Elvis is apart of the Hawks and must find a film and surveillance Maite because she was the last one to see Leonora. Maite was asked to watch Leonora’s cat and Leonora asks Maite to bring her a box and her cat at a certain place, but Leonora never shows. Maite becomes worried and starts investigating what happened to Leonora.
Alright, I loved Mexican Gothic by this author and I had to request this book off of Netgalley. I got approved and was so excited. However, this book was disappointing and did not live up to my expectations. I did enjoy the dual perspectives and how they ended up tying together. The twist was good, however it was almost expected and didn’t give you that wow factor that you look forward to in these type of books. Maite was a bit unlikeable because she constantly compared herself to Leonora and complained about her own looks and wardrobe. This book was slow at times too. It was just an okay read for me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-arc! This was my first dabble into historical Noir which is defined as "essentially psychological narratives with the action—however violent or fast-paced—less significant than faces, gestures, words—than the truth of the characters.” The setting of this book takes place in Mexico during the 1970s. Maite works as a legal secretary by day, and reads romantic comics by night; wishing of a different path for herself. Contrasting with Elvis, an enforcer in a group called the Hawks. The Hawks is created by the Mexican government as a paramilitary group to attack, torture, and kill protesters. Elvis's life is consumed by violence and his main objective is to suppress political activists within the city. These two characters cross paths as they search for Leonora for different intentions. This book was a total slow burn but well worth it with atmospheric writing transporting you to Mexico. The dual narration worked for me as it provided two insider vs. outsider views which gives you a glimpse into both characters. If you were a fan of Mexican Gothic, this should be right up your alley and if not, please try this one as the pacing picks throughout and has the ability to draw all readers in!! 3.75*

4 stars *may change

This was probably the first time I really /got/ SMG's writing. I'd read one of her books and novellas before, but neither of them really stuck out to me as anything great up until now. I think there was something about the film noir aspect and unconventional dual povs that really made it. I love when two characters are entirely different from one another but just...work? Like, Maite is this very plain and boring secretary who reads romance books and Elvis is this young ruffian working in a gang who kills people. It's a little funny.

Also, I think the religious aspect was hilarious. Elvis literally beats up and kills people for a job but won't hurt a priest himself because he doesn't want to go to Hell? Lmao.

The book opens at the Corpus Christi Massacre of 1971 in Mexico City where a shock group organized by the Mexican government, the Hawks, attacked a group of student protesters.

Told in the alternating perspectives of Maite, a daydreaming secretary, and Elvis, a reluctant criminal, as they separately search for the same missing woman.

One thing I absolutely love about SMG’s work is that it's heavily atmospheric; her books have a very unique feel about them. I fell in love with her writing with Mexican Gothic last year and though Velvet is in a class all its own, her style left me in awe all over again.

Having never read a noir, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. Slow paced and the suspense subtle, you're dropped right into the action, then the aftermath as the mystery unfolds. I loved the musical elements, and the accompanying playlist on Spotify.

The afterword is a MUST read. I feel like that made everything 'click' for me, not having been familiar with this piece of Mexican history. I tend to go into books fairly blind, and I think that was a mistake in this case.

Yes, the author of last year’s breakout horror novel Mexican Gothic is back, this time with a neo-noir masterpiece that will have you cancelling your dinner plans so you can finish this sucker in one sitting. Folks, these pages turn themselves and despite the dark themes, freedom crushing state violence, and a story completely lacking in empathy, Velvet Was the Night is one of the most fun reads this year.

Like the summary says, Maite is a ghost in a city on the brink of disaster, as two diametrically opposed political and socio-economic realities are clashing violently on the streets of a 1970s Mexico City. Disconnected from it all, choosing fantasy and mundane over engagement, no one could ever accuse Maite of being au courant on anything besides troubadours. Yes, she certainly loves her some crooner music. When she begrudgingly agrees (with a considerable mark up) to cat-sit for her free-spirited neighbor Leonora, she wouldn’t know it at the time, but things are set in motion which cannot be undone, thrusting Maite into a world of mystery, murder, and corruption she only reads about in her comic books.

What starts out as a sort of debt collection for Maite (she really needs the cat-sitting money), turns into a missing-persons case as Leonora has disappeared from the face of the earth. This would all be fairly simple if not for the fact that there are other more serious types looking for her as well, more specifically her camera and some potentially incriminating photographs of people you don’t want potentially incriminating photographs of. So, whether she knows it or not, whether she likes it or not, Maite is now caught up is something much more than she bargained for. And this brings other characters into her life that make up the rest of the cast for remainder of this wonderful book.

This is a non-spoiler review and, in a noir/murder/mystery type premise the less you say the better, and Silvia certainly doesn’t need my stupid ass ruining any of the surprises. But the story is extremely well-paced, tight as all hell, and full of characters you’d expect to find in something such as this. From a cast standpoint, I’m reminded of The Nice Guys, another great neo-noir premise, albeit with comedy leanings and like that movie, Velvet Was the Night has a cast of revolving characters (both domestic and foreign) that are all up to the task of creating suspicion, intrigue, and plot without crowding the plate. Yes, every single character affects the plot in some way, each one a natural extension of the time and place in which the story exists.

But despite all that, Silvia never lets you forget that this book has two stars, and two stars only, Maite Jaramillo and Ermenegildo aka “Elvis”. Playing the “The Dreamer” archetype you’ve got Maite, who, for all intents and purposes, is unassuming, hopeless, and incredibly relatable. And watching her from a safe distance is Elvis as “The Rogue”, a Type A pipe-dreamer with a tough exterior and a chewy center.

For the full review, click the link below...

https://www.cinelinx.com/off-beat/velvet-was-the-night-book-review/

4.5 stars

When I first requested this, I didn't realize it was noir fiction, which is totally different from the only other book I've read by the author, Mexican Gothic. But I like trying different things, and I'm really glad I gave this book a chance. I should perhaps state that I just finished reading two books by another author that gave me a similar vibe (Porno Valley and Nobody Move), so my brain has been immersed in this genre, which probably made me even more receptive to this book.

This is a story that takes place in Mexico at the beginning of the Dirty War just after The Corpus Christi Massacre, or El Halconazo (The Hawk Strike). This is referred to at the very beginning in a telegram from the United States Department of State in June of 1971, and yes, I did look it up, which gave me a little bit of context for the rest of this book. I both read and listened to this book simultaneously, which I really enjoyed because I needed to see the spelling of the various Mexican words and names, but I also needed to hear the correct pronunciations, which increased my immersion into the worlds of Elvis and Maite, who take turns with the point of view. I loved how the author began the story from two very different worlds but as the story progressed, their stories started weaving towards each other, just missing each other, continuing the dance apart from each other, only to move back towards each other. Music was a pervading theme in this story, from Maite's extensive record collection to Elvis' appreciation of music. Elvis' love of reading was also echoed in Maite's book collection, although her love of the Romance Comics (which are a real thing) was something he didn't completely get, and I love that he didn't make fun of her for it.

As in many noir novels, there are plenty of characters to dislike, but many of the characters are neither all good nor all bad. Looking back, I honestly didn't like Leonora, who was absent for most of the book, but I don't want to say anything else about the other characters for fear of spoiling the book for readers. There were a few surprises for sure, which made the book that much more interesting to me. Overall, I liked the way the book ended and I also appreciated the history lesson. Sadly, the fact that so many in power got away with what was essentially murder is altogether still real, even in our country. But I'm glad that the author chose this time to be the setting of her novel. I feel she did an excellent job incorporating fact into fiction.

In terms of action and violence, there was plenty to be hand, but it never felt frantic or like too much. In fact, there were times when it seemed like a slow burn to me, except then I would turn the page and something else would happen. So overall, I think the pacing was about right--perhaps a tad on the slower side, but I never felt bored. In the end, I rounded up because I couldn't put it down and I was quite satisfied with the ending. There were more than a few places where I could almost visualize a movie scene. This would definitely make an interesting movie.

If you're looking for more books like Mexican Gothic, then this may not be the book for you. But if you release any expectations of the supernatural and want to read a well-written noir novel, then you should definitely check this out.

**3.5-stars rounded up**

In 1970s, Mexico City, Maite works as a legal secretary by day, and reads romantic comics by night; dreaming of a different life for herself.

Elvis is an enforcer in a group called the Hawks, whose main objective is to suppress political activists within the city. His life is surrounded by violence. He's also hoping for more; maybe to be more like the King himself, Elvis Presley.

Elvis and Maite are about to have their lives intertwined, all because of a girl named, Leonora. Leonora is a beauty, a free-spirit, a student, an artist. She lives across the hall from Maite. Although the two have never really socialized, Leonora comes to Maite one day for a favor and then disappears.

Intrigued by the young woman's disappearance, Maite begins looking into Leonora's life. The mystery infuses Maite's life with an excitment she's never really had before. Elvis is looking for Leonora as well, but for completely different reasons. His employer is desperate to find Leonora in order to gain access to something he believes she is in possession of.

During the course of his hunt, Elvis begins to notice the quiet, mousey woman living in Leonora's building. There's something about her that he is drawn to. As the narrative evolves the two strangers begin to orbit closer and closer together, but will they collide?

Velvet Was the Night wasn't what I expected, although that's my own fault. This is true noir, take that seriously. It's a slow burn, with relatively low-stakes. The tone is lush, the narrative richly-atmospheric. Initially, I wasn't sold. It starts slow. I was wondering where it was going, when it was going to pick up and while I was wondering that, Moreno-Garcia was subtly sucking me in.

The next thing I knew, I was being transported to Mexico City. I was fully immersed within this story, with the characters, with their inner musings. I couldn't put it down. It was a unique reading experience for me. I don't read a lot of books like this and while I really enjoyed it, it still won't be a genre I will seek out. I feel like the magic of this for me was in Moreno-Garcia's writing; it was the way it unfolded, the beauty behind the slow drama of it all. It's a special book, although admittedly, not for everyone.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy to read and review. While not necessarily in my comfort zone, I did really enjoy my time reading this one and will continue to pick up anything Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes!!

"My novel is noir, pulp fiction, but it's based on a real horror story."

A daydreaming secretary, an enforcer, and a missing woman they are trying to find.

1970s, Mexico City

Maite is a secretary who escapes the student protests and political unrest by escaping into the pages of the latest issue of Secret Romance. Her next-door neighbor, Lenora is beautiful young art student who appears to live a life of intrigue and romance like what Maite reads about. When Lenora disappears, Maite goes looking for her and delves deeper into her secret life.

"life's a mess."

Elvis is a member of the Hawks which is a group run by the government. He is a criminal who loathes violence. When it becomes known that Lenora has photos that the government do not want to be seen, El Mago, Elvis's boss sends him and his crew to get those pictures. While looking for the Lenora and the pictures, Maite catches his eye and Elvis' eye especially when he learns of the things they have in common. Needless to say, both of their searches are dangerous - more dangerous than they could ever imagine!

"How do stories end?"

This one ended and had me wishing I could begin another book by this author right away. Silvia Moreno-Garcia did a brilliant job of blending fiction with historical events. You can read her Author's note at the end as she details the events. She caught my eye with Mexican Gothic and I became a bigger fan with this book - I have to say I enjoyed this one more.

This book grabbed me from the get -go and held my attention! It's a little slower than most books I enjoy. I am typically not a fan of slow burns – they annoy me. But as I mentioned, this one grabbed me, and I didn't mind the slow start as things did pick up and got interesting. I found this book to be beautifully written, gripping, well thought out and riveting. Both Maite and Elvis are likeable characters. We get to know them individually and their stories until eventually their stories collide. I rooted for each.

**Plus, how about that cover. Both of the books I have read by her have the most beautiful and intriguing covers!

Captivating, atmospheric and violent.


Thank you to Random House Publishing Group/ Ballantine/Del Rey and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Special thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Random House and the author Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This review might be a day late, but this book does not fall short! If you loved her previous well written book, Mexican Gothic, you'll LOVE Velvet Was the Night. She really sets the scene again with the Mexican locale. Also the Book Club Kit that is available for download is so much fun! Comes with a cocktail recipe and a great playlist.
5 Stars, highly recommend

I was really into the noir of this one. Silvia Moreno-Garcia has one of those writing styles that, even when you are absolutely lost, you are desperate to find your way again. She leaves you wanting to know how it will all end.

I really enjoyed reading this book and learning about these characters and their lives. I enjoyed the mystery and the conflict that was taking taking place while the characters had their own role in the action. The portrayal of music and records was moving and made me want to get a record player. I also love the reference to romance comics. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this e-arc.

First of all, this cover is stunning.
Second of all: Mexican Gothic wasn't for me so I had high hopes for the author’s next book.
Third of all: I liked it.

What I liked:
Action from cover to cover. Really, you’ll have no time to rest.
It’s unique. Let’s be real - how many books have you seen that are set in Mexico in the 70s? The 70s atmosphere is almost palpable. The author did a great job there!
The relatable main character. Maite is a romance addict. 💕 Literally. She reads romance novellas and her favorite characters are like real people to her. I think most of us bookworms can relate to that, right? 💁🏻‍♀️

3.5 ⭐️

This book is not nearly as creepy and twisted as Mexican Gothic. Also, it’s not a quick thriller. If you’re expecting this, you’ll probably get bored and DNF it.

This is a slow burn historical mystery. We have criminal organizations, radical political protesters, and I actually learned a lot about what was happening in Mexico in the 70s.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early read!

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of Mexican Gothic, a story set in 1950’s Mexico, where she uses all the usual elements of a gothic tale, but with a twist to take the genre in a new direction. Now she is back with Velvet Was the Night, where she is doing the same thing with noir mystery fiction. Maite is a young woman, working as a law secretary, taking refuge in vinyl records and pulp romance fiction. Her neighbor Leonora asks her to watch her cat for a weekend, but then never returns. Not wanting to be responsible for the cat, and wanting to be paid for the job, she goes looking for her. Elvis (not his real name) is a member of the Hawks, an unofficial agency charged with suppressing student uprisings by whatever means necessary. He is also looking for Leonora, who has photographs that his boss wants back. The story goes back and forth between Maite and Elvis and their paths become closer and closer together. They are two imperfect and interesting characters – Elvis is a glorified street thug, but yearns to do something more with his life; Maite sometimes has trouble distinguishing between real life and the pulp romances that she loves. The author has again taken a well-established genre and made it her own. My one warning – I found the first chapter a big confusing, but it was the only time, so it is definitely worth powering through it. If you like the classic noir authors, if you like the new Scandinavian noir made popular by The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, or if you liked Mexican Gothic – then try Velvet Was the Night.

To say that Moreno-Garcia’s writing is always fresh, original and entertaining is a fact. She brings her talent to a thriller about Mexico’s Dirty War in the 1970’s. Through the eyes of two different people, Maite, a single woman working as a secretary wishing for more to her life and Elvis the hired killer for a group of enforcers who are determined to squash communism. I didn’t realize that this book was going to turn into a noir story, but it did with a vengeance. Maite, finds herself the target of the government when she agrees to take care of a neighbor’s cat for a few days. The few days turn into many and Maite starts looking for her neighbor, who is an outspoken critic of the government with many anti-government friends. Because of this, Elvis and two other thugs are assigned to watch her. The tension and the violence Maite finds leads to an ending which no reader will anticipate.

Thank you to Random House- Del Ray and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own

This was my first SMG book and I was not disappointed! I absolutely enjoyed every minute of this! Rife with mystery, intrigue and a determined secretary- you will become engrossed in this story that will keep you flipping the pages until you've finished. SMG sets up this novel beautifully. She pulls you in from the very first page and it's hard to let go once you've read the last.

My biggest complaint was that the Elvis chapters were a little slow at times and could easily lose my interest, but these were few and far between. The dynamics between the characters was well executed and the setting was perfectly laid out. The description was very much show and not tell and it gave me a great feel for where they were at all times. I loved how Maite responded to each and every little set back and situation. You got such a great feel for the character the further the book went on. I loved the idea of envy as a motivator (in a sense) and really enjoyed the whole journey. It was very well written.

If you're looking for an engrossing mystery/thriller, I wouldn't hesitate to pick this one up!
true rating: 4.25/5

This is not my first book by this author but it is my favorite by her yet. One thing I enjoy about this author is how her stories are well written and her use of details to make the story come to life. This book is no different. I enjoyed being pulled into this story from the beginning by the characters. They are relateable and truly made the story for me. This is a historical romance story that I loved and left me turning pages fast. I had a hard time putting this book down until the end. This is a story about a missing woman and those trying to find her. There is alot going on in this story but the author did a great job of keeping things straight and I didnt get lost. This is an engaging story that I highly recommend. It is a must read.

4 stars

Another hypnotic, unstoppable novel from an author who can seemingly tackle any genre. Crime noir, interesting characters, and a plot that moves at the pace of a snail and yet captivates your attention. A very interesting read.

Writing: ★★★★★
Pacing: ★★
Characters: ★★★★
Plot: ★★★★

Happy Publication Day!!

Velvet Was the Night is a study in interesting contradictions wrapped around a "true horror story," as the author notes in their afterword. I found it to be utterly compelling even despite of a few personal quirks.

Maite is a 30-year-old woman in 1970s Mexico City. She lives in an apartment that she can't really afford, she works as a dictation secretary in a law office she doesn't like, and she's desperate for love and yet unwilling to open herself up to the possibility of finding it.

She's not a likeable character, to be honest. But I didn't care—she was interesting. And interesting people are more fun to follow within a story.

When her neighbor, the beautiful and artistic Leonora, asks Maite to watch her cat while she leaves town for a few days, Maite reluctantly agrees. Maite has no idea how that one decision will change her life.

Leonora doesn't return. And things in Mexico City are about to boil over into a political nightmare with Maite, of all people, somehow at the center of the story.

Entwined with Maite's story is the story of Elvis, a young man working for the Hawks, a shady, guerilla/gangsterized form of enforcers operating in the shadows of the current Mexican regime. Elvis fell into the line of work when his petty thieving brought him to the attention of the wrong people, and now he's embroiled in the drama whether he wants to be or not. And Elvis isn't quite sure these days.

As Maite's and Elvis' lives meld into one noir narrative bubbling with intrigue, Velvet Was the Night embarks on a simmering adventure.

Now, I'm starting from a place of bias when I say that I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia already. I'm primed to—at a minimum—enjoy their work as I love the writing style and their way of delving into character development. This novel was no exception. I loved it too.

Velvet Was the Night was a different kind of Moreno-Garcia read, however, and I'm still chewing on the why. For one thing, it took Moreno-Garcia's already slowwww pacing and dialed it down even further. Which I didn't know was possible. Let's be honest: I struggled with the slowness of the pacing for the first half of the book because it was just that—tooooooo slowwwwww.

But then the simmering, never-at-rest and yet slow-as-heck vibe started to get to me. I was hooked, and even though I still wanted the ride to go faster, I was getting into it as a slow burn. Good synonyms for this story: simmering, digesting, creeping, enveloping. Slow and steady wins the RACE, y'all.

I also had a bit of a harder time with this novel as the characters weren't who I wanted them to be. I don't know why, maybe it's society's expectations or stereotypes of the genre or something else, but the fact that Maite and Elvis continued to thwart my expectations of them (sometimes even in negative ways) just really took me aback. Looking back on the reading experience, I liked that about the novel. But during the read I found it frustrating.

See what I mean? Contradictions. An odd, lingering, inescapable story. Another winner.

Silvia, what WILL you write next??? I am already waiting.

Thank you to Del Rey for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

This cover! Gorgeous. I feel this author always has amazing covers.

This is my second book by SMG. I'm not sure noir is my genre, but this book was well done and I had to keep going right up until the end to find out the outcome. Maite and Elvis and the cast of side characters were well written. Many of them you didn't actually like, but you still found yourself rooting for them to find what they are looking for.

SMG writes well and her characters come to life. It was a bit slow moving and I probably would have liked more suspense, but overall I enjoyed the storyline and the writing. And will definitely look for more from this author.

Thank you to Net Galley, Random House Publishing and Ballantine books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia has succeeded in writing hard boiled fiction, and this, her latest, she insists on branding as "noir." There is just the right amount of smoky atmosphere, but Maite, the heroine, brings just the right touch of humor, and Elvis, her counterpart, has the right touch of complexity, that makes this a highly enjoyable novel that I wouldn't term entirely of the noir genre. I loved the twists that don't reveal answers until the proper moment, and the utter cluelessness shown by Maite as she longs for adventure and romance, not realizing she's in the middle of a potboiler herself that blows her graphic novels off the page. While not exactly clueless, she is naive in believing that no one would look at her twice, and as she becomes more and more embroiled and aware, I found myself actually laughing out loud. Kudos.

This was not my favorite Garcia book? Sadly??? It want that fact that it was slow or I didn’t know much about the topic of the Mexican Dirty War— I couldn’t connect to the characters. They were neither likable or dislikable— they were just there. The development wasn’t something I could count for. This felt like a very character driven book and both had one characteristic, one mode, just…. There wasn’t much for me to grip onto here.