Ultimately, I greatly enjoyed this novel.

The dual perspectives drew me in, though I preferred Maita’s perspective to Elvis’. (It’s probably because Maita and I have a similar job.)

I found this book challenging to get into because of the violence at the beginning. I wasn’t in the headspace to want to continue, so I put this book down for a few months before returning to it.

I am so glad I did! Once I read Maita’s first perspective, I felt drawn in and couldn’t put the book down. Highly recommend.

I was so excited to read Silvia Moreno Garcia’s newest book, especially after reading the synopsis. I loved Mexican Gothic and liked God of Jade and Shadow so I had high expectations for this one. I knew going in it was historical noir and didn’t have the typical magical realism I’ve come to expect with her, and in fact I was looking forward to this as magical realism isn't my favorite.

This book takes place Mexico City in the 1970s, a period of time I know little about. I enjoyed the historical fiction aspect of this book, and the writing transports the reader to this time and place. Maite is a secretary whose neighbor goes missing. Elvis works for an organization with a purpose of undermining activists in the city. He's tasked with finding the same woman.

In the end, I didn’t love this book. I found the main character to be annoying and immature, and I thought some of the writing was choppy and redundant. The plot itself was interesting despite being predictable and a slow burn, but I couldn't root for any of the characters, and I consider that important in my reads.

I will, without a doubt, read works by this author in the future, but I just did not love this.

TITLE: Velvet Was the Night
AUTHOR: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
304 pages, Del Ray, ISBN 9780593356821 (hardcover, e-book, audiobook)

DESCRIPTION: (from the back cover): 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.

MY RATING: 5 stars out of 5

MY THOUGHTS: It’s been a while since I’ve read something that was straight noir (as opposed to crime thrillers or urban fantasy with noir-ish flavor), and I’m glad that I chose this book as my return to the genre. I’m well familiar with Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s fantasy and horror work and had no doubt I was in good hands but Velvet Was the Night surpassed all my expectations. Damaged people trying their best to survive? Check. Character turns and plot twists? Check. A setting that is as much a character as the humans who inhabit it? Check. A satisfying but not necessarily “happy” ending? Check.

Most of the noir I’ve read has been told from a single character point of view, usually in first-person narration. Moreno-Garcia spends equal amounts of time in the heads of both of her protagonists, El Elvis and Maite, widening the lens of the story and allowing the reader to see some of the events from both perspectives. The characters are not always with or even near each other (despite Elvis’ mandate to surveil Maite to find out what she knows about the missing Leonora), so we don’t get every single event through the eyes of both characters (thankfully, because I think that would get tedious). But when the characters meet or even just see each other from afar, we get to see what each of them thinks about the situation. Elvis is more aware of Maite than she is of him, and Moreno-Garcia puts to effective use the adage about every witness to an event remembering it differently.

The book is populated with a half-dozen or so interesting supporting characters: the mysterious Leonora; her two ex-boyfriends (one a rich antique dealer, the other a struggling student); Elvis’ fellow gang-members and mysterious boss; a revolutionary priest and a Russian spy. Mexico City is a character as well, almost purposefully throwing hot sticky weather and traffic and protests in the characters’ way. They all add color and drama and increasing stakes. But it is Maite and Elvis who draw the reader in, almost mirrors of each other. Both have been hurt by the betrayal of former lovers, both come from impoverished backgrounds, both have mothers (one present, one long absent) who don’t support/believe in them. Both love American music (flying in the face of the political movement of the time) but can’t afford to buy much of it, and both love language (they own the same edition of the same dictionary, even). They both spend a good portion of their day fantasizing about what could be (alternating between longing for their lost loves and obsessing over someone they can’t have) fueled by romance comics (for Maite) and the lyrics of American pop songs (for Elvis). They each equally have romantic standards that are likely unrealistic, which cause them to constantly be disappointed. And that constant disappointment further fuels their social awkwardness and need to fantasize, which further pushes them into the increasingly dangerous set of crosses and double-crosses that keep the novel moving. The best noir builds action out of character flaws, and this is the very best noir.

I have to admit I know almost nothing of Mexico’s history, and especially little about the 1970s. Moreno-Garcia gave me everything I needed to know to understand the political underpinnings of the story – and also enough to make me want to learn more about the country’s history of upheavals and outside influence. I love it when a work of fiction makes me excited to read non-fiction.

If you’re a fan of noir, of damaged people struggling to make the best of bad situations, of gunplay and double-crosses – move Velvet Was the Night to the top of your purchase/read list. You will not be disappointed.

NOTE: I read an Advance Reading Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley. But this review has been so delayed that the book is now available in print, audio, and e-book.

If you like Noir, Historical Fiction, and Suspense, then this book is for you. I went into this book blindly but knew that I really enjoyed Mexican Gothic. I was hooked right away. The history of the story reminded me of learning about the civil war in El Salvador. I was intrigued by the covert operations and spies and rebels trying to get back what the military has taken from them…all in a 1970's Mexico City setting during the Dirty War.

Maite has a quite life as a secretary who adores Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. She will never meet the expectations of her mother and the constant comparisons to her sister. Late one night her neighbor, Leonora asks her to watch her cat leaving her keys and instructions to feed her cat. She never comes home. Everyone is looking for Leonora. Maite, her sister, her former boyfriend, and a paramilitary group. Maite gets caught up in the events as others suspect she is helping Leonora hide out.

This book is a slow burn but just right. There is action, violence, a traitor, and a anti-hero that I was pulling for.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

*REVIEW GOES LIVE ON LAIR OF BOOKS ON 9/26/2021 8AM EST

THE 411...

1970’s Mexico City is where we meet our MC Maite, a Secretary with a passion for romance comics and a love for music records crooning lyrics she can get lost in. She doesn’t see much excitement in her life and can’t imagine that changing anytime soon, so she escapes into her comics where she envisions herself as the woman being swept off her feet by a handsome and daring man. This all changes when her neighbor hires her to cat sit and then mysteriously disappears, Maite sees herself thrown into the hunt for Leonora during a very dangerous time in Mexico. Elvis is a criminal who loathes violence and loves Rock ’N’ Roll (Presley is his idol), he was picked up off the streets and trained as part of a Paramilitary group called “The Hawks” in squashing student protests by brute force. He comes across Maite when his latest job has him looking for Leonora aka the missing woman. He’s ordered to watch her and begins to fall for the many things they share in common despite her not being his usual type.
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As a backdrop in the city, Sylvia Moreno Garcia writes of the very real life Corpus Christi Massacre that took place in 1971. When 10,000 student demonstrators set to the streets to peacefully protest oppression and demand Democracy. This was during the time Mexico was governed by only one party known as the PRI aka the Institutional Revolutionary Party which was viewed as a dictatorship. The “Halcones” or Falcones were a real pay-for-hire group trained by the CIA.
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WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS...

As I make my way through Silvia Moreno Garcia's backlist, I will start ranking them in hopes of a dedication post for my favorite author. 𝑴𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝑮𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒄 still reigns in my heart as my favorite SMG, however I really enjoyed this book. Maite will NOT be everyone’s cup of tea but I personally enjoy unlikeable characters. This book is heavy on the events that took place in Mexico during the 60’s surrounding students & government. If you enjoy having a bit of Historical Fiction weaved throughout or in this case where it's the back drop, then you'll probably really enjoy this one. I felt the author nailed it when she described it as having a very Pulp Noir feel, I definitely got those vibes. We have a mystery at the core, political unrest in the background, two MC's with a deep appreciation of older Rock N' Roll and career criminals in the mix. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is known for her signature mark of blending multiple genres, Velvet was the Night is a mash up of Mystery Thriller and Historical Fiction. I have come to expect to be pleasantly surprised every time I pick up a SMG book because I know that it won't have the same feel as any of her other books. It's become a little thrilling in a sense to see what she has in store within the pages of the next book. If you enjoy music while you read, check out SMG's Velvet Was the Night Playlist on Spotify!

Silvia Moreno-Garcia has knocked it out of the park again , this time with a stylish action packed noir thriller featuring deeply believable characters and a powerful political subtext. Set in Mexico City in the 1970s during Mexico's Dirty War it features crooked and vicious police, idealistic leftist students and artists, and reactionary rich people. The narration alternates between Maite, a mousy woman living vicariously through the heroines in her romance periodicals , and Elvis who is pledged to the Hawks, a paramilitary group meant to attack protesters. But he, like Maite, wants to escape his life and finds comfort in movies and music. Included in the volume is a playlist of his favorite songs. Highly recommended for both suspense and offbeat romance.

In 1970s Mexico City, there is severe political unrest.

Maite is a secretary who loves to disappear in romance novels.

Leonara is an art student who goes missing (along with her camera).

I saw this synopsis and this cover (I mean WOW - look at that cover!) and NEEDED this book. Historical noir? New genre to me but please count me in!

However, this was not the book for me. I just truly, truly did not like it. There were parts that I felt had zero point (why did we talk about her cat for so long?) and I didn't understand it.

I think it's a wonderful concept, but not the best execution.

Thank you so much to Randomhouse Publishing Group - Ballantine and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This historical noir set in 1970s Mexico City was riveting and hilarious, and quite educational. Set during 1971, with political unrest and student protests in Mexico that would lead to La Guerra Sucia (The Dirty War) as our background, our main characters Maite and Elvis are each on the hunt for Leonora, an art student with a secret that could change everything. The rock music scene and romantic comic books that are prevalent during this period play a huge role in our MCs’ lives, and I really enjoyed seeing so many familiar songs from my childhood mentioned!
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As always, I was completely enraptured by Silvia’s incredible writing and attention to detail. Silvia has an incredible talent for writing; she weaves history and beauty into sentences that flow with such ease, it feels like I'm talking to a friend.

This was overall an incredible book from start to finish, and has made me realize that Silvia cannot be contained by any genre.

Pro tip: Read the last few pages of Velvet Was the Night first. Go on… open the book up, flip to the back, and read the Afterword and Author’s Spotify Playlist. If you’re then compelled to turn back to page one and dive in, this will likely be a solid atmospheric historical fiction reading experience for you.

As author Silvia Moreno-Garcia explains in the Afterword, her latest novel “is noir, pulp fiction, but it’s based on a real horror story.” The story of focus is that of the Dirty War, when the Mexican government abducted, tortured, incarcerated, and murdered citizen activists in the 1970s through a group known as the Brigada Blanca. Rock music was also a casualty, as backlash against it was a symbolic way for the government to tighten its grip on the nation. Moreno-Garcia’s curated mood-setting playlist includes songs like Jailhouse Rock, Eleanor Rigby, and Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.

Her fictional story is set in Mexico City and focuses on a romance comic-obsessed secretary named Maite who gets caught up in the disappearance of her beautiful neighbor and meets a reluctant thug named Elvis who’s also trying to find her. There’s violence, a little sex, loads of naughty words, and a lot of intrigue.

There’s also beautiful writing, which makes me eager to read more of the author’s books. I just didn’t connect at all to the characters or the content of this one. Had I read the end of the book before starting the beginning, I would have known this particular story wasn’t a great fit for me.

My thanks to Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Random House Publishing / Ballantine Books for providing an advance copy to review via NetGalley.

It took me some time to get through this novel, although it wasn't because I wasn't intrigued by the story and plot. Set in Mexico City in the 70s, the historical context was interesting and I loved the way that the author sprinkled in bits of history and music, along with cultural details to move the plot along. But I just didn't feel any urgency and wasn't compelled by the characters. The book did pick up near the end but the ending seemed to come together a little too abruptly.

The book is being called a historical noir mystery so it could be that the noir genre just isn't what I normally enjoy reading. I have heard that Silvia Moreno-Garcia's books are all different, so I may try another one of her works instead. I liked parts of this book enough, but in the end I'm not sure I would seek out any other noir-style novels.

*This review also appeared on my Goodreads account*

I would like to thank Publisher and NetGalley for this ARC copy, I was very surprise at how much I enjoy reading Velvet was the Night. My heart goes out to Maite her life was not easy and what I mean is family. That Mother and Sister was a piece of work didn't care for them at all. The Author had some Twist and turns I didn't see coming especially about Hawks. I learn so much about Mexico City. My favorite Characters were Elvis, Maite, Ruben lookforward to reading more from this Author.

I am always excited for Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s books. She is such an eclectic and creative writer! The older I get, the more I appreciate authors who are able to vary their style and content rather than writing slight variations of the same story over and over. Moreno-Garcia is so adept at taking standard tropes and putting her own spin on them as well as tying in Mexican culture and setting. So I was squeal-out-loud thrilled when I got approved for an advanced copy of Velvet Was the Night. That description? Gimme that gem right now! And that cover? Oh, I hate smoking, but the cover captures that Noir vibe so perfectly!

Noir and Historical Fiction are totally my jam, so I was eager to see if this author could provide a creative spin on Noir the way she did for Gothic. And the answer was, “YES!” Of course.

The story focuses on two characters: a bored, daydreaming secretary named Maite and a street kid turned government enforcer named Elvis who longs for a better life. They both become tangled up in the disappearance of Maite’s neighbor, Leonora.

There is a lot of great historical detail in this novel. From the suppression of music and pop culture to the government corruption, the story blended in well to actual events. I’ll admit, I don’t know much about the Dirty War, but it was good to have a fictional story to lay the foundation for further forays into learning. Fiction is a great way to spark interest in topics when handled well. And Moreno-Garcia is great at weaving in historical facts in an interesting way without ever turning it into info-dumps.

Despite being intrigued by the setting and premise, the story had a very slow start, and my attention wasn't riveted for the first 20% of the story. This is the main reason the story only gets four stars from me. However, once the plot gained some momentum, I became much more invested in the story. From there, it was fairly fast-paced till the end. I sped through the latter 80% faster than the first 20%. Seriously, I stalled through the first few chapters over a week but finished the rest of the book in two days. Once the story got rolling, I couldn’t put it down.

The other reason I wasn’t totally in love with this story was that I didn't care for Maite much. While there were sympathetic aspects to her life (such as her obnoxious family, unfulfilling job, and dealing with sexism), her personality made it so hard to empathize with her. She was vain and vapid. In addition, she was a pathological liar and kleptomaniac. It was tedious to read the peeks into her inner mind regarding her plans to lie to people for attention or the many, many musings about what items she wanted to steal from everyone she met. She also had an almost Bridget Jones's Diary level of neurotic insecurity and body shaming of both herself and others. She also maintained a frustrating level of willful ignorance regarding political events despite being tangled up in dangerous events. I had a hard time connecting with her portions of the story particularly in the beginning.

I will pause for a moment to say that recent fans of Moreno-Garcia who've only read Mexican Gothic will probably be surprised by the difference in style. If you’ve read multiple books by this author, you know her style varies as much as her topics. So DO NOT go into this one expecting it to be like Mexican Gothic! They’re both great but in vastly different! Actually, the style of Velvet Was the Night reminded me much more of Certain Dark Things but, you know, with the vampire cartels replaced by corrupt government goons. In fact, Elvis even reminded me a lot of Domingo. I mean, how many tough yet naively optimistic street kids are there?

The story could have leaned into the noir atmosphere even more, but I did like the ambiance. The story painted a believable picture of people just hoping for a better life becoming caught up in events far bigger than them. As I hoped, it took the Noir hallmarks and put a different twist on them. As I mentioned, once the plot gained momentum, the story became gripping. I can’t say much about the plot without spoiling things, but this is a great story if you want a classic Noir feel with more diversity.

I wasn’t able to finish. I couldn’t get into it but I wanted to give another genre a try. It just wasn’t for me.

If your expecting Mexican gothic - this isnt for you. Silvia writes so many genres and this is a noir one.

It took me a bit to get into but once I did I was hooked.

Thank you for the ARC. I enjoyed the atmosphere of this book. Story was a bit confusing at the beginning with all the political Acronyms, but I stuck with it. I didn't know where the story was heading, but I did figure that Elvis and Maite would wind up together.

TITLE: Velvet Was The Night
AUTHOR: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
PUB DATE: 08.17.2021
AUDIO: @prhaudio
NARRATED BY: Gisela Chípe @Giselachipe
LENGTH: 9Hrs 53min

Velvet Was The Night is a historical gritty noir set in the 70’s, Mexico City during the time of political unrest and student protests. In this illuminating and suspenseful story about Maite, daydreaming secretary, Elvis a member of the Hawk - a government enforcer, and Leonora, a missing woman who might have incriminating evidence against a powerful government official.

I love these unique characters and learning about what drives them. The suspenseful twist of events, I find quite riveting, and adds to the excitement to this read. Moreno-Garcia took this story to new heights adding in elements of 70’s music, pop culture and fashion into the story which I found incredibly delightful to read.

Audiobook Review: Gisela Chipe brought the story to life with all the colorful characters, and highlighted the voice of Maite who was so desperate for romance and adventure. Each of the characters’ voice was so unique and I know exactly whose voice is which.

I went into this with high expectations but unfortunately was let down. It was long and drawn out with no real character development.

5 Star Read! I love that Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes in such diverse genres. I love knowing that the story will be beautifully written and weave such an amazing tapestry of the setting and all characters.

Velvet Was the Night was such an amazing read! Let me just start there. This story was a beautiful nod to noir novels and Moreno-Garcia takes us on a wild ride in this dark world of 1970's Mexico City. The slow burn romance that happens while on this ride is *chef's kiss.*

This book was different than other Moreno-Garcia novels I've read in the past but I ALWAYS appreciate what she gives me. Velvet Was the Night is no exception! Beautiful, raw, honest, swoon-worthy and dark. I loved it!

Velvet was the Night by Silvia Moreno Garcia is out today! SMG is an absolute artist, and I'm enchanted. I want every story she's ever written. She nailed a gothic story in Mexican Gothic, then took a left turn to write a noir historical fiction and totally nailed it again with Velvet!!!!

Silvia Moreno Garcia writes amazing jump-off-the-page characters, a beautiful and tragic Mexico, action mixed with introspection. I love her heroines: their mix of confidence and doubt. More than Mexican Gothic, she wrote very very human, relatable characters in Velvet in place of the paranormal setting.

I can't help but see her two main characters in Velvet as enneagram 4s, someone agree with me!!!!!

If you passed on Mexican Gothic because you don't like horror, check out this one! It's wonderful dark historical fiction that explores tumultuous 1970s Mexico.

I received a copy via NetGalley from Del Rey Books to review.

Velvet Was The Night Was definitely a slow burn for me. I had trouble getting into it at the beginning and had to keep reminding myself that it wasn't like Mexican Gothic. As the author notes, it's noir, pulp fiction but based on a real horror story. It's classified as historical fiction. Once I got that and the time period of the 1970s in my head, I enjoyed it more. The mystery kept me guessing what was going to happen and I was surprised when the twist was revealed. I enjoyed the ending and after reflecting on the book as a whole, I did enjoy it! If noir, pulp fiction is something you enjoy, I recommend checking out Velvet Was The Night.