by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Moreno-Garcia)
Gothic. Dark. Creepy. Yep. That’s the book Mexican Gothic. If you are looking for a hair-raising thriller, this book checkmarks all the boxes. Silvia Moreno-Garcia has a dark surreal method of storytelling that keeps the reader uneasy until the book’s disturbing conclusion.
Socialite Noemí Taboada’s father
calls her home and into his office. He has received an unsettling letter from
her newly-wed cousin Catalina. Catalina claims someone is trying to kill her at
her new home in the remote Mexican countryside. It’s plausible considering how
quickly she married the Englishman Virgil Doyle whose family is in financial
decline. If nothing else, Catalina may be going insane. She needs rescuing,
that’s for sure. So Noemi’s father wants her to enlist her wits and go check on
her cousin’s health and state of mind.
Since the silver mine has closed,
the Doyle’s High Place manor is in disrepair. Just to get there is a
treacherous travel up the mountain through dangerous forests. Want to go for a
walk to clear your head? The best destination is the family cemetery, complete
with creepy statues and eerie mausoleums. The head of the household spends his
days mainly in bed. The rest of the household must keep quiet, no talking at
dinner. The matriarch aunt is overbearing. Virgil is handsome but also stubborn
and intimidating. The only comfort is the kind, introverted nephew Francis who
she befriends.
The Doyles claim Catalina is simply
recovering from an illness, although Catalina covertly shares that she is in
danger. Noemi’s dreams take a turn for the creepy. Golden ghosts haunt the
halls. Mold creeps up the walls. She discovers the family has a frightening
history of violence and bloodshed in this unsettling home.
Will Noemi and Catalina fall victim
to the family’s bad luck? You will find yourself racing to the end of the book
to see who makes it out of this gothic horror alive.
( official Silvia Moreno-Garcia
web site )
Read
Garren H.’s review of The Return of the Sorceress, a fantasy novel also by Silvia
Moreno-Garcia, in the October 2021 Staff Recommendations, here on BookGuide!
Recommended
by Cindy K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service
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If you're a mystery fan, you're invited to join us for this month's Just Desserts meeting tonight, July 27th, at 6:30 p.m. in the 4th floor auditorium of the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown at 14th & "N" St. -- this mystery-themed discussion group meets on the last Thursday of each month, January through October. Tonight, we'll be discussing the 2022 bestselling suspense novel Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn..
Even if you haven't read anything for this specific discussion, you can still participate, and learn about great new mysteries to try! For more information, check out the Just Desserts schedule at https://lincolnlibraries.org/bookguide/book-groups/#justdesserts
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