Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  this did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

1970s, Mexico City. Maite is a secretary who lives for one thing: the latest issue of Secret Romance. While student protests and political unrest consume the city, Maite escapes into stories of passion and danger.

Her next-door neighbor, Leonora, a beautiful art student, seems to live a life of intrigue and romance that Maite envies. When Leonora disappears under suspicious circumstances, Maite finds herself searching for the missing woman—and journeying deeper into Leonora’s secret life of student radicals and dissidents.

Meanwhile, someone else is also looking for Leonora at the behest of his boss, a shadowy figure who commands goon squads dedicated to squashing political activists. Elvis is an eccentric criminal who longs to escape his own life: He loathes violence and loves old movies and rock ’n’ roll. But as Elvis searches for the missing woman, he comes to observe Maite from a distance—and grows more and more obsessed with this woman who shares his love of music and the unspoken loneliness of his heart.

Now as Maite and Elvis come closer to discovering the truth behind Leonora’s disappearance, they can no longer escape the danger that threatens to consume their lives, with hitmen, government agents, and Russian spies all aiming to protect Leonora’s secrets—at gunpoint.

Velvet Was the Night is an edgy, simmering historical novel for lovers of smoky noirs and anti-heroes.

Review:

Velvet Was The Night is a grim noir set in Mexico amid the turbulent 1970's.  Completely different from the author's previous novel, Mexican Gothic, there are no supernatural elements, and the characters are mostly not likable.  While Mexican Gothic shows the glamorous 1950's, but there is nothing beautiful about the grim reality of this story.  Life is bland, and somewhat boring.  Everyone is yearning for a more exciting life.  But as bleak as the setting is, I found so much hope in the characters that Maite becomes involved in.  The mystery and sense of danger makes this noir story a novel that you will not want to put down.

What I Liked:

Historical Setting:

Even though my heritage is Mexican, I confess I know little about the history of Mexico over the last fifty years.  I did know that several Latin-American countries, such as Chile and Argentina, had decades of oppression from dictators.  People were "disappeared" when they expressed any dissent.  But I had no idea that this also occurred in Mexico in the 1970's.  Learning about this from the novel, Velvet Was The Night, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, was really profound for me.  And that is what a good Historical novel does, puts us a time and place we don't know about, and shows us how people lived in extraordinary circumstances.

Historical Details:

From the clothing to the character's obsession with American music, this story is ripe with details that puts the reader squarely in 1970's Mexico.  Seemingly small details, such as Maite having her car held in a repair shop, show how people in that era didn't have access to credit.  Everything had to be bought with cash, making you instantly aware of how much money you had, or didn't have.  There are also moments that show the disparity between wealthy and working class people.  As Maite looks at the apartment of her neighbor, she notices the quality of the furniture, the type of foods and alcohol that are carelessly strewn about the rooms, and the general ease that her neighbor has in life.  Leonora seems to not have a care in the world compared to Maite, who must watch every peso. 

Supporting Characters:

It may seem strange that I liked the supporting characters more than the main characters.  This is because the main characters are more challenging to empathize with.  That's not to say I don't like them, they are just way more flawed than the other people in the story.

What I enjoyed about the supporting characters is their never-ending sense of hope.  Maite becomes involved with a group of people who are activists.  They want change for Mexico, and are willing to d the work to make it happen.  Some of them are willing to bring in Communists to do this (something I would not agree with).  But all of these characters are willing to put themselves at risk by protesting, and organizing against the ruling government.  This takes an enormous amount of courage.

Story:

The plot centers around the disappearance of Leonora, Maite's neighbor.  Has Leonora lost track of time in the arms of a dashing lover?  Or is she in hiding from the secret police?  Maite gets involved because she is watching Leonora's cat.  As more and more people show up at Leonora's apartment, Maite is drawn into the mystery.  But she only sees an intriguing puzzle to solve, not realizing that she is also in danger.  Although she was selfish, and not very likable, I kept hoping that Maite would stop comparing her life with that of Leonora, and start taking charge of her own destiny.

Elvis is part of a goon squad for the government.  A charismatic ex-military leader takes him under his wing, and gives him a purpose (although that "purpose" is beating up dissenters).  And even though he knows he's being used, he is so hungry for attention and approval, he allows himself to be a pawn in the violent oppression of young people.  I was rooting for Elvis to change and find a better purpose in life.  

What I Was Mixed About:

Characters:

Maite and Elvis are not characters that were easy to like.  Elvis is incredibly violent (he is hired muscle, after all).  But at least Elvis understands that he wants a better life.  I had a tougher time with Maite.  She doesn't change much over the course of the story.  I did feel bad for her.  Her life is bland, and she is mostly overlooked by everyone.  Even her family isn't terribly nice to her on her own birthday!  She was so caught up in her romantic fantasies (based on reading a genre that was romance comic books) that she couldn't see she was in any danger until it was too late.

She also based her feelings about men on how attractive they were.  If they were handsome, they were good. If they were not handsome, she wrote them off as unimportant.  But wasn't that exactly how men were treating her?  I was surprise she couldn't see the irony in that.

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  August 17, 2021

Author:  Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Publisher:  Del Rey Books

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Page Length:  304 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  This historical novel is a solid mystery, filled with noir atmosphere and unusual characters.  I predict you will enjoy it.  Just don't expect it to be anything like Mexican Gothic.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes a novel set in glamorous 1950s Mexico.

After receiving a frantic letter from her newlywed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find - her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.

Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

Review:

More and more, I have come to appreciate the Gothic Horror genre.  Just from the title, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, you know there will be an isolated mansion, a creepy family, and dark secrets.  Add to this a strong female main character and the glamour of the 1950's, and you have a highly entertaining book.

What I Liked:

Setting:

The novel begins in 1950's Mexico City.  This is a world of wealth, glamour clothes, parties, and pampered daughters.   But this is also a world where once a woman is married she is part of her husband's family.  Any independence she may have had is gone, replaced by total subservience to her husband.  

When Noemí leaves Mexico City to check on her cousin, Catalina, she encounters remote tropical jungles and a village dominated by a wealthy English family living in a strange mansion.  They represent the colonial power that dominated Mexico's past.  These are people who feel superior to the locals, and are only too willing to raid the resources of the land for their own benefit.

The village and remote mansion are full of atmospheric dread.  If there isn't a thick fog, it's unceasingly raining.  Everything smells of rot.  And there is a terrible silence, particularly in the Doyle's mansion.  Unless you count the voices of the dead...

Characters:

Noemí is a glamorous young woman who's biggest dilemma is choosing which dress to wear to the next party.  She is used to being indulged by her father, changing hobbies (and a variety of dates) constantly.  But her family is getting impatient for Noemí to settle down and get married.  She wants to hold off on this as long as possible by going to university (and not just the ladies college that proper young women attend).  So she makes a deal.  She will check on her cousin in exchange for getting her shot at a real education.  

I liked Noemí for her strong, independent nature.  She wants more than society's confining roles for women.  She also knows her own self-worth. Even faced with the racist English family of her cousin' husband (the Doyles), she never allows herself to feel inferior.  

Francis is a member of the Doyle family who is about Noemí's age.  Unlike the rest of his family, Francis does not share his family's racist views.  He wants to help Noemí understand what happened to Catalina.  But he is also completely stuck with this terrible family.  This means he can't really warn Noemí of the very real dangers she faces.  Some may feel that he is rather cowardly, but I felt a lot of sympathy with Frances.  As he was completely dependent on his family, it was nearly impossible for him to rebel without paying a steep price.

Story:

This is a twisted, creepy story!  On the one hand, it's about the overt oppression of women in Mexican society in the 1950's.  Noemí may be wealthy, but she is dependent on her family.  She doesn't have any way to make her own choices in regards to how she will live her life (strangely, Francis, the young male in the Doyle family, shares a similar fate).  She must learn to strike a balance between pleasing her father, and total rebellion.

But this is also a straight up horror story.  Is Catalina hearing ghosts or is she mentally unstable?  Why won't the Doyles let Catalina leave to seek medical help?  Is her husband Virgil overprotective, or is he holding on to her to gain access to her money?  And what is that strange mold in her room (the one pulsating on the wall)?  Noemí wants to find the answers, but there are obstacles at every turn.  

As we learn more about the Doyles there are even more mysteries.  Why did their silver mine close down?  How did all the workers die?  And how old is the patriarch of the family, anyway?  The answers are deeply disturbing.

What I Didn't Like:

Narration:

This is one of the few audiobooks where I wasn't impressed with the narration by Frankie Corzo.  The narrator's performance was delivered in an almost monotone voice.  I really wanted to hear more emotion in Noemí's voice.  There were some genuinely scary moments.  But the narrator kept the performance at the same steady tone.  I wanted more in such a creepy book.

Rating: 

Release Date:  June 30th, 2020

Author:  Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Genre:  Gothic Horror

Audiobook Publisher:  Penguin Random House Audio

Narrator:  Frankie Corzo

Audio Length:  10 hours, 39 minutes

Book Publisher: Del Rey

Book Length:  301 Pages

Source:  Bought on Libro.fm

Format:  Audiobook

Recommendation:  A creepy fun book, perfect for the fall season.