The Story Behind the Stories
The Rhinebeck Estate
‘Rhinebeck’ is based on this home Ivan summered at as a child, which was originally owned by his grandmother, Alice Astor.
The tale begins when I was a teenager. My father and I would meet from time to time for lunch, usually at the St. Regis Hotel in New York. One afternoon, he talked about his mother, Alice Astor, and how she had been reading a particular Egyptian Book of the Dead the night she had died. Her death had been so unusual and mysterious that he even had her New York townhouse exorcised. My grandfather had also mentioned in his autobiography, One Man in His Time, that Alice had become deeply involved with mystics and dark forces. After she divorced her fourth husband, she found herself utterly alone. What happened after, my grandfather didn’t say, but he hinted that her death was unexpected, unnecessary, and well before her time.
The story stuck with me, but what ultimately aroused my curiosity was an article in a 1997 issue of W Magazine, entitled, ‘Black Mischief’, with the subheading: ‘While researching Secret Muses, her acclaimed biography of Sir Fredrick Ashton, Julie Kavanagh unearthed the bizarre story of his patron Alice Astor. An influential heiress whose friends included Gore Vidal and Truman Capote, her last years were marked by a fascination with the occult. Did it also play a part in her death?’ The article concluded that she was likely murdered. I thought that was improbable, but the possibility was intriguing. My fiction series Eye of the Moon was the result.
In his words
Explore the world behind the Eye of the Moon series with more of Ivan’s stories, thoughts on the occult, and family histories on his blog.
Start Your JourneyInside the Eye of the Moon
Introducing Characters from the Eye of the Moon Series
There are other characters, whom you will meet.
You are invited to discover them all.
Works by Ivan Obolensky
The Series
Book one
Eye of the Moon
An estranged friendship rekindled at a haunted estate. A house party that 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.