Based upon the Mexican Dirty War, Moreno-Garcia has created a grimy historical fiction novel.  Politics and power make cringeworthy bedfellows, and this book is full of them.  I knew little of the rampant corruption of this time period in Mexico.  And I found the context created in this novel eye opening and detestable. 

 

Good characterization is the benchmark of all novels in my opinion.  And while Moreno-Garcia doesn’t create relatable and endearing characters here, she does hit the mark on developing quirky and unique ones.  Maite is a dowdy secretary living a solitary life that’s rooted in soap opera comics rather than reality.  She tells her friend about personal adventures and dates, but they are drawn from the fictional worlds she reads about rather than real life experience.   Elvis is hired muscle that detests violence.  His daily routine includes job enforced push-ups, reading the dictionary, and losing himself in American hit music.  Both characters long for more out of life.  I can’t say that I loved these characters.  But they were eccentric and flawed and written in such a style that made me want to know more about them.  

 

Moreno-Garcia adeptly weaves music into the plot, showcasing its power and significance, especially during tumultuous times. The playlist at the end of the book is worth note.   

 

I found this book to be more temperamental than noir.  Where it missed the mark on the edginess and bleakness of the Mexican Dirty War, I felt like it adeptly emanated moodiness.  It felt glum and sullen rather than desolate and horrific.  The storyline just never quite hit the mark of noir to me, in feel or in literary definition.  

 

That cover.  Oh how enticing and seductive!  And the title of the book!  So mysterious and alluring.  Boy does Moreno-Garcia know how to draw us in!  The cover and title deserve 5 stars for sure.  But the slow burn storyline, while enjoyable, gets 3 stars. 

 

Thank you Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Random House Publishing Group Ballantine, Del Ray, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book.