Inhospitable

A mysterious windfall upends Lena Haze’s almost-comfortable middle-class American life. Her husband Marcus has inherited some prime Hong Kong real estate, a building in Wan Chai – the bustling, gentrifying heart of the city. It comes with a catch, though: the building must not be sold. With financing from local investors, Lena begins overseeing renovations to convert it into a premier boutique hotel. Alone in Hong Kong and a recent arrival, Lena struggles with culture shock, business obstacles, and malignant ghosts – a part of her life she thought she’d put behind her. Lena’s previous experiences with the spirit world are of little help because she’s dealing with Chinese ghosts this time. Different rules, rituals, and customs apply, and she has no idea what is coming.

“A rare accomplishment – a page-turner that is also a literary gem. Moore’s language is sharp and crackles with energy and humor. Inhospitable ranks as one of the best novels of contemporary Hong Kong that we’ve seen in a while. A fabulous read.”
—Xu Xi, author of Dear Hong Kong and That Man in Our Lives

“Marshall Moore’s first novel to be set in Hong Kong combines suspense with wit, magical realism, and an abundance of wry observations about a metropolis that elicits love and hate in equal parts.”
—Jason Y. Ng, author of No City for Slow Men and Umbrellas in Bloom

“Successfully challenges readers’ longstanding notions of ghosts in a genuinely unnerving tale of the most haunted hotel since King’s Overlook. His judicious layering of rich historical detail in between the scares gives added context to this well-plotted, superbly executed work of speculative fiction.”
—Vince Liaguno, Dark Scribe Magazine

“A supernatural high-stakes Hong Kong thriller steeped in local flavor.”
—Susan Blumberg-Kason, author of Good Chinese Wife and editor of Hong Kong Noir

Marshall Moore was raised in Greenville, North Carolina. 

His other works include The Concrete Sky (2003), Black Shapes in a Darkened Room (2004), An Ideal for Living (Lethe Press, 2010), and The Infernal Republic (Signal 8 Press, 2012).