Strangers Behind Closed Doors

A twisty, captivating thriller about a woman who disappears from a luxury hotel, and the detective who believes the case is tied to the unsolved disappearances of other Black women in the city.
Giovanni Mason has been preparing her entire life to become the first Black head concierge at the glamorous and exclusive Ivory Hotel, a five-star luxury resort in Chicago. It's a job that requires patience, perfection, and, above all, self-control. But when Giovanni reunites with her former best friend, makeup influencer Natalie Moore, things get heated-a mending of fences morphs into a public argument in the hotel restaurant, and Giovanni loses her cool. Then Natalie goes missing that night, and all signs-including a blood-spattered, ransacked hotel room and a witness statement-point to Giovanni.
Beleaguered detective Redding Stark is the only one who thinks Giovanni isn't the culprit. A series of unsolved disappearances have been haunting the city, all involving Black women, and Detective Stark believes this case is connected. As she and Giovanni investigate, they're drawn deep into a labyrinth of power, privilege, and betrayal within the iconic hotel.
Will Giovanni and Detective Redding find Natalie or join the missing?

Catherine Adel West was born and raised in Chicago, where she currently resides. She graduated with both her bachelor's and master's of science in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her work is published in Black Fox Literary Magazine, Five2One, and Better Than Starbucks, among many others. She is the author of Saving Ruby King and The Two Lives of Sara is her sophomore novel.