READ THE ROOM PRESENTS: Strangers Behind Closed Doors by Catherine Adel West
"A thought-provoking thriller filled with jaw-dropping twists that kept me racing through the pages." —Gigi Pandian, USA Today bestselling author of the Secret Staircase Mysteries
A twisty thriller about a woman who vanishes 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 worked hard to become the first Black head concierge at Chicago’s exclusive and glamorous Ivory Hotel. 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 as a mending of fences morphs into a public argument in the hotel restaurant, and Giovanni loses her cool. Hours later, Natalie is missing. Evidence piles against Giovanni—a ransacked, blood-spattered hotel room, fresh bruises on her body, and a troubling gap in her memory from the last twelve hours.
Detective Redding Stark is the only one unconvinced of Giovanni’s guilt. She sees disturbing parallels to a series of disappearances targeting Black women and believes Natalie’s case is part of something bigger. Together, she and Giovanni are pulled into a dangerous web of privilege, power, and betrayal inside—and far beyond—the walls of the Ivory Hotel.
Will Giovanni and Detective Stark find Natalie or join the missing?
Get the book
Already have a copy? Perfect — bring it along with you. Physical books, e-books and audiobooks all count around here.
Still need yours? You can purchase the book through the ZĒNE Bookshop.org storefront via our website, where your purchase helps support independent and local bookshops rather than the big guys. A win for your bookshelf and small booksellers.
ZĒNE may also earn a small commission from purchases made through our storefront, at no extra cost to you.
Get your copy → HERE
And don’t panic if you don’t quite make it to the final page before the event. Come anyway — just be prepared for spoilers!
