OKAY, Silvia Moreno-Garcia! After absolutely devouring Mexican Gothic and Gods of Jade and Shadow, I was beyond excited to read Velvet Was the Night. And it. did. not. disappoint. For starters, the way she conveyed the era was incredible. I was immediately immersed in the 1970s Mexico City without even batting an eye. I loved the mystery, the activism, the dive into subversive cultures and the consequences people face for speaking up against oppressive structures, the intrigue and romance. The characters were well-developed and the prose was evocative and powerful. Moreno-Garcia is one of the most unique storytellers of our time, and Velvet Was the Night only solidified her more as one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait to see what she does next!

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance copy.

Overall, I think I discovered historical fiction noir may not be the type of genre for me. I did enjoy 'Velvet Was the Night' and loved Moreno-Garcias writing and the story she told. You will always be put into the descriptive world Moreno-Garcia is building. I wasn't too fond of the characters; Maite was very selfish and self-centered. Maite was very judgmental all things considering. I would say the way her mother felt about her, most readers can acknowledge was true. Elvis was probably my fave character - I loved learning about his misfortunes with the Mexican government. Also, I had a soft spot for all of their vinyl collections! Being a vinyl enthusiast myself as well I enjoy books with music references.

Also, did the cat make it? LOL.

Renowned for her gothic horror novel MEXICAN GOTHIC and beloved for her historical romance THE BEAUTIFUL ONES, Silvia Moreno-Garcia now turns her keen eye for plot and her lyrical prose toward noir with VELVET WAS THE NIGHT.

1970s Mexico City is rife with political upheaval and social unrest. The novel kicks off with a very real telegram from the United States Department of State discussing the “Hawks,” an officially financed, organized and trained repressive group whose goal is the undermining and dismantling of leftist and anti-government groups in Mexico. On June 10, 1971, the Hawks are behind a violent protest-turned-murder-scene that starts with a group of peaceful protesting students and ends in a massacre known as El Halconazo. This is just part of the Mexican Dirty War, in which the Mexican government --- backed by the United States and the CIA --- launches a covert and unofficial, but no less deadly, battle against its own citizens, namely left-leaning students and guerrilla activists.

Such is the world into which Moreno-Garcia leads her readers, a version of Mexico City with high tensions, intrigue and the sense that someone is always watching. We first meet El Elvis, a young Hawk with few ambitions but to impress his leader, El Mago, listen to his beloved Elvis and Nancy Sinatra records, improve his vocabulary by using a dictionary to pick a “word of the day,” and enact as little violence as possible. That's not easy for a Hawk, but then there's always room for Hawks like Elvis: quiet, unassuming young men who can sneak in, crack open locks and gain intel while their bigger, more violent colleagues handle the beatings and dismemberments. But even Elvis can tell that something went wrong the night of June 10th. For one, the subleader of his group was injured and disappeared, and for another, El Mago, a previously unflappable and classy hit man, is now antsy.

Across town lives Maite, a lonely daydreaming secretary who fears that she is past her prime at 30. Though she has her own apartment and a decent job, her mother never forgets to remind her that it all means nothing without a man by her side --- and what man wants a dowdy spinster as his wife? Bored by her provincial life and blind to the terrors unfolding right in her city, Maite spends her time reading romance comics, especially Secret Romance, dreaming about the characters within them and listening to her extensive collection of records.

Maite and Elvis are drawn together when Maite’s neighbor, sultry and artistic Leonora, asks Maite to feed her cat for a weekend. Unbeknownst to Leonora, Maite is a petty thief, and though she upcharges Leonora significantly, she also relishes the chance to dig through the pretty art student’s apartment for a weekend. But when Leonora does not return as expected, and then fails to appear at the copy shop where she asks Maite to meet her with her cat, Maite is pulled into the underbelly of her town --- and closer to Elvis. Tasked with tracking Leonora’s last movements and finding the camera she was allegedly carrying with her, Elvis is stunned to see such a plain, doe-eyed woman following the same tracks. As his search for Leonora aligns with Maite’s, he starts to long for a woman like her, someone lonely like him, but blind to the violence of their town and with a passion for music and romance.

What follows is a delicious, slow burn noir drama about a city on the brink of revolution or destruction and two wildly different people caught up in one unsolvable mystery: What happened to Leonora, and how does it tie into the massacre of June 10th? With her trademark ability for worldbuilding and crafting immersive settings, Moreno-Garcia plunges her readers right into the all-consuming tension and violence of Mexico City. Trapped in a world with a government set on obedience and an amateur resistance slowly building momentum, Elvis and Maite walk among hit men, corrupt government officials, dirty cops and even Russian spies in their hunt for Leonora. But what truly unites them --- even more than their search for the truth --- is their loneliness, an emotion that Moreno-Garcia writes with gravity, believability, and a clear and obvious love for the antihero.

Elvis is a rock ‘n’ roll hero, and Maite is a daydreaming heroine. Although they approach both the political unrest of Mexico City and Leonora from very different perspectives, they recognize a kindred spirit in one another that really sets the course for their actions toward the end of the novel. Because her characters are so grounded and profoundly relatable, Moreno-Garcia can push the intrigue of the plot to its absolute limits, forcing Elvis and Maite to form a powerful alliance and make some shocking decisions about their futures.

Proving yet again that there is no genre she can’t master, Silvia Moreno-Garcia wows with VELVET WAS THE NIGHT, an edgy and smoky noir perfect for those who love slow burn mysteries, intricate plots and loveable antiheroes. My only question is: What will she do next, and how do I read it now?

#velvetwasthenight #silviamorenogarcia #randomhousepublishing #netgalley I am late to the party. It’s been quite a time. This book is told with multiple narrators and perspectives that will weave together a cohesive story. A good read for a night in or on the weekend #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #bookrecommendations #read

It took a while for me to really get into this, but when I did, it took off and didn’t stop!! Maite was such a strange protagonist that I didn’t really related to her until she started looking into Leonora’s disappearance with Rúben. And he wasn’t that interesting for a long time too. I’m fact, Maite annoyed the crud out of me cause while her life is boring, she’s not the best person ever. Her redeeming qualities were… well, slim to none! But once they really got into searching for Leonora, I got hooked and started to like her more.

El Elvis, on the other hand, was fairly interesting from the start. He had such an unconventional background that I couldn’t help but be curious of how his story was going to go. I really liked him once we learn of his history. The rest of the characters weren’t that intriguing, but the three carry the story nicely once you get to about 50% of the way in.

When they really get into the mystery, things just don’t stop. And there’s action, intrigue, a little romance, and some suspense too. A lot of political drama is going on all the while, which is based on the actual history, which makes it more worthwhile.

If you need to be hooked in the beginning, this is definitely not for you. But if you can hang in there till about 50% of the way in, this is well worth the time. It went from being a 3 star read to being a 4 1/2 star read in my mind. I seriously enjoyed that last half!!

So I recommend this to those who enjoy a good action/ mystery novel with a few other genres that are thrown in. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Sylvia Moreno-Garcia for the opportunity to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I recommend this one. It's a good book and everyone should read. Of course I would love to have this book in my bookstore.

This is my fourth SMG book and I loved it! This one is a noir, a genre I’ve never read before, but I enjoyed the pacing of it and the mystery. In this one we follow Maite and Elvis who both for different reasons are investigating the disappearance of a college student, Leonora. The story is set in the 1970s and dives into the political climate of Mexico at the time. I enjoyed reading about this period and the discussions of govt persecution.

While the mystery had me intrigued, I was invested in Maite and Elvis. They both love music and share the same feelings of loneliness. Maite is a secretary who lives a very normal life, but yearns for adventure like the ones she reads in her comics. Elvis loves the king and is trying to figure out what he wants in life. Moreno-Garcia was great at matching the characters with the same feelings, but differentiating them when it came to life experiences and the choices they made. To me the highlight of the story were the main characters.

The mystery was great and I enjoyed how everything unraveled slowly. It had me pretty much hooked and I’m excited to read SMG other noir, Untamed Shore. I recommend this for those who enjoy historical fiction, character studies, or want to read some noir. Also, be sure to check out the author’s playlist on Spotify it’s really good for the story’s atmosphere.

This was not my cup of tea at all. I found the story to be slow and the characters very unlikable.
I found the two main characters annoying and whiny. I had no connection to them or their situations. I had trouble keeping the other characters straight and had no interest in the outcome of the antics they put themselves in.
The writing and pacing felt lackluster overall.

If it was written by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, I read it and, generally, I love it. Velvet Was The Night is not an exception to this rule. Mexico City is vibrant and hot and dangerous, the time and place a character itself. The political upheaval of the 1970s is ripe throughout the story and is presented through two unique perspectives: Maite, a secretary who only dreams of something better but prefers to live through fiction rather than taking action, and Elvis, a street thug who acts on violent orders despite not liking it and loves music.

They both get roped into searching for a student named Leonara but their paths run alongside each other rather than together throughout the story. That was a surprise to me, one I wasn't sure about in the beginning but liked by the end. I thought the pacing was right on-point and I enjoyed the POV characters equally. It took a little bit to get into but the setup was worth it. I greatly enjoyed the end, the very last chapter. To me, it was a perfect wrap-up to it all.

I'd absolutely recommend this book to other readers. If you've never read noir before, this is a great one to start with.


Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

the world-building in this book was truly beautiful but i couldn’t connect with maite as a character at all. even though i felt like i was literally transported to the locations the author was describing, i couldn’t relate to the characters enough to stay fully immersed.

Someone else described it as Inception set in Mexico City and I was hooked. It wasn't quite that as I got to reading, but it was still very good. Definitely appreciate the musical aspect of the novel and the author's included playlist.

One of my favorite books by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Velvet Was the Night is a novel of political activism, Russian spies, and a series of unfortunate events set in the 1970s in Mexico City. Protagonist Maite accidentally stumbles into this dangerous world without warning or necessary context. While the subject matter is serious, there are periods of levity as Maite fancifully relates her adventures to the romance stories she devours each week. Fun, thrilling, with a touch of danger, Velvet Was the Night is a satisfying read with multiple narrators and perspectives weaving together a cohesive story.

"Velvet Was the Night" is so different from Silvia Moreno-Garcia's "Mexican Gothic," and I found myself disappointed by the flattened language and workaday world of the book. The novel focuses on Maite, an unassuming secretary in 1970s Mexico City, and Elvis, a low-level criminal for hire. They're both looking for the same woman, who may have photographs of a large anti-government protest. It's an interesting concept, to have a protagonist as aggressively ordinary as Maite, and I just didn't think it worked that well. The ending of the book is so strong that it rescued it to a certain degree, but overall I just didn't get that invested in these characters.

I loved this book so much. I enjoyed reading from the perspectives of the 2 main characters and I really felt for Maite. I also loved the way the music was woven throughout. It was such a big part of the story and had such an impact on the characters. The atmosphere of the book was amazing and I just can’t stop thinking about the writing and the pictures I had in my head while reading. I can completely see this getting picked up as a movie and would definitely be first in line to watch it!

After several attempts at slugging my way through, I finally made my way to the end. I’m sure this was a home run for many, for me the pacing was so slow I struggled to find interest in the story.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but found it to be hot and cold in delivery. The main character, Maite, is believable and seems to be the innocent caught up in a situation she has no idea how to control. On the other hand Elvis is a stock character that comes across as a thug "with a heart of gold" which seems too cinematic for the revolutionary backdrop. I really never got a feel of the protest and although danger was repeatedly threatened, the story lacked tension.

I’m not normally a noir fan, so this one was a little outside the norm for me. However, it was a pretty intriguing deviation - with a wild storyline based in history & captivating characters. It is a pretty slow read, or at least it was for me, which is why I’m giving it a 3. But I will definitely have to go back and read Mexican Gothic now that I have a sense of Moreno-Garcia’s writing!

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is back again with another perfect story. Velvet Was the Night combines noir, mystery, conspiracy, a touch of fantasy, and a lot of love to make a tale you won't be able to put down.

Velvet Was The Night is my first book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I’m interested to read her previous books, she definitely has a talent for crafting a well written story (Mexican Gothic I’m coming for you next). I did like the story and they way the the characters lives became intertwined. I don’t think I’ve read much noir fiction and while I enjoyed this, it’s not really a genre I would typically go for.

As mentioned, the writing was great and all but honestly my rating would’ve been higher if I cared for either of the characters. I just didn’t really care as they’re not that likable and they’re not even the fun unlikable type, if that makes sense.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

I had really high hopes for this book but sadly it wasn't my favorite. I'm not a fan of slow burn books and I think that's why I didn't connect with this at all. I did enjoy 1970s Mexico City but sadly the mystery wasn't enough to keep me connected.

I'm still eager to read more of what Moreno-Garcia puts out but this one wasn't my favorite.