- DESCRIPTION
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- EDITORIAL REVIEWS
From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a "delicious, twisted treat for lovers of noir" (Simone St. James, bestselling author) about a daydreaming secretary, a lonesome enforcer, and the mystery of a missing woman they're both desperate to find.
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 is an edgy, simmering historical novel for lovers of smoky noirs and anti-heroes.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed speculative novels Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow, Signal to Noise, Certain Dark Things, and The Beautiful Ones, as well as the crime novel Untamed Shore. She has edited several anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award-winning She Walks in Shadows (aka Cthulhu's Daughters). She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.
"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, New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel
"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, author of Your House Will Pay
"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, bestselling author of The Cipher
"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, author of Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears
"This seductive neo-noir thriller from bestseller Moreno-Garcia ( Mexican Gothic) draws on the real-life efforts of the Mexican government to suppress political dissent in the 1970s. . . . A rich novel with an engrossing plot, distinctive characters, and a pleasing touch of romance. Readers won't be able to put it down." - Publishers Weekly
"It's hard to describe how much fun this novel is--Moreno-Garcia, whose Mexican Gothic (2020) gripped readers last year, proves to be just as good at noir as she is at horror. The novel features memorable characters, taut pacing, an intricate plot, and antiheroes you can't help but root for. A noir masterpiece." - Kirkus Reviews
"Moreno-Garcia keeps the suspense high and the action intense, all while sharing a bit of 1970s Mexican history in this perfectly pitched novel. Fans of Moreno-Garcia's other novels will relish this title, as will noir aficionados and readers who like stories about everymen and -women rising to the occasion." - Library Journal
