NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “It’s Lovecraft meets the Brontës 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, Noemí 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 Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí 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 Noemí; 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 Noemí, 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 Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.
And Noemí, 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
I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Noemí travels from Mexico City to a replica English countryside mansion to investigate her cousin’s mysterious letter in this creepily fantastic adult historical fiction.
Set in a decrepit mansion in 1950’s Mexico, Mexican Gothic has the same ambiance of Stephen King’s The Shining and Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House. Vivid and grotesque imagery interwove with fairy tales from around the world pull together a lush and haunted setting. Someone much smarter than I will probably enjoy exploring the juxtaposition between the English estate and the Mexican village.
Noemí is the perfect protagonist to the fantastical. She’s practical and realistic, able to discern something is not quite right at High Place quickly. She’s a detective ferreting out clues from the house, the village, the family. I love that she never dismissed the paranormal as a legit possibility during her investigation. The secondary characters are as vivid as our heroine, each a catalyst – both good and bad – to the situation and setting.
I loved it. Absolutely loved it. Add in an unexpected romance, and it had everything I ever wanted. I’ll be interested to see how others view the romance. I could see some people disliking it, but it worked well for me. I hope those two crazy kids make it.
tl;dr This book delivered for me – I was in the head space for a creepy setting, an interesting plot, and compelling characters and it hits the mark in spades.
