Book Review: Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 

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.