The Black Moth by Carolyne Topdjian

A Publishers Weekly Mysteries and Thrillers of Fall 2023 selection, The Black Moth, the riveting new Mave Michael novel from the acclaimed author of The Hitman’s Daughter is here!

Ever since the hitman’s daughter, Mave Michael Francis learned she is the owner of a crumbling grand hotel, life has been upside-down. Not only is she struggling to fit into her new role and to reconcile with her incarcerated father, but a string of bizarre burglaries is plaguing the nearby village. Meanwhile, the hotel director is running ghost tours to drum up desperately-needed revenue, and Mave’s staff is scrambling to host an over-the-top goth wedding. Mave needs to ensure the event is a success to rescue the hotel from bankruptcy. But when she discovers the mask of the Château du Ciel’s rumored ghost in the defunct greenhouse where the wedding ceremony is booked, her priorities fracture.

Months ago, the supposed ghost, Holden Frost saved Mave’s life, then vanished into thin air. It’s an enigma and debt she can’t forget. As she plans for the big wedding by day, Mave secretly digs into Holden’s true identity and disappearance by night. Her search takes her to the most sinister place: the darknet. And instead of answers to decode Holden’s whereabouts, she attracts a stranger online who also wants Holden Frost found—and who will kill Mave’s father in prison unless Mave delivers Holden’s location, dead or alive. Tick tock.

As the clock winds down to the wedding and her father’s potential murder, Mave becomes increasingly ensnarled in Holden’s troubled past. And while she’s being used as bait to raise Holden from the dead, the stranger online may be closing in for the kill—and may be closer to her at the hotel, than her father in prison.

Praise for The Hitman’s Daughter

“A fast-paced haunting novel of survival.” — Library Journal (Starred Review)

“Topdjian’s debut thriller is intense with foreboding and an eerie sense of place. The past and present perspectives captivate the reader and connect brilliantly to reveal a shocking conclusion. Fans of Jen Williams, Karin Slaughter, and Alex North will enjoy this one!” —Booklist

“Suspenseful, haunting and intricate, Topdjian masterfully delivers in this atmospheric debut that will have you on the edge of your seat.” — Karen Winn, author of Our Little World

Carolyne Topdjian is a suspense writer with publications in PRISM International, Dreamers Magazine and Firewords Quarterly. She has an interdisciplinary PhD from York University and is a professor in the Faculty of Media and Creative Arts at Humber College in Toronto. She is a two-time Pitch Wars mentor and lives in a 112-year-old haunted house. She is the author of the acclaimed novel The Hitman’s Daughter. She lives in Ontario. Find her online at: carolynetopdjian.com and on Twitter @TopdjianC

Support our programming by purchasing The Black Moth from the IALA Bookstore. Learn more about the novel by reading Topdjian’s interview The Big Thrill magazine.