Publication Date: June 9, 2026
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?
A detective on a mission crosses paths with a spunky elite hotel concierge as they try to find leads about a missing influencer.
Author Catherine Adel West sheds light on disappearances within the black community in Strangers Behind Closed Doors, leveraging powerful black women to direct the narrative.
Gio may have broken barriers to get her role, but losing her temper publicly makes her a suspect—meanwhile, Det. Redding Stark worries the influencer’s disappearance is tied to a series of missing black women.
Together, they unravel a chain of events with political implications. Told in alternating perspectives, the story details danger and intrigue.
Strangers Behind Closed Doors delivers a story full of unexpected betrayal amid a search for clues.
The only thing Catherine Adel West loves more than her family and banana pudding is writing books. Her bestselling novels include SAVING RUBY KING and THE TWO LIVES OF SARA. Catherine’s short story ORION’S STAR was also featured in the body-positive anthology EVERY BODY SHINES. Her third novel, and debut thriller, STRANGERS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, is slated for release on June 9, 2026.
Catherine was named one of USA TODAY’S Black Authors You Should Know. Her books have been recognized as anticipated reads by Ms. Magazine, USA Today, Book Riot, The Root, The Rumpus, Library Journal, PureWow, The Every Girl, Parade and more.
When Catherine isn’t writing or reading, she’s watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the John Wick franchise, or Sinners for the umpteenth time.
