Maite and Elvis couldn't be more different, but they are in a race to find out what happened to a missing girl, and some dangerous photos.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Maite is a thirty-year-old spinster, living alone, and working a dead-end job in Mexico City in 1971. She is quite happy with her little life, and never reads the papers, or gets involved in the growing tensions around her.
When she (begrudgingly) agrees to look after her neighbours cat, Maite is in the middle of a mystery when the neighbour doesn't return.

Elvis is early twenties, and has gone between several gangs and cults. He is now a Hawk, working for El Mago, doing whatever needs to be done.
He's a bit smarter than his fellow thugs, and he's been given a new job - to hunt down a missing girl, and find the photos that could turn things into a political war.

This is the first book I've read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia that didn't include magic or mythology, but this is a really strong historical novel. She really builds the tensions at the time, and the conflicting points of view - from Elvis and the gangsters; to Ruben and the protesters; to little old Maite, who sticks her head in the sand and gets on with life.

I thought that the first half was quite slow, as you build the cast and their motives. Nothing really happens, and I thought that was amplified by the fact that our main characters weren't involved in driving the story forward.
Elvis is blindly following El Mago's orders; and Maite is being steered around by her new friend Ruben.

In the beginning, I found Maite quite unlikeable. She's a compulsive liar and kleptomaniac, which isn't as exciting as it sounds.
Maite lies to her colleagues, fabricating romantic encounters, and creating an exciting fantasy life; but she is quick to belittle the life choices of other women around her. She's dull, and blinkered. She's generally unhappy with her life, but won't do anything about it.
On the other hand, our other narrator Elvis was a sweetie. Despite all the horrible things he's witnessed, knowing what he does about gangs; he is still soft and naive, in a way that is completely believable. He wants to trust the people around him, the brothers he has made; and El Mago who he has grown to worship; believing that it is all for some greater good.

As the story progressed, and the mystery surrounding missing Leonora got deeper, I was hooked.
More players, and more dangers appear. And I eventually found Maite's disconnected way of viewing things quite endearing, in its own way.

I loved the lack of romance in this book. It felt fresh, and unwilling to bend the story to create a HEA.
It was so realistic, following Maite who assesses the new men her life for romantic potential. Measuring them up against her favourite 'Secret Romance' comics, and her disappointment when they don't tick all of her boxes.
I liked the building connection she has with Ruben, and I've got to say the end made me laugh.

Overall, despite the slow start, I really enjoyed this book; and I would read more of the author's noir stories.

Historical noir set in 1970s Mexico.

Real events provide the background to this novel - it's a time 0f political unrest, student protests, killings, disappearances & surveillance. Velvet Was The Night is a smaller scale, lower stakes story (for more detail on noir as a genre I recommend reading the authors post on goodreads) about two very different music-loving daydreamers.

When her beautiful neighbour fails to return from a trip, Maite finds her boring life disrupted. Desperate to be paid for looking after the cat, she's determined to find Leonora but doesn't expect to be drawn into a world of political activism & rival government factions. It isn't quite like the adventures in her romance comics.

Elvis is a member of the Hawks, a paramilitary group used to attack protesters. Like Maite, he fantasises of a different life but lacks the belief that he can be anything other than a criminal of some description.

As I don't read noir, I can't say how this rates as a noir novel. I can only say that I enjoyed the experience!

Whilst there are mystery and thriller elements, with tension and dangerous people around every corner, it's closer to an amateur sleuth detective story than a political thriller. And, with the focus on the thoughts & feelings of the two main characters, there is quite a contained & intimate feeling despite the wider political climate in which it's set.

I also like the strong musically element and thought it grounded the story, giving a strong sense of time & place. (I'll be checking out the spotify playlist)

I'm not particularly well versed in the depths of noir crime as a genre, but have always had a fascination with the gritty atmosphere and the fine intricacies that come with it, so I was curious to find out what Moreno-Garcia would make of it, after having enjoyed Mexican Gothic.

Velvet Was the Night is set in Mexico City in the 70s, where a secretary called Maite finds her beautiful neighbour disappearing under suspicious circumstances. As she begins her search, she is unaware that there is a shadowy boss commanding a goon squad also interested in locating Leonora. We're invited into a world of political activists, shady criminals and lonely hearts with love for music.

Historically, this novel is both informative and atmosphere-building. Music plays a big role in here for example, with various songs mentioned and one character having named himself Elvis after the King himself. What I didn't know beforehand is that music in the 70s was a loaded subject in Mexico, as the government was suppressing rock music in order to keep students and activists from getting too crazy in their aspirations. There are loads of little fun research bits interwoven into the story, like Maite's love for comic books being grounded in how popular they were in Mexico back then.

While Moreno-Garcia shows her talent of taking on any genre, you should free yourselves from expectations her previous novels might have built up. There are no paranormal elements in here, nothing horror or even mysterious. It's also not an epic thriller with high stakes, but essentially just a story of a couple of folks trying to get by. I think this might have might have been my problem with it – I didn't quite find my way into the story, as the characters felt a little too flat, an ounce too cartoonish for my taste. For a story that's as character driven as this one is, it ended up being a killer.

Don't expect an action-pact ride, but more of a slow burner. The story is told from the perspectives of the two main characters and we get a lot of inner dialogue and interactions between the characters. I enjoyed how Maite was completely unaware of what's going on politically in her country early on in the story, while Elvis, as a member of the Hawks, a paramilitary group that was used by the Mexican government to attack protestors, knows almost too well what the deal is.

I think learning about the political upheavals in Mexico in the 70s was what I enjoyed most about this novel. I guess I would have gotten more from it hadn't I expected something a bit grander plot wise, which was probably my own fault. Moreno-Garcia still proved that she's a skilled writer with a knack for coming up with stories, so I'll be looking forward to whatever she decides to tackle next.

Maite is unhappy with her painfully average life and job. She's not getting any younger and still likes to escape into the world of her comic book romances. She dreams of finding a love like that someday too.

Then trouble, in the form of her artsy neighbour Leonora, comes knocking and asking Maite to feed her cat for a few days while she's away.

Several days later, Leonora is nowhere to be found and Maite gets caught up in a mystery of a lifetime.

This is my first Silvia Moreno-Garcia book, and now I finally understand what all the hype was about.

The author's ability to set the right mood for this book (and others she's written, I'd imagine) is amazing.

We have two main characters, Maite and Elvis.

I didn't like Maite. I kept imagining her as a mix of Maite Ribelles from the Gran Hotel TV series and Maite Perroni from RBD...but older and less pretty. That didn't help her case much though, because this Maite's head is a sad, sad place.

I think if she met Elvis sooner, he'd help her blossom into the flower she was meant to be. But maybe she also had to go through all this to become a better version of herself? I guess we'll never know.

Elvis I liked almost from the start. It took me a few pages to get used to him and he found his way into my heart not long after. His chapters were a lot more interesting than Maite's. He was constantly on the move while she just did her everyday things.

I was expecting a little more from their love of music, some more scenes together featuring it. Maybe both of them dancing to their song (you'll know which one it is when you read it) together.

And their whole relationship in general, I wanted more. The crumbs we got were not enough.

Out of the side characters I really liked Arkady. I wonder what became of him after that huge twist at the end. I never saw it coming. I had to reread that part because I was so shocked.

Overall, I had a really good time reading Velvet Was the Night. When I got used to the writing style, time flew by fast and I binged most of the book in one go.

The suspense is definitely there and the mystery was fun to follow. I'll even say Maite was at her most interesting during her investigations.

Now I can't wait to check out SMG's other books. I'm sure they're just as fun.

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I was transported to 1970s Mexico City by the luscious descriptions and exported to a time of political unrest. I didn’t realize that I would love it so much but I honestly couldn’t put it down.
The characters of Elvis and Maite are likable and quirky which I adored. There is depth to the plot but mostly I was taken my the depth of the characters and seeing how they changed throughout the story. Maite with her love of romantic graphic novels and Elvis who likes rock n roll and has a complicated history with relationships.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a fantastic writer and has a breadth of work. This is the second novel I have read by her and I’m going to keep reading more. Also, there is a playlist that she created on Spotify and I recommend listening to it while reading this captivating book.

I love the work of this writer, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia continues to grow in her writing in her latest novel, Velvet Was The Night. I trust this author to give us fantastic plot, incredible settings and way with words that gives me Taylor Jenkins-Reid vibes.

When it comes to character, this author never fails, and this book is certainly proof of this as she builds complex and brilliant characters that never leave you. How she weaves loneliness and feeling into her characters is incredible and beautiful and makes for such incredible investment in this book and keeps you reading.

The characters are incredible, but the plot. The plot is so good. A political thriller that keeps you engaged, these two characters delving into the mystery of Leonora together is spectacular. Intriguing, captivating and keeps me on the edge of my seat all the way through the book.

I really enjoyed this, I fell into this book on holiday on my tablet and honestly, it made the terrible weather on the English coast totally okay.

5*

I have had a mixed relationship with Silvia Moreno-Garcia's books in the past. I loved Mexican Gothic and I thought The Beautiful Ones was very solid (I read it back when it originally came out quite some time ago now) but I was less keen on Gods of Jade and Shadow. Having read her latest book I think I've realised that it really comes down to how much I love the setting and the premise of the book more so than the actual writing of the books themselves.
Because OOOH boy is Silvia Moreno-Garcia an exceptional writer. In Velvet Was the Night she manages to conjure SUCH vivid images of the settings in which this noir story takes place, fully transporting me to 1970s Mexico. For me, the best example of this is one of our main characters, Maite's, apartment. I could just *feel* the space when I was reading. In terms of creating that atmosphere, I was brought back to the reasons I loved Mexican Gothic - though the two are different enough in tone that I'll do my best to avoid this or that comparisons.

I won't say that I *liked* Maite as a character, she has a lot of unlikeable qualities particularly since you're reading from her perspective a lot of the time and you, therefore, have to read her insecurities head-on. I suspect, however, that the reason I didn't like Maite was I saw so much of my own self-deprecation in her, her insecurity, her feeling that no matter what she won't be good enough. She's relatable but not in a 'hi I'm so fun and quirky' kind of way. I found myself desperate for that ultimate moment of catharsis where she would pull up her stockings and realise she was fantastic. I won't spoil what does happen but I'll say that I think the book handles her character development in a realistic but still satisfying sense.

Let's look at our other main character Elvis, yet another character where - as a reader - you're going 'no get out of this situation things are not good this is not a good mindset', energy protagonists in noir do normally have. I was personally more interested in Maite's side of things but I think having Elvis as another character added a welcome another dimension to the book. I liked the idea of these two people approaching the same problem from drastically different angles.

Overall, I thought the story was solid. I think it is a book I would like to read again now that I know how it ends. Reading in Ebook is always interesting since you often don't realise the 'beginning, middle and end' of a story until you've got all the way through. For that reason I felt like the first reading of this book felt more weighted towards the set up of the story - but I think that might have been more of a me problem.

1970s Mexico is not a historical moment I know a lot about, so it was interesting to get a bit of the flavour from this story. I'll be really interested to read more books set in this time and maybe even dive into some non-fiction.

For those who loved Moreno-Garcia's previous work I think this will be another hit, though not as fantastical as previous books I think the atmosphere conjured is just perfect and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next from this author because her trajectory so far has been amazing.

Lush prose, a memorable heroine and a twisty plot make Velvet was the Night a perfect summer read. As gripping as Mexican Gothic!

I'm apparently a sucker for the covers of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's books because that's one of the main reasons I requested this. I mean look at that gorgeousness!

But this really was great! I'm new to noir and was afraid I might not like it but SMG pulls you in from page 1. The story is told from two characters' POV, El Elvis and Maite whose heads you can't help get lost in.

Prepare yourselves for a smooth ride with these two!

This book turned out to be more than I was expecting. I do not know if it is perhaps of the current political crisis that we are facing in Peru, or if it was because of the similar situations that happened in my country during the war against terrorism back in the 80s. Most probably it was both.

We have two main characters, a secretary and a thug, Maite and Elvis, respectively. The narrative is just on top, the point of view of both the main characters are interspersed, so we get to know Maite’s perspective in one chapter and Elvis’s in the next one. That is until they end in the same room. The character development is another thing that I must praise because each one of them seems to be right for their role, I could not sense any mismatch throughout the course of the plot.

I have read several detective and mystery books, and I always end up trying to untangle the mystery and solve the case before the story ends. I am pleased to say that this book did not make it easy for me, I could not have imagined what happened in the end. It was amazing, what a plot twist! And the music, to picture those scenes in your head with the specific songs in the background, is such a delight.

I know for sure that this book is going to be on the top of many rankings. Thank you Netgalley for trusting me with an eARC.

Set in 1970s Mexico City, the author evokes a sultry and sensual atmosphere. This is pulp fiction noir at its best, cleverly employing the tropes of the genre to create something new and unforgettable.

Written from the perspectives of El Elvis, an enforcer who dislikes violence, and Maite, a secretary who lives vicariously via romances, both characters yearn for more from their lives, sharing a love of music and reading. When Maite's glamorous neighbour Leonora goes missing along with some politically sensitive photographs, El Elvis and Maite both conduct investigations into her disappearance, with events inevitably drawing them closer and closer together. As is to be expected from this genre, the characters are morally flawed and complex. There are gradations of morality and ambiguity to most of the characters and a sense of grittiness to them.

The backdrop of the mystery revolves around the social and political unrest of the time and the suppression of left-wing protestors by the government. It opens with the massacre of El Halconazo in 1971 and also references the Tlatelolco massacre in 1968. In my ignorance, I knew very little about this period of Mexico's history but it was fascinating and terrifying in equal measure and I plan to research more around this subject.

The author also explores the prevalent sexism and outright assault suffered by women in their everyday lives and works this into the story well to enhance the plot. The narrative is inherently meta, referring frequently to the construction of stories and romances in particular and framing events in this light. Velvet Was the Night was a refreshing change of pace and one I look forward to rereading. It would make an incredible film and I'd love to see it adapted one day.

DNF @ 25%

Struggling to get into this one, but this MAY be formatting issues (an eARC problem and not a book problem at all). Therefore I've decided to give this book a neutral rating, as what I have read has been interesting. I've preordered the audiobook and will review the finished copy once that releases!

Latin noir.

Set amid the political unrest of 1970s Mexico City, an unassured secretary gets mixed up in the case of a missing woman, and comes to the attention of a hoodlum involved in the same case.

A slow burn, with strong characterisation. Moreno-Garcia excels at showing the inner turmoil of her characters.

Lots of musical mentions, which are brought together as a playlist in the appendix.

My thanks to NetGalley and to Quercus Books & Jo Fletcher Books for the ARC.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia has done it again.

There’s just something about the atmosphere and tone she uses in her books that’s always so wonderfully evocative. This is the fifth book I’ve read by her and her storytelling never fails to draw me in, no matter the genre. But this book in particular is now among my favorites of hers.

Velvet Was The Night is a pulp noir set during the “The Dirty War” in Mexico City during the 1970s. The Mexican authorities have taken a hard line against what they consider “subversive” or “communist” threats. There are active secret police sects and thuggish paramilitary groups at play who all have their own methods for crushing dissent – as well as their own hidden agendas.

The novel opens during large-scale student protests that’s violently suppressed by unofficial but state-sanctioned thugs: the Hawks. The government disavows the group’s presence, but when incriminating photos end up in the hands of someone who could use it against the authorities, the Hawks are employed to track them down.

These photos are in the hands of Leonora, a somewhat flaky but rich college student. Her disappearance with the controversial photos in tow is what ignites the central plot of the book and causes our dual main characters, Maite and El Elvis, to cross paths.

Maite is a lonely and relatively broke secretary. She isn’t particularly informed or interested in either current events or politics, and nor does she want to be. She’d much rather ignore the realities of her life by taking solace in her records and her romance graphic novels. When she’s hired by Leonora to watch after her cat for a few days, Maite is pleased by the chance to charge her neighbour an exorbitant rate. But she is far less thrilled when Leonora fails to return from her trip and pay what she owes. Maite decides to go in search for Leonora herself, not realizing that her interest in Leonora’s disappearance brings her all kinds of dangerous attention she never anticipated.

El Elvis works as a committed – if unenthusiastic – member of the Hawks. He’s a young man that used to drift from unusual gigs and petty crimes to get by before he was recruited into the Hawks. Now all Elvis wants is stability and a chance to improve his lot in life. He isn’t particularly a fan of needless violence or attacking political activists, but he admires his boss and hopes to rise high enough in the ranks to emulate his lavish lifestyle one day. He commands the squad tasked with finding Leonora and the compromising photos by any means, which includes the surveillance of the suspiciously inquisitive Maite. But circumstances cause him to find himself more and more drawn to his unassuming target and less and less trusting of his own leader.

I’ve got to say this right off the bat: Maite and Elvis are extremely fleshed out characters. The first quarter of this book explores their quirks and habits and flaws intimately, to the point where their loneliness and secrets longings ooze off the page. Like them or not, every single detail about their natures – from Maite’s daydreaming to Elvis’ obsession with rock n’ roll – is carefully crafted and engaging.

This intensive character-work does slow down the plot, however, which may be frustrating for those who love high-intensity and high-stakes stories. But I was so interested in the characters and the setting that I didn’t mind the slow unravelling of the mystery of Leonora’s disappearance. There was so much to fascinate with the portrayal of the historical context of the era, such as the many interesting cultural nods in the pages of this book – from the music to the cafes and even the comics. Social paranoia, political clashes, foreign espionage and corruption are also masterfully explored and portrayed. By the time the action really gets going, I was already fully hooked by how much I enjoyed everything else.

This is definitely a recommended read for those who like historical noirs, pulp fiction, and character-driven novels.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Jo Fletcher Books for providing the free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review will go live on 17 August:

Hi and welcome to my review of Velvet Was the Night!

This has been my fourth book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, after Mexican Gothic, which I reviewed last year, and The Beautiful Ones, which I reviewed earlier this year, and in the meantime I’ve also listened to Untamed Shores (Recommended, the narrator is brilliant!). What they all have in common, is that they have nothing in common except for excellent writing. Ms Moreno-Garcia is definitely one of the most prolific authors I’ve read. Different genres, different eras, but her stories never fail to grab and hold my attention, and Velvet Was the Night was no different.

Velvet Was the Night takes us to Mexico in the 1970s, with the narrative alternating between Maite and Elvis. Maite has just turned thirty and has to remind herself that thirty is not (as bad as) fifty. Her career is not what she wants it to be, she lives alone in her apartment with her parakeet, and frankly the most glamorous about her, is her book and record collection (we’ll just ignore her romance comic books for the time being, shall we). Elvis is… well… a bit of a thug, really. But the kind of thug you suspect is actually a good guy deep down and despite everything you find yourself rooting for him.

Their lives collide through Leonora, who lives across the hall from Maite and has something Elvis’s boss (and the DFS and the KGB and seemingly the whole of Mexico) wants to take from her: compromising photos of a high-level politician. Leonora is only in the story for 5 minutes before she disappears but her actions set in motion a dozen other events.

Mexico in the 1970s is a country in turmoil. I hate to admit I knew very little about it, but I’d like to think I have at the very least got a feel for it now. The setting is truly amazing, as is the characterisation and the use of music to set the scene and get across a whole lot without using a multitude of words.

Velvet Was the Night is an excellent noir story. We’re always told not to judge a book by its cover but I’d like to invite you to ignore that in this instance because that smoky cover perfectly represents the noir vibe the story exudes. If you’re looking for a crime story that’s also sort of a love story in disguise, I urge you to pick up Velvet Was the Night.

In the meantime I’ll leave you with the last words of the author’s afterword:

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

Velvet Was the Night is out now in all formats.

Huge thanks to Jo Fletcher and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are still my own.

Synopsis: Maite is a secretary, tasked with pet-sitting until the owner and neighbour, Leonora, goes missing. Elvis is a gang member tasked with finding Leonora. As the two follow their own trails in an attempt to find Leonora, they find themselves embroiled in a dangerous plot.

CW/TW: violence/blood/gore/death/gang violence

Silvia Moreno-Garcia again manages to perfectly capture the atmosphere and feel of the genre in this new book. Velvet Was The Night is, without a doubt, a historical noir – completely different to her previous works but with an equally powerful atmosphere that definitely hits the target of historical noir.

Velvet Was The Night was a slow paced, mysterious read full of suspense and tension. We follow Maite, a secretary who pet sits for her neighbours to enable her kleptomania, and Elvis a gang member with an aversion to violence. When Maite’s neighbour, Leonora, goes missing after asking her to pet sit her cat, Maite tries to find her and finds herself in the middle of a much more complex plot. Elvis follows his own trail to find Leonora, hoping to retrieve something from her. The plot eas interesting and engaging with enough mystery and twists to keep you intrigued from start to finish. I liked the mystery behind Leonora’s disappearance and following her trail from one place to another slowly piecing together the picture of what was truly going on. I also enjoyed the parallel story of Elvis and his crew as they also follow a trail to Leonora (though one a bit more brutal) at the order of their boss.

While the plot was interesting and I loved the mystery and amateur sleuth vibes – I did find it lacked risk. Though there is a lot of violence and/or death surrounding the gang storyline, the actual stakes for the main characters never seemed very high, so I didn’t really fear for them which was a little underwhelming. However, I did think it was spot on in terms of tone and I really enjoyed the noir vibe of the story.

There is a decent cast of characters that we get to see, all with their own strong personalities and presence. While I was interested in the characters and they all came across as realistic and human and flawed, I didn’t fall in love with any of them. I enjoyed following both Maite and Elvis on their own journeys towards finding Leonora but I never fully connected with either of them, which left me unable to fully love them. However, I did like that they all had their own habits, hobbies and interests that made them come across as relatively well rounded.

Overall, Velvet Was The Night perfectly captures the tone and atmosphere of historical noir, with Silvia Moreno-Garcia again showing her talents in constructing stories across multiple genres. The plot is interesting and fun to follow when it comes to piecing together the hints and clues, and the characters come across as human and realistic. While this is the perfect read for a rainy afternoon or dark evening, I do wish the stakes were higher and that I could have loved the characters more.

*I received an eARC from #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

https://kbbookreviews867789450.wordpress.com/2021/06/28/mini-book-review-velvet-was-the-night-by-silvia-moreno-garcia/

3.8

Whoa. Another well written Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I enjoyed this one. Though, I must say I figured out the big reveal pretty early and feeling very smug about it. The characters are well written and their actions are believable and didn't act out of character or anything.