
Reader's Favorite Rating
Eye of the Moon by Ivan Obolensky is a thrillingly eerie mystery novel with a Gothic ambiance and supernatural elements seeping through the story line.
Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite
Reader's Favorite Rating
Eye of the Moon by Ivan Obolensky is a thrillingly eerie mystery novel with a Gothic ambiance and supernatural elements seeping through the story line.
Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite
Reader's Favorite Rating
Eye of the Moon by Ivan Obolensky is a thrillingly eerie mystery novel with a Gothic ambiance and supernatural elements seeping through the story line.
Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite
Reader's Favorite Rating
Eye of the Moon by Ivan Obolensky is a thrillingly eerie mystery novel with a Gothic ambiance and supernatural elements seeping through the story line.
Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite
Midwest Book Review
A gothic mystery set in 1977—involving the occult, stolen treasure, family secrets, and financial sabotage— sumptuous in its description of white-tie dinner parties and sexual tensions with baronesses.
Danielle Bukowski for IndieReader
Midwest Book Review
A gothic mystery set in 1977—involving the occult, stolen treasure, family secrets, and financial sabotage— sumptuous in its description of white-tie dinner parties and sexual tensions with baronesses.
Danielle Bukowski for IndieReader
Midwest Book Review
A gothic mystery set in 1977—involving the occult, stolen treasure, family secrets, and financial sabotage— sumptuous in its description of white-tie dinner parties and sexual tensions with baronesses.
Danielle Bukowski for IndieReader
Reader's Favorite Rating
Eye of the Moon by Ivan Obolensky is a thrillingly eerie mystery novel with a Gothic ambiance and supernatural elements seeping through the story line.
Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite
Midwest Book Review
A gothic mystery set in 1977—involving the occult, stolen treasure, family secrets, and financial sabotage— sumptuous in its description of white-tie dinner parties and sexual tensions with baronesses.
Danielle Bukowski for IndieReader
Reader's Favorite Rating
Eye of the Moon by Ivan Obolensky is a thrillingly eerie mystery novel with a Gothic ambiance and supernatural elements seeping through the story line.
Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite