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Find out what people have to say about Ivan Obolensky and his works
Industry Reviews
Read moreKirkus Book Reviews
In this debut murder mystery, a pair of friends searches for clues in the darkest recesses of the occult. Johnny and Percy grew up as close as brothers. So when Johnny asks Percy to accompany him to his family's luxurious estate in Rhinebeck, New York, he agrees despite some reservations. While rummaging about in the cellar, they stumble upon some personal effects that belonged to Johnny's deceased aunt, Alice, a larger-than-life figure who died under mysterious circumstances.
Eye of the Moon
Clarion/Foreword Review, 4 stars
Set in 1977, the novel has a timeless, eerie feeling. Wealth, family politics, and the occult make for a strangely captivating and exotic brew in Ivan Obolensky's 'Eye of the Moon'. Wealthy playboy Johnny Dodge invites his childhood companion Percy on an extended weekend in Rhinebeck at his family's Gormenghastian country estate. At first, it seems that nothing more sinister is in the offing than the Bertie Woosterish hijinks of rich bachelor boys dodging the slings of omniscient butlers and the arrows of dreaded matrimony.
Eye of the Moon
IndieReader, 4.7 stars, IndieReader Approved
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. When Johnny Dodge knocks on Percy's door and asks him to help uncover whether they've accidentally drunk the bottles of Château Lafite 1959 that Johnny's parents were saving for their anniversary, Percy should have known that more than fine wine would be opened during a weekend in Rhinebeck, the Dodge family estate that always felt a bit peculiar.
Eye of the Moon
Readers' Favorite, 5 stars
In the scintillating supernatural mystery, Eye of the Moon by Ivan Obolensky, two young men battle family discord and the forces of the occult. Percy's parents had no place for him in their busy lives and left him with their close friends, the Dodges. Percy was the same age as the Dodges' son Johnny, and the two boys grew up together as brothers. When they were young, Johnny's Aunt Alice died unexpectedly during a house party. Alice had lived an extraordinary life, and her death was out of...
Eye of the Moon
Feathered Quill
Shadow of the Son is the sequel to Ivan Obolensky's incredible first novel, Eye of the Moon and, if possible, this return to Rhinebeck is even better than our original trip. Percy and Johnny are back, along with all our old friends and a few new ones in another wonderful, mysterious, and captivating weekend that just might hold even more secrets than the first. As this sequel begins, we are all back at Rhinebeck for another gathering full of old secrets, new beginnings, and, of course...
Shadow of the Son
Reader Reviews
Read moreJennifer Nguyen
Obolensky shows us a highly entertaining view of high society family dynamics where female characters possess wealth and power, and where secrets of the past are revealed. At times witty, sexy, and immensely unpredictable, this novel will keep you on your toes and turning pages!
Eye of the Moon
Kurtwood Smith
What a great time I had reading Ivan Obolensky's 'Eye of the Moon'! Full of wonderfully fresh characters, it's a story full of stories that become interwoven as the novel unfolds. Looming over the book and all the characters is the fabulous estate of Rhinebeck, part Gothic castle, part 'Downton Abbey' and part upstate New York country home. The estate holds many secrets, mysteries, and the hearts of all who have lived there or hope to. But it's the characters that we take with us and hope to see again. Finely drawn, unique and complex, these are less characters in a book and more people we come to know better as we spend time with them.
Eye of the Moon
Dr. Bruce Newlin
Ivan Obolensky has whipped up a storyline in 'Eye of the Moon' that twists and turns the characters in a storm of a journey. We readers are allowed to sit in the eye of that storm quietly peeking into a captivating world few of us have walked through before. In any arena, relationships are the critical factor. The relationship you develop with another individual or group of individuals drives how you exist in this world. Why do you like/respect someone and how does that determine how you interact with them, trust them and are willing to be a part of their world?
Eye of the Moon
Donald Zilkha
'Eye of the Moon' has potions, spells, myths, legends, white- and black-tie dinners, rare wines, and especially intrigue, and lots of it. Ivan Obolensky takes you into a world that existed in the US and Europe in the not so distant past. This was a time when everybody of consequence knew each other and vast wealth was concentrated in the hands of a small group of established families who prized discretion, their reputations, and traditions. Nonetheless, they conducted themselves in ways that belied those intentions. Take a ringside seat and watch the action unfold.
Eye of the Moon
Vanessa Richardson
Obolensky has woven a fascinating and enchanting web with his novel 'Eye of the Moon'. An intellectual rollercoaster ride, it took me to another place in time, and is a breath of fresh air in today's world where we sometimes forget the art of conversation and the importance of forgiveness and love. It has something for everyone, and I will certainly be reading it again and again to catch the subtle nuances, and relive the surprises that come throughout the story!
Eye of the Moon