A really cool, anxiety-inducing historical suspense set around real events in 1970s Mexico. At the beginning of the novel, neither of our shifting-point-of-view characters has much to recommend them—Elvis is a government goon-for-hire with shallow aspirations, and Maite is a depressed secretary with low self esteem and kleptomania. Neither seems to have a lot of empathy or concern for other people, but they are also so intriguingly relatable, with their quirks, passions, and identical longing for the real attachments and support both their lives are lacking. Elvis and Maite don't know each other, but both are drawn into a dangerous conflict between the corrupt government and the idealistic counterculture, formed around a missing woman in possession of some damning photographs. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat, hoping our two protagonists can make it through the ambushes and shootouts unscathed—and maybe to one another.

5/5

It’s 1971, and in Mexico City a quiet secretary becomes embroiled in a complicated plot linked to the political unrest currently transforming the town. All Maite wants is to escape into the latest issue of Secret Romance; with every passing page she can feel the world's problems fade away as she is swept up in tales of passion and danger. When her beautiful next-door neighbor asks her for a favor, and then mysteriously disappears, Maite attempts to put together the pieces, and finds herself drawn deeper into Leonora’s secret life and something far more insidious. Across town, someone else is tasked with tracking down Leonora, a commander of a squad created to quell political activists. Elvis wants nothing more than to leave his life behind; he cares little for the violence that comes with the job, but when he encounters Maite on his search for Leonora, he begins to envision just what that life could be. As tensions escalate on both sides, two individuals united by loneliness will have to fight with everything they have, for the chance at a future they've been waiting for.

Velvet Was the Night is a riveting historical crime noir that swept me up in its lush descriptions and complex characters consistent with everything else its author has written thus far. While this book is much different than Moreno-Garcia’s previous six novels, it stays true to much of what made her other works so impressionable: profound characters and her general talent for storytelling. This is a novel that draws upon the intrigue to an almost impossible point, fraying the minute hold I had on everything that was happening, and leaving me unaware of what to expect next. Among the complicated alliances and brimming hostility, Moreno-Garcia captures a profound loneliness in each of her characters, a loneliness that propels them forward even when facing dangerous circumstances. Elvis and Maite specifically, have an underlying bond that is only strengthened by the things they are experiencing. Something that added a much needed lightheartedness to an already intense story. Utilizing dual perspectives creates a kind of split viewpoint in the novel, juxtaposed against the exterior of the Dirty War only beginning to escalate in the small period of time in which this takes place. I’m not sure what this would have looked like if it only centered around one character's perspective, the outsider or the inside man. Both are necessary to craft the picture that Moreno-Garcia so brilliantly captures in the story. Even the connection between the two main characters is only strengthened by the existence of an alternating point of view, aiding in their respective development from start to finish. Having never read noir before, I can safely say I am planning on continuing given how much I enjoyed this. Silvia Moreno-Garcia has once again demonstrated her ability to write incredible stories in almost any genre, and I have no doubt her next project is going to be just as remarkable. Her seventh novel gives a glimpse into two lonely people living vastly different lives, and the potential they have to become something more together.

Trigger warnings: guns, violence, blood, death, murder

Velvet Was the Night is a historical noir set in the tumultuous 1970s in Mexico City. Maite and Elvis, who share their POVs in alternating chapters, are wildly different people. Maite is a secretary in her early 30s, dismayed with the boredom and poverty of her life. Elvis is a member of the Hawks, a government-run paramilitary group used to harass and kill protestors. But they have two things in common: music and Leonora, Maite's beautiful neighbor. Leonora asks Maite to watch her cat and disappears mysteriously. Elvis has been tasked to search for her. As they both seek out the other woman, their paths converge.

Our two main characters are multidimensional and imperfect. Maite's fondness for romantic comic books and petty thievery fleshes out her ennui. Elvis's distaste for violence and his fear/adoration of his boss prevent him from becoming cliché.

This is definitely best described as a noir novel rather than a thriller. There are some intense scenes, but they're tampered by a slow, meandering pace. The book is far more about atmosphere and grey areas and desire and dissatisfaction (in particular, Maite's distaste with her life is palpable). Those who have read Moreno-Garcia's Signal to Noise will recognize the power of music here.

Moreno-Garcia's versatility is astounding. Each of her books I've read has been in a different subgenre and an absolute treasure in its own right. If you're looking for a means of calibrating expectations, I'd categorize this as closer to Untamed Shore based on time period and lack of the supernatural, but note this is not a thriller. I'd also argue Maite is a much more complex and interesting character than Viridiana.

Highly recommended, like all of Moreno-Garcia's books, though I hope we see more fantasy and sci-fi in the future too.

After reading this novel I saw the author's comment about it being a noir. Going into it initially I was expecting more excitement and suspense, so that makes a bit more sense now. Apparently noir is not really my thing; I wanted more to happen and felt a bit let down by how everything played out.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent!! This book is different from others by SMG in that it is historical and noir. I would also say thriller because I could not put it down! I know next to nothing of the history of Mexico in the 1970’s and at first I was unsure I could connect with the plot, but in the end it didn’t matter. The characters are so intriguing that they pull you into their own little view of the world and make you invested in the outcome!
The plot unfolds through alternating POVs. One of Elvis: a low member of the paramilitary group ‘The Hawks’, and the other of Maite: a thirty year old women in a dead end job she hates, with no prospects, and a very small understanding of the world around her (especially her own country’s political turmoil). These characters seem different when examined from a distance, but up close they have the same feelings of loneliness and loss of direction/self-concept. These are both traits that make the characters relatable to any human no matter the situation. I myself am guilty of trying to ignore the happenings of the world at times and losing myself to a good book or playlist of music!
When Elvis and Maite are thrust into a situation involving Maite’s neighbor, through their own separate circumstances, we see them take their own personal journey’s of self- discovery and maturation. I love the parallel these two characters have in their own journey’s respectively. I think by the end they have a much greater sense of self-worth. They never meet in person throughout most of the book, but you can feel their outlooks and perspectives change almost as one. Perhaps two lonely lost souls can find similarities and peace with one another in a political war-torn country? Perhaps just coffee?
Great writing, excellent characters, intriguing plot! I highly recommend you give it a try! 🪛🖋🎞📷🎶📚☕️I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

I received this ARC with the promise to review. Velvet Was the Night is a noir detective story set in Mexico. Silvia Moreno-Garcia has done an amazing job with this excellent follow-up to her award winning Mexican Gothic. The characters are ever-changing and the book abounds with plot twists and turns as we follow this cat and mouse tale. I love the constant action and the interesting shift in the roles of the characters. I was not ready for this exciting story to end. I cannot wait to read her next book! I totally recommend this book to those who enjoy a dark psychological mystery filled with endless surprises.

Book Review for Velvet Was the Night
Full review for this title will be posted at: @cattleboobooks on Instagram!

I initially requested this book because of the author. I assumed it would be fantasy or supernatural because of her previous works. I was surprised when I opened Goodreads and saw a note from her stating that this story was not in fact fantasy or supernatural and not to label it as such. My excitement went down, not because of her merit as an author, but because I was really looking forward to some supernatural stuff turning up in this book! Well, it did a very fine job even without a vampire or two making an appearance! This book was extremely well written and made me wonder what would happen if this was her debut. The story is a small scale character study/mystery involving two very different people, from two very different walks of life that are connected through a mystery that can only be solved together. It takes place in a decade filled with turmoil and political uprising. I don't mean this in a bad way at all, but it was a very low stakes story. It was intimate, and captured a melancholy tone that I missed when it was over. I enjoyed it and learned a valuable lesson about not judging a book by its genre! 4 out of 5.

2.5 - I respect and admire Silvia Moreno-Garcia as an author who has successfully written hit novels in a variety of genres. I love that she is bringing Mexican settings and characters to genres that may be lacking in that representation. With that being said, I think anyone who reads a lot will come across a few generally well liked authors who they just don’t jive with. Silvia Moreno- Garcia seems to be one of those for me. Her covers are gorgeous, the premises draw me in, and then I’m never a huge fan of the story.

I wanted MORE from these characters - Mostly I wanted something to come out of Maite’s romance comic book obsession!! I felt like for Maite and Elvis they each had one little quirk/passion and that was sort of the extent of their personality — besides being naive. This is a pet peeve of mine with most of this author’s main characters that I’ve encountered. They are adults but are as naive as teenagers, which I find hard to wrap my head around.

The 1970’s Mexico setting was great and I loved the incorporation of history into the narrative. The noir genre choice was fun for this and I’m interested in learning more about this period in time.

I haven’t given up yet though, I’m confident this author will end up writing a story I love!!

Book releases August 2021 - will post review now on my Goodreads and will post again/update review after release date.

Thank you to Penguin Random House , the author, and NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

First off, I have to say the cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous. I love it so much. This is my 2nd SMG book, I read Mexican Gothic and loved it. Going into this one, I knew it was a different genre than Mexican Gothic and that it would be much different. With that being said, I do not think the noir genre is for me. This book was well written and SMG is an amazing author, but the historical and noir genre is just not my style. It wasn’t suspenseful enough for me and I just didn’t feel myself connecting with the book and the characters. I am glad I gave this book a read and tried the noir genre. Even though this one wasn’t for me, I will definitely be reading any future SMG books.

Thank you to Net Galley, Random House Publishing and Ballantine books for an Advanced Read copy in return for my honest review.

I will be leaving my review on Net Galley and Goodreads right now, as well as Amazon and Instagram on publication day.

I will read anything by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Her ability to write across genres is amazing and I can't wait to see where she takes us next. Velvet Was the Night takes place in a moody and atmospheric 1970s Mexico and is rightly classified as noir - the stakes are fairly low and the plot doesn't move super quickly. As historical fiction, this one really works and I'm definitely interested in learning more about this period of Mexican history. I'll hand this to fans of noir and pulp fiction at my library.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Random House for sending me this ARC!

I didn't think I was going to enjoy this one too much if I'm honest. But I'm giving it a solid ⅘ stars. My hats off to Silvia Moreno-Garcia. She is truly a talented writer. Author's, even some of my favs, fall into a pattern of writing that is easy to spot and their work becomes very familiar in tone and characters. I've read now four books by Ms. Moreno-Garcia, and each one has never fallen into any of the usual patterns.

I loved the tone of this book. Set in the 70s in Mexico City the story follows Elvis and Maite. Elvis is a mobster/gang member and Maite is a secretary at a dead-end job who lives for reading comic romances. Their stories will intertwine when Maite's neighbor Leonora disappears, presumably taking something of great value to many others.

I felt like I was in the 70s and images that came to my head were from the 2018 movie, "Bad Times at The El Royale." I did like the characters without really liking the characters if that makes sense. I understood to a degree where they were coming from but I wasn't crazy about them. It didn't stop me from enjoying the story and learning about the political history of that time. I strongly recommend giving this a read.


The review will be posted on my Instagram on 4/16. Username: booknookcook04

I so wanted to enjoy this one, as I've enjoyed Silvia Moreno-Garcia's other books, but I just found myself longing to go back to her fantasy worlds.

I felt disconnected from these characters and this story. I wanted this to be like a second MEXICAN GOTHIC but for me it lacked atmosphere and depth.

Overall, I was not a fan.

I found out about this book earlier today and was instantly intrigued. I was so excited to find out my request had been approved so quickly. I couldn’t wait to dive in as I loved Mexican Gothic.

I was immediately engrossed with this book and couldn’t put it down. Normally I dread reading new books because it takes a while to get me engaged but that was not the case here! I couldn’t wait to find out how Maite and Elvis intersected and interacted. We follow them as they both look for Leonora who has gone missing while hiding some sought after information.

This book was fast paced and captivating. I am grateful to Netgalley and Random House for my advanced copy. Make sure to check this out for a super interesting read!

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First off, I was so excited to get approved to review this ARC! Silvia Moreno-Garcia is one of my favorite authors. Just like everyone else, I enjoyed Mexican Gothic. However, my absolute favorite book by her was her debut novel Signal to Noise, a YA fantasy book about the power of music. When I saw that this thriller also has a musical aspect, I couldn't wait to read it. Once again, thank you so much to Random House for sending me this ARC!

Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is an amazing historical thriller set in Mexico City in the 1970's. The story alternates between two main characters: Maite, who is almost 30 and unmarried, a fact that her mother bemoans, and Elvis, a rock-and-roll-loving gangster who has been assigned to track down Maite's neighbor. Although music is an important part of this book, I found Maite's love of Secret Romance comics to be both more interesting and endearing. Although she's single in real life, she enjoys the fantasy, action, and romance in comics. Of course, I can relate to that. Here is an excerpt from Chapter Two, when when we're introduced to Maite for the first time:

"Then came her current obsession: Secret Romance.
The latest storyline concerned Beatriz, a young nurse sent to a distant tropical island to care for an ailing old woman, who is torn between her passion for two brothers, Jorge Luis, a chivalrous doctor, and Pablo Palomo, a dissolute playboy nursing a broken heart.
She lived for those stories. She woke up, fed her parakeet, went to work, came back, put on music, and pored over each panel in the comic books; she gnawed at each word like a starving woman."

Maite is a great protagonist. I related to her love for comics, and I held my breath during her chapters as she, at first, seeks to return her neighbor's cat to her, and then later investigates her neighbor's mysterious disappearance. Instead of reading about action-packed romances, she finds that her life has changed, and she has become the protagonist in that type of story. The action ratchets up and up from there, leading to a gun-filled, blood-soaked conclusion, but with a happy ending. Overall, I greatly enjoyed this historical thriller, which is up there among the best of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's books. If you're a fan of the author or of historical thrillers in general, I highly recommend that you check out Velvet Was the Night when it comes out in August!

One of the joys of reading novels by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the feeling that you are reading something unlike anything you've read before, even when you are familiar with the genre she's writing. In Velvet Was the Night, noir feels fresh and newly intriguing.

Set in Mexico City in the early 1970s, Velvet Was the Night follows two people searching for the missing Leonora and an item she's purloined. Elvis is part of the Hawks, a shadowy group of thugs that target "commies" and other political dissidents; his leader, El Mago, wants him to track down Leonora shortly after a Hawk mission goes awry. Maite, a 30-year-old secretary whose actual life is far less fulfilling than those of the romantic graphic novels she reads, agrees to pet-sit for her neighbor, Leonora, and suddenly finds herself hunting for Leonora when she doesn't return as planned.

The novel hits all the main characteristics of noir. Institutional corruption? Check. Morally ambiguous characters? Check. Lust and violence? Check. Dark and atmospheric? Check.

The femme fatale at the center of the plot is far less dangerous or intriguing than most other women at the heart of noirs, and that's the first sign that Moreno-Garcia is playing with the tropes of this genre. Maite is obsessed with serial romances, and at times, this reads like a romance she would enjoy, with two apparently fated characters drawing closer to a fateful meeting. It's also a novel concerned with belonging and loneliness, and the flawed people invited to fill the holes in these characters' lives.

The parallel story structure that flips between Maite and Elvis plays with perspective in interesting ways, and though the plot is chronological, an occasional "rewind" to shift perspectives makes the story feel more dynamic. And readers will want to spend time with both characters equally, which can be a tough feat to pull off.

All in all, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read. 4.5/5 stars.

I feel like I raced through this book because I couldn't wait to see what happened. I had no idea about the riots and massacres that occurred in Mexico City and other places in Mexico during this time. Maite, Elvis, Leonora, the Hawks. All fascinating and intricately woven. I loved that there was a playlist, and all the mentions of the songs which I knew (both the Spanish and English ones!) Very different from her other books I've read, Mexican Gothic and Untamed Shore but still in the same vein as her others. It felt familiar and different but I really enjoyed it.

Velvet Was the Night is more noir than thriller; it seems like an updated Raymond Chandler-esque book. The tone is persistently dark, even bleak, but the reader gets the sense that the point-of-view characters will come through. It is set during the 1970s, a decade in which the Mexican government used force against protesters, including students, communists and left wing dissidents. Paramilitary groups, like the Hawks in the story, administered the force, including death and torture.

Elvis, one of the POV characters, is part of the Hawks. A slum kid who envisions himself as Elvis Presley, he dreams of a better life but is unsure of how he can escape the one he’s in. Maite, the other POV characters, is a secretary who’s bored with her job and fantasizes about suave lovers who will help her escape her dreary existence. When Maite’s neighbor disappears, the beautiful Leonora, a rich wanna-be activist, Maite is drawn into the world of student revolutionaries and gangsters. Maite and Elvis share a love of American music and books, things that could hold their relationship together—if they ever develop one.

While I really liked Mexican Gothic, this book was just not for me. I did not feel invested in the main characters and that made the story drag on quite a bit. The writing style also did not work for me and didn't hold my interest.

4/5 stars.

content warnings: gang violence, gun violence, death, assault

(full review to be posted in August)

I am once again pleasantly surprised by how brilliant Silvia Moreno-Garcia is in creating a wonderful and immersive novel. I loved the noir aspect of it, interwoven into the plot and keeping the suspense and pace up the entire time. I was so invested in finding out how the story unfolded, and I loved both the main characters. Both Maite and Elvis are lonely characters searching for something more to life, and I liked reading both of their perspectives.

I'm not one for historical fiction, but I really adored reading this book. It touched on some interesting and important topics, and I appreciated the afterword putting a spotlight on the facts behind the event and the real horror that happened in real life.