Interesting crime/mystery novel set in Mexico. Good to read something a little different, but the characters were not incredibly likable and the mystery was easy to see coming.

Velvet Was The Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is described by the author as noir. The book was well written in the 25% that I read; I just don’t think noir and I fit well together. I am glad that so many others are enjoying the book. I will definitely give the author another try. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

3/5 ⭐️s

I knew from the cover alone that this book was going to be a completely unique experience compared to Mexican Gothic, and while historical noir isn’t my normal genre, I genuinely enjoyed the experience!

Maite can’t deny her curiosity when her neighbor goes missing. Elvis has finally gotten the chance to lead a unit in the paramilitary group he works for and is tasked with finding the same woman. Both Maite and Elvis must avoid the corrupt government agents, hitmen, and KGB operatives as they seek the truth.

What worked:
SMG writes really amazing and complex characters. In what I’ve read of hers so far, her heroes/heroines are never typical, and I appreciate that. Maite was borderline unlikeable (although maybe it’s because she’s also extremely relatable?), but you still find yourself routing for her as she navigates the seedy underworld of Mexican government in the ‘70s.

The historical component of this was also incredible. I know almost nothing about Mexico’s history, yet SMG managed to create this story that completely immersed me within the time and culture.

What didn’t work:
The plot is slow, especially in the beginning before the mystery really begins to take shape.

I wish the two storylines had overlapped a bit more, but that’s a personal opinion. I can see a beauty in the parallelism of the two POVs as well.

While I loved Maite and Elvis, I felt the side characters were less fleshed out. I wanted to know more about Leonora especially.

Read this if you love:
- Mysteries
- Historical fiction
- Noirs

Slight spoiler:
I always need some form of romance to truly enjoy a book. This had that, but it was a very light seasoning on the mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having not read anything by this author before, I was not quite sure what to expect. In all honesty, I knew of Mexican Gothic but have not gotten around to reading it yet despite it being highly recommended and on my to-read list. Therefore, when the opportunity to read and review this presented itself, I jumped on it.
I am glad I did because I have not read something like this before.
This book takes place in the 1970s in Mexico and follows a group of student protestors, and two rival groups that are either involved with suppression of information by the Mexican government or just hired thugs on the other hand.
I have very little knowledge of this area of Mexican history, but this book was absolutely the most interesting thing I have read in a while. Not only was it stunningly and beautifully written, helping to evoke Mexico of that era, but it also has a matching Spotify playlist to match up with Maite's musical interests that are mentioned in the book so you can listen to it while reading.
I think if you enjoy things that are intellectually superior, well-written and very meticulously researched while still being interesting and fun, this is 100% a book you NEED to read.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adore Silvia Moreno Garcia’s books, and when I got this one I was so beyond excited and it did not disappoint. This noir had everything that I wanted in a book, and left me with a whole in my chest. Really really great.

Velvet Was the Night was a very different read from Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic. Here we have a historical noir, centered around the historical events of The Dirty War in Mexico City (1970's). I personally had never heard of this war, and believe the reader would benefit from a bit of a history lesson in the beginning, as I found the opening chapters and the political nuances a bit hard to follow due to my lack of knowledge. At the end of the story, there is an epilogue that explains what was going on at the time, along with a playlist of the songs mentioned in the writing.

The novel is set around the idea of a boring woman, Maite, slowly becoming unintentionally involved in the Dirty War, initially by agreeing to take care of her neighbor's cat. Her neighbor, Leonora, disappears, and Maite does her best to track her down in order to relieve herself of cat-caring duties, thus finding herself getting deeper and deeper into the political resistance scene. Maite has a lot of self-loathing and has never had much encouragement or even creativity in her life, and she is a seemingly average person. Maite does love and collect books and records, however, and enjoys listening to them and the act of collecting them. She also reads romances in the form of graphic novels, often wishing her life was like that of the characters in the graphic novels.

Elvis is a thug who works for a gang called The Hawks. He leads a rough and disposable life, doing without question what his boss asks of him. He has never had a loving relationship, or much encouragement or success outside of this gang structure. Elvis loves music and books as well, and while surveilling Maite, becomes intrigued with her collections and the fact that she seems to be as passionate as he about music and books/knowledge. Elvis tries to better himself by learning a new word each day and inserting it into his conversation.

The overall theme could be that nurturing relationships and mentoring drive our actions, good or bad. And also, that the arts unite us. There are photographers, writers, books and music that are very central to this novel, and the overall idea that the arts can drive change, unify people and build relationships is a good one. I'm not sure if that was what the author was going for with the focus on the violence and noir, but that is what I will take from it, elevating this to a three star read for me.

Thank you to #netgalley and #randomhousepublishinggroup for this ARC of #VelvetWasTheNight!

Velvet Was the Night is a noir thriller set in 1970s Mexico at a time when students were being brutally attacked for organizing, protesting, and standing up against an oppressive and corrupt government. The book centers around Maite and Elvis. Maite, a single woman who works as a secretary, isn't satisfied with her mundane life and wishes for a life more like the stories she reads in her romance comics. Elvis, is a member of Hawk, a government/military funded unit of basically, hired brawn, and spends his days on assignments surveilling, interrogating, and roughing people up. Elvis' and Maite's stories intertwine as both of them, for different reasons, are caught up in search of a missing woman.

Both Elvis and Maite are such well written characters and I enjoyed watching them evolve throughout the novel. Both faced disappointments that they had to come to terms with. I especially liked that both main characters had a deep love for music. Author Silvia Moreno-Garcia even compiled a playlist to go along with the book and set the mood, and I found that to be a brilliant touch.

At times the pacing of the novel was a bit slow for me and there were twists that I found predictable but the setting, vibe, and characters made it well worth reading. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC of this novel.

I simply don't understand how Silvia Moreno-Garcia can throw herself into all of these genres of fiction and do them all so excellently. What I've read before from her has been more on the fantasy/speculative side, but not this book. This book did not mince words. It was dark, gritty, and a perfect example of modern noir fiction. I loved it.

Thank you so much to Random House for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Velvet Was the Night is a crime/noir novel set in 1970s Mexico City. We follow a woman named Maite, who is bored with her life and gets sucked into a political mystery when her neighbor Leonora goes missing. We also follow Elvis, a member of the Hawks, a secret police force trained by the CIA to break up student protests, as he follows Maite in an attempt to track down Leonora.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is such a versatile author, no two of her books ever feel the same and this one is no exception. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, so I was incredibly excited when this book was announced. I really enjoyed both of the POV characters. Each of them felt like real people with real insecurities and struggles. I do wish their storylines had crossed over earlier than they did, I would have liked to see more of the two of them interacting. The mystery was also deeply intriguing and although the novel was a little slow to start, by around 40% I was completely hooked. If you are a mystery and/or historical fiction lover, I'd definitely recommend checking this one out!

Velvet Was the Night by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia, author of Mexican Gothic is a fiction noir set in 1970’s Mexico City.

Maite is a thirty year old secretary who loves listening to her records and reading romance comics. When her young and beautiful next door neighbor, Leonora, goes missing Maite tries to find her and has to face the political upheaval in her city.

Elvis, a music loving thug, is also looking for Leonora and keeping his eye on Maite. When his violent lifestyle pulls him deeper in to crime, Elvis struggles with his own doubts and challenges.

I felt it was a bit slow getting started, but once it picked up it was a fast paced read that I could not put down. Maite and Elvis are MCs who both struggle with insecurities and a feeling of restlessness in their day to day lives that makes them human and relatable.

This book is perfect for lovers of noir and historical fiction. I enjoyed the backstory from the author in the afterward and the Spotify playlist is perfect for the story. I always enjoy learning something new while reading and this book did not disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing and Sylvia Moreno-Garcia for this free digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The setting: Maite, a secretary, dissatisfied with her job and life in general, lives for the comic book Secret Romance, Her neighbor, Leonora, asks her to take care of her cat-. Maite agrees--thinking it's for a few days, but then Leonora goes missing--setting the overall plot in motion. People are searching for Leonora as she supposedly has film that would threaten certain people. Add into the mix Mexican thugs [especially Elvis, a member of the Hawks] student radicals/political activists, Russian spies, government agents, Maite's mother and sister, and more. Set in the period of the "Dirty War."

Billed as historical crime noir, but... Certainly noir-ish, but I found it more like a soap opera--similar to the Secret Romance comic of Maite's devotion.

For the most part, the novel rotates between Maite and Elvis. And there is a certain threading of the needle that revealed certain plot points.

Lots of loneliness and darkness and turmoil and interconnections and backstabbing.

An easy read, but I did not feel the love that many readers did.

However, there were certain descriptions that resonated with me:

"Everything was beautiful. It was a pageant of prosperity."
"...sit on the bed, and when he did the bed creaked, as if uttering a complaint."

So overall, ok. But the playlist in the back--wow!

Silvia Moreno-Garcia can tackle every genre and write a great book. This time she aces a noir. I’m not a fan of anything involving mobsters or corruption schemes and anything involving politics usually bores me. At first, I feared that I would not get engrossed by a plot about the political struggles of 1970’s Mexico, but this author could make me care about anything. Maite is a secretary. 30 and unmarried, she’s considered a spinster at the time. She’s not smart, informed, likable or even pretty. All she cares about is music and romance comics. When her neighbor asks her to feed her cat while she’s away and then disappears, Maite gets involved in a plot that she doesn’t even begin to understand. Elvis, a thug and a petty criminal who’s part of a conspiracy that’s way above his head, is just trying to survive in a situation where he’s expendable. Maite and Elvis both have many similarities and would make a great couple, if only they met. All the other characters are typical of the noir genre, but they are well fleshed out and not just background. The writing, as always, is flawless and beautiful. Moreno-Garcia is a very talented writer and one of my favorites. This is just a great read.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine-Del Rey!

I hated this almost as much as I hated her first book, Mexican Gothic, which was a disappointing and predictable read. I was extremely underwhelmed with Mexican Gothic and the same goes for Velvet Was The Night but for different reasons. Mexican Gothic was trying to bring on the thrill and horror; this book was trying to be a noir, suspense, romance, idk... seems like the Garcia could not stick to one genre for this one. I really wanted to like Maite, but she was just such a bland character who had some moments of breaking out of her shell after she met Elvis. Elvis was portrayed as a foul-mouth gangster and an edge. I really wanted to like him too, but he kept making bad choices continually even when trying to help Maite.

I understand the different chapters switching back and forth between Maite and Elvis, I like different POVs/timelines in books. Again, Maite's chapters were filled with observations and wanting to be more courageous and Elvis' chapters were filled with swears, that usually do not bother me as long as there is a point, and there really was not one.

It was a struggle to suffer reading through yet another horrendous Silvia Moreno-Garcia book. I was hoping this one would be better than the undeserving, over-hyped, disappointing mess of Mexican Gothic, but it was not. It was just disappointing in a different way. At least this one was trying to fictionalize an actual event, its only redeeming quality. I just hated it!

I do not know if I can struggle through a 3rd SMG book in the future or not. I need to stop reading her books because I am always disappointed and PO'd. This book, if you have the hard cover edition, would be better as a coaster or a door stop......

Henceforth, I cannot and will not recommend this book. I would like to get my time spent reading this filth to something else I could have been reading. JMO. Do not mean to be so harsh, but totally over the hype of this writer and her disappointing books. Is it possible to give 1/4 or 1/2 a star to a book?

Thanks to Netgalley, SIlvia Morena-Garcia and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine Books for an ARC in exchange for honest review, and believe me; it was honest!

Available: 8/17/21

WoW! What's not to love here!
This cover is just stunning..... Hot!

Velvet Was the Night has been on my lost for awhile now. And I hate to have read it so early before release date..... But no self control here!

Things I loved about it-
The dual perspectives
Set in the 70s
We are in Mexico City..... Swooning!
Its a thriller/historical fiction read
Its a little political
Music is added in the mix
The writing..... Amazing! Amazing!

Disliked- Absolutely nothing!
Its that damn good y'all!

I seriously can't thank NetGalley Ballantine and Author for this advance ebook copy!

Ill post to my Goodreads and Bookstagram account closer to pub date!

This was an action-packed crime thriller with tension, drama and heart. I love how Moreno-Garcia brings her settings and time periods to life, and I appreciated the allusions to music and pop culture throughout. I equally enjoyed both POVs, and was happy with where Elvis and Maite ended up.

Velvet Was the Night was my first historic noir novel. And my first read by this author! The writing style is beautiful and I loved how the author set up the atmosphere and setting of the book. But otherwise, this book wasn’t for me. I think my main struggles were the pacing and the genre- I wanted more suspense and action. I found myself skimming chapters. I also would have liked more character development. But I do think that fans of this genre and this author’s writing will enjoy this! Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

Slow to develop the characters, but worth the wait. A suspenseful plot and character development to the very end.

I typically love Silvia Moreno-Garcia's books, but I was unfortunately disappointed. It was a slow read for me and I had a hard time becoming invested in the story or characters. From the start, I struggled, because I thought the first chapter introduced events in a confusing manner and named so many characters that it affected my focus and the desire to move forward almost immediately. She is a wonderful author in general, but I was underwhelmed by this one, unfortunately.

I absolutely adored Moreno-Garcia's "Mexican Gothic" so I might or might not have screamed a little when my request for the arc of her newest book got approved. I had high expectations because I love her writing style, and I wasn't disappointed.
"Velves Was the Night" is a beautifully written historical pulp noir novel set in Mexico, and it very much reads like pulp noir, too. I admit that I'm not the biggest fan of that subgenre and rarely do read it, but it's always fun and I'm always entertained. The same goes for this novel. What really drew me in, though, was the political and historical background of it. I've heard about the Dirty War and the student protests, but really, I barely know a thing. It was fascinating and brutal to read about it. The Author's Note made me go on a Wikipedia binge, wnd Moreno-Garcia is right when she calls it a real-life horror story.

In the end, though, I was still just a little bit... bored. The plot is complex but at the same time very simple, there is a lot going on while at the same time nothing substantial is really ever happening. It's a short, quick read with slow pacing so I never really felt the sense of urgency needed to create excitement. Maybe the reason for it is that I just didn't connect at all with the characters, either. Both Elvis and Maite are interesting protagonists and their perspectives on what's going on in Mexico, what they learned through meeting different people, were enlightening and intriguing. But I just. Did not care about them. Neither of them managed to get me emotionally involved, leading to me being kind of meh about their fates in the story.

It's definitely a good novel and I'm pretty sure that fans of the pulp noir genre can appreciate it much much more than I do.

Velvet Was The Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a historical novel with a noir twist. I went into it thinking that I would love it, as I love historical fiction and also the mystery/thriller genre.

The writing in this book was outstanding. The author had a knack for writing lush descriptions and complex characters, however, I just don't think this was the book for me.

I love a good mystery/thriller as I said above, but they need to quickly draw me in, Velvet Was The Night started with a protest and gangs and moved extremely slow for me. From that point I found myself skimming and skipping over the chapters that dealt with the gangs because they just did not hold my interest. For this reason, I think the book lost something for me.

I feel like there will be a market for the book, some will find the authors writing riveting and be able to get past the more technical chapters, that just wasn't for me!