Moonlight in Odessa
On sale
1st December 2026
Price: £15.99
From the internationally bestselling author of The Paris Library, Moonlight in Odessa tells the tale of one woman who risks everything for love – and a green card. Inspired by the author’s two years living in Ukraine.
‘A real treat: vividly told’ Guardian
‘Rich in atmosphere’ Wendy Holden, Daily Mail
‘Stays with you for all the right reasons’ Joanna Trollope
After graduating with an engineering degree and six months of job hunting, Daria Kirilenko finally finds a position that actually pays – a feat in post-perestroika Odessa, Ukraine, where government employees go to work, but don’t get paid; where taxi drivers earn more than doctors; where Odessans depend on the mafia rather than the government for basics like phone service and medical supplies.
Daria’s plum job is with a foreign firm as a secretary, which pays $300 a month when the average is only $30. But every plum has a pit. In this case, it’s Mr. Harmon, who states, ‘Sleeping with me is part of the job’. Daria takes the job and takes on her boss, who she manages to outsmart and outmanoeuvre – at least at first. Under pressure to support herself and her grandmother, Daria lines up a second job at the matchmaking agency. She works as an interpreter and helps organize socials, parties where men unable to find girlfriends in the States are introduced to Ukrainian women desperate to get to the West. Daria tells herself that moonlighting is just a way to make some extra money. She’s not looking for a mate, but her boss Valentina talks her into corresponding with Tristin, a client from California. Daria doesn’t write much as first. She’s got her hands full with Vladimir Stanislavski, the most intimidating, compelling mobster in Odessa. Daria fears that Vlad views her as a challenge. She throws up every barrier she can, but he keeps breaking them down. When Tristan travels to Odessa to meet Daria, she must choose between the young, handsome gangster and the gentle, older teacher who offers a stable future in California. Daria chooses America, only it’s not what she thought it would be…
A wry, warm and tender look at marriage, the desires we don’t acknowledge, and the aftermath of communism, Moonlight in Odessa delves into the choices and sacrifices that people make in the pursuit of love and stability.
‘A real treat: vividly told’ Guardian
‘Rich in atmosphere’ Wendy Holden, Daily Mail
‘Stays with you for all the right reasons’ Joanna Trollope
After graduating with an engineering degree and six months of job hunting, Daria Kirilenko finally finds a position that actually pays – a feat in post-perestroika Odessa, Ukraine, where government employees go to work, but don’t get paid; where taxi drivers earn more than doctors; where Odessans depend on the mafia rather than the government for basics like phone service and medical supplies.
Daria’s plum job is with a foreign firm as a secretary, which pays $300 a month when the average is only $30. But every plum has a pit. In this case, it’s Mr. Harmon, who states, ‘Sleeping with me is part of the job’. Daria takes the job and takes on her boss, who she manages to outsmart and outmanoeuvre – at least at first. Under pressure to support herself and her grandmother, Daria lines up a second job at the matchmaking agency. She works as an interpreter and helps organize socials, parties where men unable to find girlfriends in the States are introduced to Ukrainian women desperate to get to the West. Daria tells herself that moonlighting is just a way to make some extra money. She’s not looking for a mate, but her boss Valentina talks her into corresponding with Tristin, a client from California. Daria doesn’t write much as first. She’s got her hands full with Vladimir Stanislavski, the most intimidating, compelling mobster in Odessa. Daria fears that Vlad views her as a challenge. She throws up every barrier she can, but he keeps breaking them down. When Tristan travels to Odessa to meet Daria, she must choose between the young, handsome gangster and the gentle, older teacher who offers a stable future in California. Daria chooses America, only it’s not what she thought it would be…
A wry, warm and tender look at marriage, the desires we don’t acknowledge, and the aftermath of communism, Moonlight in Odessa delves into the choices and sacrifices that people make in the pursuit of love and stability.
Reviews
Charles' transatlantic saga explores the dichotomy between Eastern and Western cultures, as well as the assumptions and sacrifices people make in the hope of a better life
Charles paints a tender, bittersweet portrait of Ukraine and Odessa
This debut explores the world of eastern European mail-order brides and the men who finance them... The endearing and forthright Daria is the perfect guide through the trickery and sincerity of chaotic courtships and short-order love... The teetering dance between humor and heartbreak burns through this tale that takes place at the intersection of love and money, East and West, male and female
Charles's first novel vividly contrasts life in Odessa, a city whose citizens are impoverished and sometimes prejudiced but nevertheless proud, with the materialism and isolation of life in America