Title: Velvet Was the Night
Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Genre: Historical fiction, mystery
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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.

Maite and Elvis interested me enough to finish reading this, which is truly a testament to the author’s skill—because Maite was pretty boring, and Elvis, well, there wasn’t a whole lot about him that I could relate to. I ended up liking this read, despite not really caring for the characters.

Maite is a chronic liar, inflating her sad life with falsehoods, obsessing about comic book romances—and let’s not forget her kleptomaniac tendencies. She wants more out of life, she’s just too afraid of everything to actually go after more. I liked Elvis a bit more, with his sad history and determination to do the right thing—ironic, considering his line of work, but he was sadly blind to reality.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is an award-winning author. Velvet Was the Night is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Random House/Del Rey in exchange for an honest review.)

The writing is excellent and the cover is amazing.

This was hard for me to get into which is typically the kiss of death for my reading brain in the covid era but I'm glad I saw it through. This felt a little like the layout of a musical and I can't really grasp why. I liked Elvis a lot and his internal monologue.

Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

2.5

I typically enjoy noir, but this one just didn’t do it for me. The stakes were low, I didn’t really care about any of the characters and Maita seemed very whiney.

This won’t keep me from reading more by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, but definitely won’t be recommending this one.

I wanted to just take a moment to appreciate the cover because it is beautiful. But beyond the cover, I truly think that there is a great story filled with substance that is so different than anything I have read before. I think Maite as a character is so fun and strong willed, and you truly couldn't tell her anything. Leonora was also such an interesting character, and I truly was invested in what happened to her. I never knew that I needed a political historical fiction thriller in my life until I read this book. I also think Elvis and Maite's interaction is both fun at times while also having a good mixture of frustrating instances. I think that the author has a remarkable talent when it comes to story building and telling, and this book further proves this point. I think that there were a lot of lessons both fictional and realistic that made it so the story could be seen as applicable to the readers life as well. I loved the pacing of this story, and truly thought that it was a page turner from start to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed. I cant wait for readers to get a chance to read this! I truly think they will enjoy it as much as I do!

Noir fiction ( becauseI didn't know): a subgenre of crime fiction where right and wrong are not clearly defined, while the protagonists are seriously and often tragically flawed, and denoted by a marked darkness in theme and subject matter.

This is the first piece of noir fiction that I've tried and I thought it was well written. This story is set amidst the chaos of Mexico City in the early 70s. Maite is a tragically lonely secretary who lies to her coworkers about her weekends and fabricates imaginary dates and beaus. She spends her time alone, listening to records and reading romance comics. Protest and political chaos rule the streets of her city when her neighbor, Leonora, asks Maite to take care of her cat for a few days while she's away. She then disappears under suspicious conditions. Maite begins searching for her and finds herself immersed in Leonora's world of anti-establishment - rebellious students and artists organizing against the government. Her search for her neighbor leads her to cross paths with Elvis, a young man working as a thug for hire who hates violence and loves music as much as Maite.

The plot was complex and intricate, but still easy to follow. The mood and atmosphere are thick and dark. The twists are revealed slowly, one by one. This is a long, slow burn, with a lot of moving parts. The two main characters are deeply flawed and beautiful. They're intricately built and breathe the life into the story. I couldn't help but root for them to come together. Thank you to Del Ray and Netgalley for providing me with and ARC of this book.

One of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors! Do yourself a favor and read this book!! Great character development and story line and a writing style that only Silvia can bring to life. Get this book now!

Thank you so much, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey and Netgalley, for the chance to read and review this book in exchange of an honest review.

In 1970s, Mexico City, Maite is a secretary, whose only escape if the latest issues of Secret Romance, escaping from the political unrest and the students protesting. She's a bit envious of her next-door neighbor, Leonora, whose life appears to be full of love and intrigues, but when she disappears under peculiar circumstances, Maite finds herself looking for her, investigating into her life, between dissents and protests and secrets. But Maite isn't the only one looking for Leonora. Elvis is an eccentric criminal, who is looking for the woman for his boss, even though he really wants to escape this life and live differently. He loves music, old movies and while he watches Maite looking for Leonora he starts to find an affinity with her. They soon get themselves involved into a complicated and complex plot made of dangers, secrets, hitmen, agents, spies, desperate to protect Leonora's secrets.

As always Silvia Moreno-Garcia wrote an brilliant, thrilling and adventurous book, an historical novels with anti-heroes, secrets, dangers and full of plot twists. Amazingly written, incredibly characterized, the writing style and the plot are captiving, capturing the reader's attention since the first page, because it's impossible not to love her characters, wanting to know more about them and to follow them into their investigations.
The mystery is so good, Maite is a great character and I really enjoyed reading about her and Elvis, both as individuals and together. I usually don't read historical novels, but I loved the author's other books and I was intrigued right away from this one and I wasn't disappointed.
The writing, the plot, the characterization, descriptions and so on are absolutely brilliant and I definitely recommend this book to those who would love a very good noir, a mystery and anti-heroes.

Thank you to Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Del Rey, and NetGalley for providing me with a gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

Maite is a loner. By day, she works as a secretary, and by night, she daydreams about the characters in her comic book series and listens to records. She becomes embroiled in a real-life drama when her neighbor across the hall, Leonora, disappears under odd circumstances. Her curiosity piqued, Maite begins to investigate Leonora's last known movements on her own. The problem, however, is that she isn't the only one interested in what has happened to Leonora.

This was another great read from Moreno-Garcia (I have previously raved about both [book:Gods of Jade and Shadow|36510722] and [book:Mexican Gothic|53152636]). This book deviated from the other two in the sense that it was much more grounded in reality (1970s Mexico and all of the political unrest that occurred) and had no supernatural elements. It is not a thriller, but a noir, and a brilliantly executed one at that.

I particularly enjoyed the connection to music of the time period that is sprinkled throughout this work. There is even a Spotify playlist created by Moreno-Garcia featuring songs that were mentioned in the book and that helped to inspire the book.

My one (small) gripe is that I was able to figure out the central mystery relatively easily. This was easily forgiven due to how much I enjoyed the story. Readers who enjoy being challenged by the mystery at the heart of a plot might be disappointed and feel this one falls short. Those who can put aside those feelings and enjoy the journey will enjoy this one quite a lot.

"She wondered what kind of story started like this."

Well, if the story is anything like Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s latest novel, "Velvet Was the Night," I would say it’s noir and pulp fiction. It’s the kind of story that stars a government thug named Elvis, a romance comic fanatic named Maite, and a missing woman. It’s the kind of story that transports you to 1970s Mexico during the politically-charged Dirty War.

And it’s the kind of story that is nothing like Moreno-Garcia’s 2020 hit, "Mexican Gothic." "Velvet Was the Night" is a crime novel, and a slow burner at that. If you pick it up expecting another tale of supernatural horror, you will be sorely disappointed.

But if you go into it for what it is – a compelling, intricate, superbly-written noir mystery – you’re in for a hella good read.

What makes it so great is the characters. Moreno-Garcia has truly outdone herself with Elvis and Maite, and their eccentric, dynamic personalities offset the slower pace of the story. They are fascinating in their gray morals and dishonorable intentions, yet likable and sympathetic enough to keep us reading when not much is happening on the page.

And they both have the MOST EXCELLENT taste in music. Seriously, their record collections are to die for.

"Velvet Was the Night" will not be for everyone, though. And many of the reasons why I loved it are exactly why some readers won’t.

It’s not exhilarating. Or shocking. It’s not filled to the brim with breathtaking twists.

It’s just good, old-fashioned, solid storytelling. And I’ll take THAT over a cheap thrill any day.

My sincerest appreciation to Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Del Rey, and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

I always learn a lot from Silvia Moreno-Garcia's books. I was not familiar with the events portrayed in "Velvet was the Night" and became engrossed very quickly. The writing was amazing, as always. You root for the underdogs and the anti-heros. The Spotify music list at the end was perfect! This historical fiction noir was an excellent escape and I enjoyed every minute spent in this story.

1970's political thriller in Mexico. Add in a noir esque vibe and imagine everyone with Farrah Fawcett hair and slinky dresses and huge sunglasses and you have this book.

It's perfection.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read the book.

A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First - the cover - it may just be the sexiest of the year. That fact alone wouldn've been swayed me to read it, but coupled with the fact that it's a far cry for Moreno's previous novels (love Mexican Gothic) clinched it. An addition to the dark noir genre, this slow burning mystering seeps into as the story progresses. I admit that it took a while to grow on me, most likely due to the fact that I know little about Mexico's political history. I also wasn't quite sure what to make of the characters at first (aside that I loved the aptly named Elvis.) They too grew on me as they increased to diversity and gain depth. An enjoyable read - and the kind where you will likely learn something.

From the publisher:
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 watches Maite from a distance—and comes to regard her as a kindred spirit 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 by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was published August 17th, 2021 by Del Rey.

This is definitely a character driven story. Elvis and Maite are like two planets orbiting the same star (the search for Leonora). Neither Elvis nor Maite are perfect. Of the two, I liked Elvis a little better than Maite who lies a lot and is prone to petty theft.

Elvis makes an interesting comparison between Maite and Bluebeard's wife in fairy tales. It seems valid though not only for the reason he thinks. The more she sees of what is really going on, it seems to change her.

The book is well-written. The imagery draws you in. The plot moves along for the most part at a good rate. The closer it gets to the end, the harder it is to put down. I gave this book 5 stars out of 5. It's a good historical noir with two interesting antiheroes.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

QUICK TAKE: Mexican Gothic was one of my favorite books of 2020, and I was also a big fan of Gods of Jade & Shadow. I'm all in for Siliva Moreno-Garcia fantasy/horror, but I have a little more trouble with her crime fiction and unfortunately didn't love her latest. I was really drawn to both characters at the center of the story, but the central mystery just wasn't that compelling to me. Still a must-buy author for me, but beyond the gorgeous cover, this one wasn't for me.

Set in 1970s, Mexico City, Mexico, Silvia Moreno-Garcia's seventh novel tells the story of spies, communist plots, and secret police during the Red Scare that affected Central America.

Maite is a plain, unassuming secretary who can never live up to her younger sister, lives alone, has some financial struggle, and is obsessed with her Secret Romance graphic novels. When she watches a neighbor's, Leonora, cat one weekend, her life changes. Leonora goes missing and a simple task of getting paid for watching the cat spirals into communist affiliations, subversive communities, and murder.

Leonora's disappearance leads to many trying to search for her and elusive photos, including Elvis's boss. Elvis is a "goon" for a group called the Hawks, loves rock 'n' roll and learning a new word a day. When surveilling Maite, he learns more about her and feels a connection to her because of her taste in books and music.

I had a hard time getting into this story. Maite was hard to empathize with, at first, and I was frustrated by her naivete and shallowness and the plot seemed to drag for the first quarter of the book. However, I became intrigued and felt bad Maite was being dragged along when all she wants is compensation for watching a cat! There were so many secret groups and no one seemed trustworthy. The characters were not very empathetic, which added to the difficulty in getting into the story, nor did they have much development as the plot unfolded. I wish there was more interaction with Maite and Elvis or more instances where they are clearly in the background of each other's lives (aside from Elvis surveillance). 3.5 rounded to 4--I enjoyed the dual perspectives, the intrigue, and setting of 1970s Mexico.

Velvet Was the Night was a dark and gritty novel with a major noir feel. This story was well done and such a fun experience.

In June of ‘71 an art student named Leonora has gone missing and both Maite and Elvis are searching for her. Maite, her neighbor, is a thirty year old secretary who likes to steal from people. Elvis is thug working for the government who doesn’t care much for inflicting physical violence. He is looking for the missing girl under instruction from his boss.

This definitely went more in the direction of a political historical fiction mystery than I had expected. This book took turns I didn’t expect and went farther than I anticipated. I enjoyed Elvis’s chapters well enough but I loved Maite. She was a strange sort, but I really loved her character.

Velvet Was the Night is a beautiful book, from the cover to the pages to the end. There is even a playlist to accompany the book. Guess what? It is beautiful too! Every song perfectly fit! I had such a fantastic time reading this book and listening to the soundtrack as I read. Really felt like I was transported to 1970s Mexico City. The author has an amazing ability of transporting the reader to the books locations. Very well done.

This book made me care deeply about our 2 main characters- Maite and Elvis. I mean, I normally care about the characters, but in this book I was dying for them to finally meet. They were such gorgeously broken characters and I desperately wanted these two lonely people to find each other. They felt so relatable and REAL.

I’m not a huge fan of political themes in stories, not because it’s a bad topic, but because it just normally goes right over my head. I did have a little trouble following along with the historical political climate Velvet is set in. I knew nada about these real life events, terms, or people. While it was a little confusing here or there, the plot is easy to follow along with and there are plenty of context clues / explanations that I never felt like I was lost.

At the end of the book (and in the book club kit) there was a little bit of a history explanation of the events that really happened. We get a brief look at the 1960s and 70s Mexican government and explanations about the problems with protesters and American rock n’ roll of the time. It was really fascinating to learn about this slice of time and place that I knew nothing about.

The big twists / surprise reveals in Velvet were pretty predictable. Normally that would be less that exciting, BUT here it felt like it actually ADDED to the excitement! You can see what is rushing head on to greet the unsuspecting main characters. It leaves you drenched in anticipation while waiting for the characters to finally see the reveal(s) for themselves. What will happen?? It was tense and exciting waiting…

With each chapter, you get sucked in more and more. Where is Leonora? It really sneaks up on you. Before I knew it, I was so wrapped up in the mystery, I could no longer put the book down. The action (and dead bodies piling up) kept ramping up into a very fast paced showdown, followed by a beautifully satisfying end. So very noir! I was in love with this story. ❤ As soon as I finished it I wanted to go right back to the beginning and start all over again.

Another great story from this author. She has a wonderful way of sucking you into the story. You feel like you are actually there taking part in the events. Entertaining 100% from start to finish. Bonus points for a BOSS soundtrack and music references. Gorgeous cover, realistic people, and a very authentic vibe for classic noir. I will be recommending this book to everyone for a while…

Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is an adult historical mystery thriller set in Mexico City. If you're at all interested in edgy and modern noir novels, this new standalone novel is a must read. Moreno-Garcia is quickly becoming an author that I can't miss. Her writing style is incredibly lush and detailed. The setting of this novel really jumps off the page. It's practically a character in its own right. I didn't realize going in that this story is inspired by events. You're going to have to stick around for the acknowledgments which are quite intriguing. I can't wait to read more from this author in the future. I need to get caught up on her work soon.

I had mixed feelings about this book. I absolutely loved the cover, thought it was gorgeous. I was also very intrigued by the blurb. The writing was fabulous and I liked the alternating timeline.

My issue was with the characters. There were just too many of them for me to be able to keep them straight, specifically when it came to the Hawks. I don’t know if it was the “code” names, or if I just wasn’t as invested in that side of the story but I was constantly getting the characters confused.

While I really enjoyed Maite’s storyline, I was equally as unimpressed with Elvis and the Hawks. Aside from the character confusion, there was too much gang-related description that just didn’t come to vision in my head. I am not well versed in gang terms or rules or weapons, so I feel like whole sections of the plot were lost on me.

I also thought the ending was pretty disappointing. I really expected a big reveal of what happened to Leonora and it was anything but that. I felt like she just magically reappeared with no explanation or reason at all that made the story worth it.

As I said before, I really liked the writing style and the layout of this book. It was the storyline that just didn’t work for me. I would recommend this to anyone who likes crime-based stories and mysteries.

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.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia does it again with hypnotic prose that creates a perfect atmosphere. We are transported to the turbulent 1970s Mexico City, where various groups compete for dominance. While elements of romance do take place, this is definitely a noir book, not a straight romance.