This was okay, but I think the vibes are a bit misrepresented in the "sale" of this book. I was expecting a Grady Hendrix vibe, but I think this book is a bit more morose than that. There were parts that I enjoyed, but I think this will be the kind of haunting you need to be in the mood for, rather than one you can just pick up and dig into whenever.

I felt so bad for the main character, Hugo. A dead wife and a mountain of debt that can only be repaid by going up against a malevolent spirit. This novel is more about Hugo grappling with his inner demons than anything else and I appreciated this character driven plot. It was refreshing! You'll find yourself rooting for Hugo.

This book is full of unexpected surprises.

Hugo’s wife, Meli, died in her thirties and he was left was left with $14,476 of mostly medical debt which was a constant drain. He was overwhelmed by harassing calls he received from Alexi Ramirez & Associates to pay for what he owed. His wages were partially garnished at his job at the Miami Botanica and Spa in Hialeah.

Hugo had a reputation at the shop for being able to clear negative energies with items like incense, candles and special bracelets. When he was approached by the attorney, Alexi Ramirez, his immediate reaction was to run away with fear. Yet, Alexi got his attention when he offered to clear all his debt if he could remove the hauntings on his property. Now as someone who really didn’t believe in the spiritual relics, he had to figure out how this was going to work.

The book was nonstop with an original plot that kept moving with Hugo desperately trying to stop the hauntings. Parts were sad. Yet, other times, I found myself laughing out loud. The only awkwardness was when the author used Spanish phrases as an emphasis which went above my head.. It's one of the books that at the end, I was glad I read it.

My thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy with an expected release date of October 3, 2023.

This is an unusual book — think Silvia Moreno-Garcia crossed with Carl Hiaasen — though maybe I think that because it's set in Miami and has elements of magical realism and horror. I wasn't familiar with what a babaláwo is, but I got the gist of it. I enjoyed the storytelling and liked how we learned more about Hugo and his relationship with his deceased wife. There were some interesting tidbits about their past and how it affected his life now. I don't know that I would have gravitated to this story on my own, but I enjoyed reading it and would recommend.

Poor Hugo. Not only is he dealing with the death of his wife following a bout of cancer, but the resulting medical bills have left him with crippling debt, and heavily garnished wages.

Hugo focuses all his hate on one man, Alexi, a prolific debt collector and generally entitled ass. So when Alexi reaches out to Hugo to make use of his specialist skills, Hugo sees an opportunity to not only erase his debt, but get some revenge. You see, Hugo is a babaláwo, and he can help banish the evil spirits currently plaguing Alexi’s family.

A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens was a genuine surprise. I was instantly drawn in by bumbling Hugo. As the novel progresses, we learn more about Hugo’s devastating life, and his escape to the US. Hugo is such a well-rounded, wonderfully flawed character, who carries so much weight on his shoulders. His relationship with ailing wife is so raw and real; I’m sure anyone who has had to deal with a sick loved one will recognize some of these scenes.

But the supernatural elements of the book are what really interested me. The sections about Hugo’s childhood in the Bolvian mines, and the demon El Tio, were fantastic. And the ending is just out of this world. Palma creates some really terrifying images within these pages.

A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens is a thoughtful, intelligent horror novel, with some truly touching, human moments. An absolute pleasure to read.

3.5 stars. Hugo is a babaláwo, a priest of Santería whose title means "father of secrets." Growing up in Bolivia, Hugo now resides in Miami and works for a deeply spiritual woman, Lourdes, who sends him out to cleanse the home of a rich client. The client is a famous debt collector, and he promises to clear Hugo's crushing debt if only he can cure the haunting that plagues his home. Hugo, a chronic doubter, believes he can trick Alexi into thinking he has cleansed his home, but they quickly find out that there is actually a dark presence plaguing Hialeah Gardens.

This was a fast read, and I devoured it once I got past the initial stages of character introduction and setup. The intricate web that Raul Palma weaves with the elements of the "haunting" — both supernatural and psychological — is exquisite. Such a deep exploration of guilt, grief, and vengeance! The writing style is unique; I can't say how exactly, but I enjoyed it. I also found the details of the Ifá micro-culture really interesting, and I ended up doing a lot of wikipedia digging after closing the final page of the book.

Thank you to Raul Palma, Dutton Books, and NetGalley for my advance digital copy!

This powerful novella explores debt as a way of being human: The debts of capitalist exploitation, from child labor in Bolivia to predatory lending in America. The debts of hatred that make the lender and the borrower obsessed with one another, playing a cat-and-mouse game with possibly demonic forces in the mix. And the debts of love and survivor guilt that feel unbearable for our anti-hero, the skilled but skeptical babalawo (santeria priest) Hugo Contreras.

Hugo is grindingly poor by American standards, yet privileged compared to his childhood companions who never escaped the silver mines. He has the chance to clear his financial burdens by ridding his debt-collection lawyer of a ghost. But perhaps Hugo is the one haunting, or being haunted?

I loved how this book immersed me in a subculture I didn't know much about. The Miami of this novel is by turns comical, banal, and infused with mysterious magic. A book about economic inequality and ghosts, set at Christmastime, must have been intended as allusion to "A Christmas Carol", and there is something positively Dickensian in the satire as well as the great compassion in this novella.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hugo is a babalawo, a spiritual practitioner who helps people rid themselves of their demons. Meanwhile, he can't do anything to escape his own: financial debt, guilt over his wife's death, and the ghosts of his childhood. Well, they're not actual ghosts. Hugo doesn't believe in all that.

I finished this book yesterday and have been trying to organize my thoughts. It has been going chaotically. I feel I need to read this again to tie up all the loose ends in my head, as there are a few things I'm still confused about. I do believe it's me, not the book. And I'd be down, as I enjoyed the read.

Hugo is relatable and ridiculous, and you can't help but empathize with him. He's stubbornly set in his belief that anything paranormal or occult is a scam, even though it's his profession. He's desensitized himself against the supernatural, so he overlooks bright red flags. It's frustrating because you'd think he'd be able to tell when something is actually wrong. But he has blinders on and only focuses on wrapping up a job that offers the chance at financial freedom.

Hugo avoids confronting bad thoughts or memories. Relatable. But he can't escape his feeling of being in debt. Who of us doesn't owe something to someone? It's not just financial debt; you can owe an explanation, an apology, or a favor as well. A Haunting in Hialeah ties that theme of indebtedness with criticisms of immigration, racism, healthcare, and poverty in America.

Hugo's story shows how easy it is to accumulate debt through the main narrative of his work on a particular case, interspersed with flashbacks and dreams that show how he got into his current situation.

4 stars. It's funny and makes you think. Or it did for me. I received an e-galley of this book from the publisher.

We find our main character, Hugo, dealing with overwhelming losses, such as the death of his wife, the separation from his Bolivian origins, and the loss of his financial independence as a result of his debt.
Hugo feels the weight of it all, and we find ourselves wondering over and over again which aspect is the most eerie. For starters, I was drawn to this novel because of its horror components and how otherworldly horrors could plays a role in the terrors we experience on a day-to-day basis. Unfortunately, I believe that the horror elements, such as the details surrounding Alexi being haunted, fell short. Several times throughout the novel, I wished that the stories of some of the deceased debtors would be continued in order to heighten the eerie atmosphere, but they ended just as abruptly as they had begun. For me, Hugo was a really unlikeable and dull character, which made the silly parts about him not at all interesting. Lastly, the relationship he had with his wife was less than ideal, and I don’t think it added much to the story, which made it hard to connect to the ending of the novel.

Thank you Penguin Random House and Raul Palma for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

A different kind of haunting novel. I enjoyed it very much. The characters were the type that were not very likable, to still enjoy reading about. To want to stay with the story. Very good novel.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Group Dutton for an advance copy of this book on the ghosts that haunt us, the guilt that makes their sleep unsettled, and the power of belief.

Growing up one accepted fact that all parts of my family, from feuding cousins, to distant relatives and close friends was that my Grandmother was a witch. My grandmother knew things that other people didn't. She knew my father wasn't going to Vietnam, that my mother's health scare was just a scare, the sex of babies and how to read the tea leaves. I remember people just coming up to my Grandmother talking low to her, sometimes in languages neither person had ever heard before but each one walked away with a smile or in some cases a look of acceptance. Looking back, I think this gift weighed on her, knowing all she knew, and seeing what she saw. She died early, the first and youngest of her big family to do so. I don't know if she knew what was coming, at the party we were all at two nights before she left us, she danced hard, hugged people, brought feuding cousins together, and kept petting my head. Being strong is exhausting, being strong enough to face things that people don't believe in is draining. And in the case of our main character, a spiritual man, even harder when one does not believe. A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens by Raul tells of man who dared the devil, lost his love, and has a chance to have a huge burden lifted off of him, though he doesn't believe anymore in what he does, nor does he like person he is forced to help.

Hugo Contreras is going through a lot. Escaping the mines in his home country, finding love in his adopted home, Hugo finds himself alone after his wife Mile has died. Being America he also finds he has a huge new burden medical debt, which when added with his earlier debt is slowly crushing him in everyway possible. Hugo works at a botanica, a religious goods store, where he acts as a babaláwo, a person who deals with the spirits, usually bad. Hugo is approached by Alexi Ramirez a debt collector and consolidator with a proposition. Alexi has a house that is haunted, and if Hugo gets rid of the spirits, Alexi can make Hugo's debt go away. Hugo agrees, not caring much about spirits anymore since his loved one's death, but wanting to live his life free of debt. Soon a simple job or pretending to exorcise a house becomes more difficut, as chairs start moving in Hugo's home, his boss sees a strange future, and Alexi's daughter talks about an invisible friend, one with ties to Alexi's past.

A book that was not what I expected. At all. The secret of horror stories is that horror stories can be used in so many ways to satire the real world we live in. Hugo has seen his brother die in a mine, his wife die of cancer, and now has his wages garnished for the rest of his life. That is some of the true horror in this book, the common ways in which life comes down to money. The story is well written, though I could have used some definitions for some of the works and and the acts, but that is what Goggle is for. Hugo is a character who can both grate on readers, and make readers glad to know more. There really are a lot of sad people in this book. The sprit side is good, especially the reasons why, and the story really holds up well right up to the last page. I liked the mix of horror and satire quite a bit.

A strong horror read, and a good look at people hanging on, leaving with dept both to corporation and those that have passed on first. I enjoyed this book quite a bit, especially the fact that Palma was not afraid to make his characters complicated, sometimes petty, sometimes brave. I look forward to Raul Palma's next book.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Miami, ghost hunting, arch nemesis., Hugo and Alexi take us on a wild ride. Enjoyable overall.

Review of Uncorrected eBook File

Struggle is a way of life for Hugo Contreras. Struggle over the death of his wife, Meli. Struggle over the amount of debt he’s acquired. Struggle with dreams reminding him of his better-forgotten past. He’d dreamed of coming to America, but nothing has turned out the way he’d anticipated.

Then, Alexi Ramirez, the debt collection attorney, asks for Hugo’s help in cleansing a house of whoever/whatever is haunting it. Although reluctant, Hugo agrees when Alexi offers to forgive his debt. Hugo, a babaláwo, does not particularly believe in the spiritual aspects of the haunting, but he’s certain he can listen well and, with a bit of sleight of hand, convince Alexi that he’s cleansed the house.

But something goes terribly wrong.

=========

Hugo has tried to leave his past behind, coming to a new country and a new life. But bits of that past have a way of forcing themselves into that new life, a situation that gives readers insight into the difficulty of assimilating into a new [and foreign to the character] culture. But all of the main characters are contemptible, making it difficult for readers to empathize with Hugo’s current situation or his plan for addressing the debt he owes.

This narrative touches on many topics . . . greed, debt, capitalism, immigration, poverty, morality . . . and offers readers some insights into how the characters deal with them. However, lines of dialogue in Spanish [without translation] keep readers from a full understanding of the story since non-English dialogue leaves them at a loss. In addition, readers unfamiliar with the cultural beliefs pertaining to hauntings/ghosts are missing an essential element in developing a complete understanding.

Still, there are compelling moments, intriguing plot points, and a bit of humor that combine to reveal Hugo’s story. Readers who appreciate unconventional horror tales are sure to appreciate this narrative.

I received a free copy of this eBook from PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Dutton and NetGalley
#AHauntinginHialeahGardens #NetGalley

If you only enjoy reading books with likeable characters, "A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens" by Raul Palma is not the book for you. Every main character is despicable, and it is this despicability that propels the haunting events in the story. Hugo, employed as a kind of exorcist (though he doesn't believe himself to have any real powers) would go to great lengths to cancel his large debt, including swindling the man be blames most for his indebtedness. However, Hugo discovers that this time the haunting is real and is more powerful than he could imagine. The complexities of the plot and characters, as well as the thought-provoking exploration of topics such as immigration, poverty, greed, and morality make this a very satisfying read. It really is unlike any horror novel I have read and had twists and turns I didn't see coming. It is a fast-faced, engrossing read and, after I got started, I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed the cultural element to the book. It's a strong debut novel and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy of this book.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Hugo is just going through the motions to get through the week. He is asked for his expertise to see what is going on with a house. I was drawn to the characters in this book.

Hugo works as a babaláwo in Miami, despite the fact that he doesn't believe in spirits or hauntings. Weighed down under the medical debt left after his wife dies, he lives a small and bitter life being hounded by a debt collecting lawyer. When the lawyer calls Hugo to rid his house of spirits, Hugo is sure he'll be able to finally get back at the man who made his life miserable. What follows is not what any of them expect.

This book is a fast-paced and quick read. I read my ARCs (thanks to the publisher/NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review) before bed at the speed of one chapter a night, but this one was so quick, I was done in under a month even at that rate.

The story covers the complex and multi-faceted theme of debt and owing people/entities, etc. and I found it to be very well done. We've all been there. No one likes owing anything, having that kind of thing hanging over your head as you go through your days. Hugo, the Bolivian-American MC of this book owes a massive debt from his late wife's medical bills. He is offered the option to have his debt cleared by the debt collector, Alexi, as long as he successfully deals with a haunting at his home. Hugo works at an occult type of store, but he doesn't truly believe in any of what he does. There is a brilliant balance of comedy and seriousness as he has fun toying with Alexi until things get rather more real. The author also does an amazing job of employing dream sequences. Writers are generally told to stay away from those, but the ones in this book were powerful and essential. I can't say more without spoilers.

This book comes out in October, just in time for the Halloween season, so consider picking this up for a spooky and often funny, quirky, and relatable read.

An elliptical, slow-burn kind of novel, in which a santero who doesn't believe is forced to exorcize demons including his guilt in the death of his wife, capitalism and debt, and supernatural powers that have followed him from his home in Bolivia to Miami. Palma writes compellingly about human behavior, the nature of belief, and the role of place in creating a sense of self. The hauntings are powerfully created and written, and the world of the book is created with care and great details, but it left me a little cold. The protagonist is a complex character, but also such a jerk that I didn't care; nor was his wife sympathetic or interesting. Other characters--like his boss, Lourdes, could have benefitted from more of a fleshing-out. A mixed bag.

Called upon to help with a haunting, one man comes to realize the weight of bargains made in exchange for freedom in Raul Palma’s A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens.
Hugo’s life doesn’t extend much beyond his job at the botanica, his efficiency apartment, the occasional indulgence at a local restaurant as he’s burdened with a sense of indebtedness, guilt, and grief after his wife died, exacerbated by dreams and memories that dredge up the unpleasantness of his past. When Hugo receives a call from the debt collection attorney, Alexi, with a request for spiritual help to cleanse his home of whatever is haunting it, Hugo doesn’t want to accept, but with Alexi offering to forgive Hugo’s debt if he can successfully cleanse his house, Hugo reluctantly agrees. Even if Hugo doesn’t believe the spiritual aspect of his work as a babaláwo he’s become rather proficient with sleight of hand and good listening skills to convince his clients of his success. Believing he’s managed to do the same for Alexi, and get a few moments of retribution in as well, Hugo celebrates his job well-done; however, it soon becomes clear that there’s something larger at play as the demons from Hugo’s past collide with Alexi’s and places them in danger.
In a thought-provoking story that explores hefty topics of migration, identity, and debt, both monetary and moral, there were moments of juvenile humor to lift spirits and moments of the surreal to encourage imaginative wonder amid the manifestations of what Hugo and Alexi are respectively haunted by. As a character, Hugo has complexity and plenty of flaws, which he recognizes, though it mostly comes across as flippant and the slow reveal of his past in Bolivia delayed context for the circumstances in his life and the actions he took as a result that made the conclusion feel rushed. The presentation of the narrative was layered in a manner that bleeds together in ways that cultivate an unsettled feeling, which captures the essence of the hauntings occurring, but at times this felt disorienting to the point of questioning whether a transition was missing in the text between the points as some shifts were rather abrupt; these quick and nebulous shifts were, however, an interesting technique of melding together dreams, memories, and the present into one larger narrative thread.
Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book!
Read if you like the supernatural, stories in Florida, stories about grief

I just reviewed A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens by Raul Palma. #AHauntinginHialeahGardens #NetGalley