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ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, New York Public Library, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, BookPage, She Reads, Library Journal • “An adrenalized, darkly romantic journey.”—The Washington Post
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.
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.
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.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
August 17, 2021 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593456071
- File size: 284303 KB
- Duration: 09:52:17
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from June 21, 2021
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. Maite, a 30-year-old secretary in Mexico City who feels life has passed her by, escapes from routine by reading the magazine Secret Romance, oblivious to the political upheaval around her. When her beautiful art student neighbor, Leonora, disappears, Maite, with the help of Rubén, Leonora’s former lover, begins a search that takes her into the world of student radicals. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Elvis, muscle for a clandestine, government-funded shock troop employed to suppress student protests, longs for something more and wishes to escape his old life. When Elvis’s boss assigns him to track down Leonora, his search crosses that of Maite, with whom he becomes fascinated. As the two get closer to discovering the reason behind Leonora’s disappearance, they uncover secrets that shadowy forces, both domestic and foreign, will kill to protect. This is a rich novel with an engrossing plot, distinctive characters, and a pleasing touch of romance. Readers won’t be able to put it down. Agent: Eddie Schneider, JABberwocky Literary. -
Narrator Gisela Ch�pe successfully juggles the many characters and subplots in this exciting, odd (in a good way) mystery set in 1970s Mexico. The government underwrites a group of thugs to do whatever's necessary to keep down student protests and civil unrest. While Elvis is an enforcer, Ch�pe's performance makes clear how his inner life conflicts with his work. Ch�pe also delivers a perfect Maite, a bored 30-year-old secretary with a Walter Mitty dream life inspired by her favorite magazine, SECRET ROMANCE. Maite agrees to cat sit for a neighbor, but the neighbor, Leonora, never returns. Then Maite's life takes a thrilling turn as not-so-nice men show up searching for Leonora. An artful narration by Ch�pe and an ingeniously plotted thriller by Moreno-Garcia (MEXICAN GOTHIC) make this prime listening. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFIle Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
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