Added by 63 members
2022 Macavity Award for Best Historical Novel (nominee)
2021 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller (nominee)
'This book is so spectacularly good' Goodreads review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mexico in the 1970s is a dangerous country, even for Maite, a secretary who spends her life seeking the romance found in cheap comic books and ignoring the activists protesting around the city. When her next-door neighbor, the beautiful art student 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.
'Such a captivating read' Goodreads review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mexico in the 1970s is a politically fraught land, even for Elvis, a goon with a passion for rock 'n' roll who knows more about kidney-smashing than intrigue. When Elvis is assigned to find Leonora, he begins a blood-soaked search for the woman-and his soul.
'I couldn't put it down' Goodreads review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Swirling in parallel trajectories, Maite and Elvis attempt to discover the truth behind Leonora's disappearance, encountering hitmen, government agents, and Russian spies. Because Mexico in the 1970s is a noir, where life is cheap and the price of truth is high.
Velvet Was the Night: an edgy, simmering historical novel for lovers of smoky noirs and anti-heroes.
Genre: Mystery
Mexico in the 1970s is a dangerous country, even for Maite, a secretary who spends her life seeking the romance found in cheap comic books and ignoring the activists protesting around the city. When her next-door neighbor, the beautiful art student 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.
'Such a captivating read' Goodreads review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mexico in the 1970s is a politically fraught land, even for Elvis, a goon with a passion for rock 'n' roll who knows more about kidney-smashing than intrigue. When Elvis is assigned to find Leonora, he begins a blood-soaked search for the woman-and his soul.
'I couldn't put it down' Goodreads review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Swirling in parallel trajectories, Maite and Elvis attempt to discover the truth behind Leonora's disappearance, encountering hitmen, government agents, and Russian spies. Because Mexico in the 1970s is a noir, where life is cheap and the price of truth is high.
Velvet Was the Night: an edgy, simmering historical novel for lovers of smoky noirs and anti-heroes.
Genre: Mystery
Praise for this book
"Velvet Was the Night is a rollicking work of historical noir with a vivid sense of time and place and an unforgettable cast. Moreno-Garcia made me care deeply about her characters and their dangerous, riveting misadventures. This is a stylish hard-boiled novel painted in shades of gray with a whole lot of heart." - Steph Cha
"Velvet Was the Night cements Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s incredible versatility as an amazing writer who moves effortlessly between genres. It’s a lush, magnificent trip into a world of danger and discovery—not to be missed!" - S A Cosby
"Silvia Moreno-Garcia takes you into the gritty underworld noir of 1970s Mexico City with a propulsive read where no one and nothing is as it seems." - Isabella Maldonado
"Velvet Was the Night is a delicious, twisted treat for lovers of noir. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a masterful writer who pulls you into her dark world and never lets you go. From the suspenseful, slow-burn plot to the crisp, desperate characters, you will be obsessed." - Simone St James
"Velvet Was the Night cements Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s incredible versatility as an amazing writer who moves effortlessly between genres. It’s a lush, magnificent trip into a world of danger and discovery—not to be missed!" - S A Cosby
"Silvia Moreno-Garcia takes you into the gritty underworld noir of 1970s Mexico City with a propulsive read where no one and nothing is as it seems." - Isabella Maldonado
"Velvet Was the Night is a delicious, twisted treat for lovers of noir. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a masterful writer who pulls you into her dark world and never lets you go. From the suspenseful, slow-burn plot to the crisp, desperate characters, you will be obsessed." - Simone St James
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