It’s Christmas time in Miami and Hugo is anything but merry. His wife, Meli, recently passed away and Hugo wasn’t even able to pay for her funeral. Like most Americans he’s been drowning in debt most of his adult life, and Meli’s medical bills have only added to that. His indebtedness feels like a physical weight, crushing the life out of him, following him wherever he goes. Debt collectors hound him every day and garnish his wages. Hugo may not be a perfect person but he doesn’t deserve the hand he’s been dealt. All of Hugo’s life has been hard. He never knew his father, a white Spainard, and his mother abandoned them when he was young. During his childhood in Bolivia, Hugo and his brother worked in the mines after school. His brother would pray and offer sacrifices to El Tío, the god of the mountain, but the mountain still took his life. Hugo was always a non-believer, but his brother’s death shook his faith even further. Ironically, Hugo now works at a Botanica and is a practicing Babalawo. Although he has great respect for Lourdes, his boss, and even has a knack for knowing what people need, he still thinks it’s all hokum. He is especially talented at ridding people’s homes of ghosts, using both psychology and showmanship to make them believe their specters have vanished. Hugo may not believe in what he does, but the result is the same: his customers are happy and the “hauntings” end.

The attorney in charge of Hugo’s debt, Alexi, calls out of the blue and asks for his help. At first, Hugo is hesitant to help the devil who’s made his life miserable, but when Alexi promises to clear his debt, he acquiesces. We learn that Alexi, the son of Cuban immigrant parents (part of the Cuban exodus when affluent Cubans were fleeing Castro), is obsessed with money. Instead of following his passion of becoming a painter he chose a field that would make him wealthy because money is more important to him. He loves to show off his wealth, but as Hugo notes, he lacks taste and his choices in home décor are gaudy. Alexi is also a racist, as is evident by the “All Lives Matter” sign in his yard and the way he speaks about his Haitian laborers. Hugo is conflicted about helping the awful man, but the promise of being debt-free is too good to pass up. Of course, Hugo is hardly perfect himself, and we learn of the many mistakes he’s made that still haunt him. With each chapter, the mystery of Hugo’s life is revealed, and the reader gains an increased understanding of the deeply flawed protagonist. Hugo is a well-developed, complicated character. He isn’t perfect and makes lots of mistakes, but he loves his wife and does his best, making him relatable. I couldn’t help but be drawn to Hugo. I just felt sorry for the poor guy. Even as I was horrified by some of the things he did, I still wanted him to win.

A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens is a unique take on ghosts and haunting. While Alexi seems to be plagued by a literal ghost, Hugo is haunted by the ghosts of his past and his debt which keep him from happiness and living his life. As the story unfolds, we learn that Hugo is also indebted in ways that aren’t financial that have haunted him since childhood. Underneath the ghost story is a horror tale about Capitalism and its exploitative nature. While the ways in which it hurts Hugo are obvious, Alexi’s unchecked greed has caused him to give up on his dreams because he was raised to belief happiness can only be earned through the accumulation of wealth.

Palma’s descriptions of Miami make the city feel like its own character, a place filled with both beauty and pain and even a little bit of magic. While the story is filled with grief and suffering, it does end on a hopeful note. It reminds me of the Latin phrase “dum spiro spero,” or “while I breathe, I hope.” It may be too late for his wife and brother, but as long as Hugo is still alive there’s always the chance for things to get better for him, even when things are at their worse. While it’s not your typical horror story, the descriptions of hopelessness and grief still left me with a sense of dread. Overall, A Haunting in Hialeah is a strong debut from a talented new horror author.

The title suggests a horror story or at least a suspense story. However, there is very little suspense in the story, and for much of the story, the “horror” and how it is exorcised is more farcical than anything. The story deals somewhat with the immigrant experience but in a scattershot manner. The Cuban-American experience and opinions about Cuba are an important element but not really explored in depth. The main theme is indebtedness and the stress this causes, especially if there is an aggressive debt collector.

Once again I'm blown away by the diversity of stories available to each reader these days. The author presents a heartwrenching story of Hugo and Meli and a wonderful cast of supporting characters. Starting in Miami and flashing back to Bolivia periodically I was engrossed in this tale. Very emotional ending. Highly recommended.

I think this book has a great atmosphere and I enjoyed the plot. I went into this thinking it was going to be something different. It felt as if this was marketed as a ghost story with some elements of horror. Those elements were present but not as much I would have liked them to be. The plot was strong but would have been enhanced with the supernatural being more prevalent. I do appreciate the genre bending the author does in this book and think the author excels in this. I would definitely would read from them again.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This book never quite lets you know what's going on, but in a good way. The atmosphere is dark and foreboding, hinting at dark things hiding just under the surface. Throughout the story you're never quite sure if the hauntings are real, or imagined. If you are looking for a story that wraps things up in a nice bow, look elsewhere. But if you are ok with a story that leaves you feeling helpless and morose, while also criticizing capitalism, look no further.

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the arc.

I had been invited directly to this arc, and think this is just not the book for me. I am not connecting with the characters or the story. Thank you for the opportunity.

While the actual "haunting" parts of the store weren't as creepy as I'd wanted, the exploration of Hugo's complicated relationship with his late wife was excellent. Even though I preferred the non-horror aspects, this was a solid debut, and I'd be interested in reading more by this author.

This sounded like it would be a really interesting, emotional story and the writing style had a lot of potential, but I struggled to get into the story and actually caring about the characters.

3.5⭐

After the demise of his wife Meli, Hugo Contreras finds himself drowning in debt from her medical expenses. Hugo works at the Miami Botanica & Spa and though he doesn’t quite believe in the practice, has perfected the art of putting on an elaborate act of a Babaláwo ( priest of Ifá), decked in his tunic, his ceremonial orisha hat and his beaded amulets, learning much of what he knows from his employer Lourdes who is well-versed in spiritual practices and respected for her knowledge. When Alexi Ramirez, the debt collector who is pursuing Hugo’s case, offers to clear Hugo’s debt if he can cleanse his house of the spirit who is haunting his home, Hugo takes him up on his offer. Unbeknownst to him the spirit haunting Alexi and his family has a deep connection to Hugo and his past in Bolivia and it will take more than Hugo’s signature trickery to keep everyone safe and he will be compelled to embark on a very personal journey, take stock of his life and confront the traumatic memories that have haunted him throughout his life.

I found the premise of A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens by Raul Palma to be remarkably interesting. The novel is well-written., tight-knit and well-paced and I liked how Hugo’s backstory was incorporated into the narrative. The author touches upon several important themes including colonialism, migration, discrimination, family trauma and how debt- both monetary and emotional - can wreak havoc on a person’s life. The author injects a healthy dose of humor to balance the depressing and traumatic events described in the novel. Hugo is an interesting protagonist and though I did not quite like him as a person, I did sympathize with his plight. Though I enjoyed the descriptions of the spiritual and supernatural aspects mentioned in the narrative I feel that the author could have incorporated more information on the traditions and rituals referenced in the story. I was also more than a tad disappointed with the ending, which left me with several questions, which is why I could not give this novel a higher rating.
I did feel that footnotes and/or an index for the Spanish words/phrases used in the novel would have made the reading experience smoother for those not fluent in the language.

Many thanks to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens is a deep exploration of debt- the debts we owe to our family and friends as well as that owed to predatory lenders and creditors.

Bolivian expat in Miami, Hugo takes on a job as a babaláwo to exorcise a demon in his creditor's house in return for cancelling his debt. Hugo needs to exorcise his guilt about his girlfriend's and brother's deaths.

This stunning book ties guilt and debt together in a delightfully dark way.

What this book exemplifies is how diverse the genre of horror is becoming. Some traditionalists might resist the expanded definition and influx of non-traditional horror books, but the more people read a genre the more books we get in said genre.

That being said, this is one of those that fits into the expanded definition of horror- it's not a stay up all night with the lights on read, but more of a psychological/ magical realism.

A huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for gifting me a copy of this ARC!

Based on the synopsis, this book did not end up being what I thought it was. It was very depressing and when I expected it to take a turn to be more fast-paced with action, it took more of a soft curve instead. There were some laughable moments, but overall it felt like I was reading the jumbled pieces of three separate stories that did not link together - the only common thread was the main character.

This book is truly haunting! I requested this book because of my friends at Ithaca college who have had Professor Palma as an instructor and just raved about him. Now I see why! Not only is he a great instructor but his passion and talent shines through in his writing. This book is so psychological and really makes you think while reading it, but it's still fun to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

This novel was not what I was expecting, but in a good way. The pacing took me awhile to get into the book, but for a book that tackles the complex reality of debt it felt accurately haunting.

As a debut novel, I cannot wait to see what Palma writes next.

Money, so they say, is the root of all evil today
People, corporations, and governments will manipulate, lie, steal, enslave, and murder just to get it. For some, it's the accumulation of wealth they crave, but, usually, it's what they can get with it. And, what is money, but just the means to exchange one thing for another? How often do we give up something we love for something else and vice versa? And, how often do we sacrifice, not for an object or a state of being, but merely for an illusion. These are just some of the themes hiding within the pages of A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens by Raul Palma.

The writing style is the perfect combination of conversational and figurative language. If you wanted, you could totally avoid mining the themes in the book and just enjoy it for the fun ride it is. Even the polarizing topics are never preachy or heavy-handed, and you never feel weighed down by the sadness. But, how my heart broke for Hugo! Especially when he was reliving the mistakes from his past. But, the humor! It ranged from dark to political to just plain silly, and I loved every bit of it. The author even referenced one of my favorite scenes from the movie, Pineapple Express!

Hugo isn’t always likable, but he’s human. The circumstances of his past led to bias, one of the very flaws he rails against in others. And who hasn't said or done things that they regret and wish they could take back?

There are flashbacks sprinkled throughout the book and moments when the line between dream and reality begins to blur, but I liked the way the author handled the transitions. There is quite a bit of Spanish in the book and references to Latinx cultures. With my limited knowledge of the language, I was able to infer the gist of most of the phrases, and I enjoyed learning more about the history and how the different communities within interact with each other.

And, the ending! That is how you write an ambiguous ending. It’s clear enough to feel satisfied, but there is still room for interpretation and to imagine what will happen next.

Being invited to read this book was such an awesome surprise, but so was how much I ended up loving it! I read it in one day, and I just wish I had gotten to it sooner. Thank you Dutton Books for the copy to read and review.

This book has a really relevant theme about being indebt in more ways than just financial that can easily keep its story as a timeless one in the future. Hugo is no saint and isn’t above tricks or lies, but it’s hard not to empathize with him for his situation and because of the guilt for his wife. I wouldn’t call this horror, but there are some clear hauntings that made this so much fun. A great Halloween-season read.

A book that is unique within its own genre. This story forces readers to look many political issues in the eye and face them head on. An unexpectedly great read.

Solid mystery book that tackles themes of guilt and touches on race in America. It was a little slow for me and not particularly atmospheric, but an interesting perspective on exorcists and ghosts.

I loved this book, it gave me everything I wanted as a reader and more. I am a sucker for a cover and fell in love with the storyline and characters. Well written and kept me engaged :)