Mexican Gothic

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemi 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 Noemi knows little about the region. Noemi 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 Noemi; 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 Noemi, 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 Noemi digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

enthralling world; suspense and mystery lacking submitted by bec on August 27, 2020, 8:40am I love gothic novels and mysteries, and this book has a lot going for it: a strong sense of place, a spooky house, a plucky heroine. The suspense and plotting were missing, though, and undercut the power of the central mystery. The writing felt overnarrated and overexplain-y, which meant the characters felt a little flat and we were rarely kept in the dark about developments that could have been held back to lift up the mystery. I'm excited to see the Hulu adaptation, which I hope will make this the suspenseful gothic mystery I was hoping for from the book, and I'm excited to read what this writer does next.

Atmospheric! submitted by cglimco on July 23, 2021, 1:03pm Strong atmosphere with an interesting setting and a strong heroine. I was a little disappointed in the final reveal and wished it had been ever spookier and more otherworldly. I also found the villains to be a little two-dimensionally evil. Still I really enjoyed it and recommend it, just could have been weirder for my taste.

Only OK submitted by delaflynn on August 16, 2021, 3:54pm It seemed so promising when I read a sample of it and put my name on the wait list for it. It's been a popular book. But just when the story is getting good and seems like it's actually going somewhere, it just stalls. Kind of disappointing. I had to borrow it three times (rejoining the wait list each time) just to finish the book. The heroine started strong but ended a bit flat. You'd think that she would have figured out what was going on in the house before she did because she came off as someone who was intelligent and sharp... but no. I guess I forgot that I don't really like the whole gothic genre? This book reminded me!