Velvet was the Night: President Obama's Summer Reading List 2022 pick

I was really surprised how good this book was gripped all the way through. Great read

As soon as you read line one you are in the book. It's real, you care about the characters. Everything flows, so easily readable, just like every other book by this author.Highly recommended

3.5 starsMaite is a secretary in 1970s Mexico City. Unhappy with her daily life, she finds escape in music and through reading romance comics.Elvis is a criminal who works as part of a gang but doesn't like getting his hands dirty and dreams of more.When Maite's neighbour, Leonora, goes missing, Maite is drawn into the search to find her which will become more dangerous than she could have imagined.Elvis is also involved in the search for Leonora, and finds himself observing her neighbour, Maite.Can Maite or Elvis find Leonora?Will they survive the search?As a fan of the author, I wanted to read this novel as soon as I heard about it, especially as it's described as an historical-noir. So, I immediately hit the request button on NetGalley.Maite was an OK protagonist. I did find her relatable at times, but I also struggled to fully connect with her. However, I did feel sorry for her with the way she was treated by her mother and sister.I preferred Elvis as a character and found him more interesting, rooting for him more.The setting was interesting, especially as I didn't know anything about that period of history in Mexico.The plot was enjoyable, but I predicted several things that happened. However, while I wasn't gripped, I never lost interest and was intrigued to see how the novel would end.The writing style was easy to follow, and I love how different the author's novels all are.I am a little bit disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more, but, for me, this didn't quite live up to its potential.Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

She’s a great writer, with great imagination and engaging stories. Book arrived in good condition . Cheers

4 enjoyable stars ****I am not too sure if I’ve ever read a “noir” pulp fiction book before, but this was highly enjoyable!In this we follow Maite; a legal secretary in Mexico, living by herself in her lonely apartment, keeping her head down and worrying about her mother’s expectations and money issues. However, she also loves to lie, steal things from others (if she can get away with it) as wishes her life is like those of the Secret Romance novels she adores.Elvis is part of the Hawks- a ‘gang’ employed by the Mexican government, funded by the CIA, to infiltrate, abuse, even kill, and stop any form of protests and uprisings, especially student uprisings.When Maite is tasked to look after a neighbours cat, and the neighbour never makes it home, she is tugged along into this war of students vs. Government and into actions which she never wanted a part of.I enjoyed seeing how these events played out across the page through the authors writing and I was constantly page turning. I also really enjoyed Elvis and Maite’s characters as they’re both anti-heroes but it was hard not to like them. I enjoyed Maite especially! And the imagination and thrill she gets from her comics.While this book is historical fiction, it was inspired by real events that the author describes in the “Afterword” and I learned a lot from this! I had no clue that the Hawks were real and were hired by the government to stop protests- and the massive amount of killings that went unreported to stop these uprisings.I will have to research into this topic a lot more.

Velvet Was The Night | Silvia Moreno-GarciaSilvia Moreno-Garcia has quickly become one of my must-read authors. Her books create luminous, rich worlds with evocative characters that steal you away from the blandness of everyday life. In short they are a joy to read and her latest Velvet Was The Night is no exception.In Mexican Gothic we were treated to haunted house thrills, in Gods of Jade and Shadow lush Mexican mythology and in The Beautiful Ones belle epoque magic and romance. In the pages of Velvet Was The Night (How good is that cover?) we dip into the world of Noir.Picture it. Mexico City. The 70s. Political unrest. A President suppressing music, students and activists. A missing art student. A secretary who longs for life beyond the pages of her romance comics. And a criminal thug who loves old movies and rock n roll. In the hands of Moreno-Garcia these elements come together in an explosive modern Noir masterpiece. In Noir I love the ambiguity of the characters motivations and the shadows that exist in their world however sunlit it is. Velvet Was The Night captures this mood expertly.This book is unlike anything that has come from her before but proves that Moreno-Garcia can turn her hand to any genre with blazing success. All the trademarks of excellence we expect are here, the rich world building, the complex anti-hero characters who you don’t always like, but want to follow their journeys and a mesmerising story that hooks you until the last page. Mexican Gothic was cinematic, but this book is another level, I adore the Mexico City that we see through the writers eyes and this period of history it captures.Proving she can write anything. Brilliant crime noir in Mexico City 4 stars out of five