A Summer for Moths - by Henry Rivers (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A lyrical, high-stakes romance thriller inspired by The Great Gatsby

A Summer for Moths is the ballad of Booth Baker, working musician and songwriter hiding out in the guise of a handyman and terrorized by the death in high school that forced him to flee his hometown.

When Booth receives the call from his estranged brother with a summer job offer helping maintain rental properties in Connecticut, he's thrust into the secret world of the "Gold Coast." There he meets Abby Evers - beautiful, transfixing, and haunted by her own demons. His desire brings him, moth-like, closer to the flames. Soon, Booth is caught in a web woven much tighter than he could've imagined. And when he discovers the truth behind Abby's husband and his business partners' dealings, he's forced to place everything on the line: the chance to reconcile his past, his and Abby's life in the present, and their chance at a future together.

Review Quotes

"Lyrical, suspenseful and deeply atmospheric, A Summer for Moths is a gripping novel of guilt, obsession, redemption and the seductive beauty of getting too close to the flame." - Simon Petherick, author of Like Fire Unbound

"Everything is done extremely well: plot, dialogue, characterisation, location. A traditional piece of writing delivered with great skill." -Simon Petherick, award-winning author of Like Fire Unbound

"If you've ever wished Barbara Kingsolver wrote a Bourne film, this is your novel. From the opening pages, where you learn the protagonist was named after Lincoln's assassin, you're off on a wild ride. A Summer for Moths is filled with lovable and problematic characters, sharp and funny dialogue, and a tenderness at its core. I can't wait for the soundtrack." -Rebecca Handler, MacDowell Fellow and author of Edie Richter is Not Alone and the upcoming In the Round

"This slim novel packs a huge punch. It encompasses so much in a short period of time. Is is about trauma and love, and how one can influence the other. Is it beautifully written, and I flew through it, feeling all the emotions." -Nichole (Goodreads reviewer)

About the Author

Henry Rivers is the not-so-secret pen name of children's author and illustrator J.R. Potter best known for his award-winning supernatural series Thomas Creeper that follows the adventures of a mortician's apprentice turned detective for the dead. His graphic novel work has been published by Image Comics, and in 2024 he received the Denis Diderot Emerging Artist Award to spend two weeks as writer-in-residence at Chateau Orquevaux in France.

Passionate about literacy and sharing wonder, Potter was recently hired by Heinemann Publishing, a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, to create stories about empathy to be used in schools across the country.

As a working musician and songwriter by day (and night), he loves to play at the intersection of words and music. He lives in Upperville, Virginia.