Velvet Was the Night

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Elvis is a low-level hoodlum in 1970 in Mexico City. Insecure, he’s been drawn into the disciplined life of a foot soldier in the Hawks, a below-the-radar gang, possibly government sponsored, that infiltrates student protests and weeds out political activists. Maite is a dowdy young woman. A bottom-of-the-ladder secretary in a law firm, her dreams are filled with the dashing heroes she reads about in the romance magazines. It might seem unlikely that their paths would ever cross, but then an art student, Leonora, goes missing. Maite happens to be babysitting her cat; Elvis is searching for photographs thought to be in Leonora’s possession.

On one level, Velvet Was the Night is about Maite’s and Elvis’s insecurities. She is fighting her inferiority complex and daydreaming of romance; he is striving to emulate his sophisticated commander, known as El Mago. On another, it’s about stake-outs, beatings, and killings, all set against the shadowy uncertainty of never knowing who is working for whom. Although the key piece of evidence is found by chance rather than clever investigating, the story’s denouement contains a huge twist that will surprise even seasoned readers. The plot may be slow moving, but the superior writing, strong character development, and full-blooded action scenes make this a worthwhile read.


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Author
Star Count 4/5
Format Hard
Page Count 304 pages
Publisher Del Rey
Publish Date 17-Aug-2021
ISBN 9780593356821
Bookshop.org Buy this Book
Issue October 2021
Category Mystery, Crime, Thriller
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