Mexican Gothic

This had all the good spooky promises of a great thriller and delivered on most counts, but with an ending that was a little lackluster.

Synopsis: After receiving a letter from her frantic and distressed cousin begging for someone to save her, the glamourous and defiant Noemi heads to High Place, a crumbling mansion in the Mexican countryside. Surrounded by strict employees, rude family members, and her cousin's husband who is strangely flirty and posh, Noemi realizes she might have a harder time saving her cousin than she first thought. High Place is hiding a dark past, a past she is interested in uncovering but one she may just find herself too involved in and unable to escape from too.

Plot: I usually don't read a lot of thrillers so this was really fun to get into. All the best spooky, gothic, and very creepy vibes. The spooky atmosphere was top-tier paired with the more historical setting. There were also great horror aspects involved along with the classic gothic elements and body horror. This novel started off fantastic, drawing me in and keeping me on my toes BUT there was an unexpected direction taken towards the end that I'm not sure I really liked all that much. There were many directions Moreno-Garcia could have taken and while this was one I didn't see coming, I'm still not sure if it was the right choice, and led to an underwhelming conclusion. Still worth a read 100%, but I wish it had gone a different way.

Characters: We LOVE a thriller main character who isn't dumb! She is not only intelligent but witty and not afraid to get to the bottom of things and take control. The side characters were also fascinating and I even wish we got to see a little more from them, especially the sister who played a big role in the beginning but dropped off in the middle and end.

Interested to read other books from Moreno-Garcia.

3.5/5 stars.

TW: attempted rape.