Title: Mexican Gothic

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Publisher: Del Rey 2020

Genre: Horror

Pages: 320

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf

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.

Our book club selection and this was just what I needed this week. I dove into this book wondering if everything was in Noemi’s head or if weird things were really happening. The tension built and built and built over the course of the book. I just wanted to keep reading until I got to the end. The was incredibly creepy. I love how much the house became a character in the book. I could see every inch of High Place, all of the creepy darkness and moldy walls. The characters are appropriately sinister. Of course we know that Virgil is a bad guy from the first chapter. But I loved how much was kept hidden until right towards the very end. And Uncle Howard! Goodness he was beyond creepy. The ending was incredibly satisfying. I will definitely have to revisit this one someday.

Next up on the TBR pile: