Staff Pick
WARNING: this book was TERRIFYING! It genuinely kept me up at night and gave me nightmares. I brought it up in therapy and watched as my therapist wrote down the book's title and author. That being said, it was excellent and you should read it. The plot was expertly executed and the characters are so vividly detailed that you will feel like you are stuck in the spooky mansion with them. Recommended By Sarah B., Powells.com
Mexican Gothic is such a relief: it breathes fresh air into an old genre with a vibrancy and lushness of atmosphere that is so easy to get lost in. I fell in love with the courageous, fiery protagonist Noemí and found myself glued to every page, desperate to see her succeed. Moreno-Garcia does such a fantastic job weaving the Gothic tropes we all know and love into something timely, jarring, and downright chilling. Recommended By Nicole S., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - "It's Lovecraft meets the Bront s in Latin America, and after a slow-burn start Mexican Gothic gets seriously weird."--The Guardian
ONE OF TIME'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME - WINNER OF THE LOCUS AWARD - NOMINATED FOR THE BRAM STOKER AWARD
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, NPR, The Washington Post, Tordotcom, Marie Claire, Vox, Mashable, Men's Health, Library Journal, Book Riot, LibraryReads
An isolated mansion. A chillingly charismatic aristocrat. And a brave socialite drawn to expose their treacherous secrets. . . . From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes "a terrifying twist on classic gothic horror" (Kirkus Reviews) set in glamorous 1950s Mexico.
After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noem Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She's not sure what she will find--her cousin's husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noem knows little about the region.
Noem is also an unlikely rescuer: She's a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she's also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin's new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noem ; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi's dreams with visions of blood and doom.
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family's youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noem , but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family's past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family's once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noem digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.
And Noem , mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.
"It's as if a supernatural power compels us to turn the pages of the gripping Mexican Gothic."--The Washington Post
"Mexican Gothic is the perfect summer horror read, and marks Moreno-Garcia with her hypnotic and engaging prose as one of the genre's most exciting talents."--Nerdist
"A period thriller as rich in suspense as it is in lush '50s atmosphere."--Entertainment Weekly
Review
"Mexican Gothic terrified and fascinated me. Silvia Moreno-Garcia proves once again that she's a genre-jumping wizard, one of the most exciting and necessary authors writing today." — Charlie Jane Anders, nationally bestselling author of The City in the Middle of the Night
Review
"Deliciously creepy...Read it with your lights on — and know that strange dreams might begin to haunt you, as they haunted Noemí." — Vox
Review
"Masterful...a gloriously moody adventure, spooky, smart, and wry. Chic, no-nonsense Noemí Taboada is one hell of a tour guide through this world of mystery, scandal and spirits." — Victor LaValle, author of The Changeling
About the Author
Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of the novels Velvet Was the Night, Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow, and a bunch of other books. She has also edited several anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award-winning She Walks in Shadows (a.k.a. Cthulhu's Daughters). She has been nominated for the Locus Award for her work as an editor and has won the British Fantasy Award and the Locus Award for her work as a novelist.