Velvet was the Night: President Obama's Summer Reading List 2022 pick

'This book is so spectacularly good' Goodreads review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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.

'Such a captivating read' Goodreads review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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.

'I couldn't put it down' Goodreads review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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.

Velvet Was the Night: an edgy, simmering historical novel for lovers of smoky noirs and anti-heroes.