Silver Nitrate

Starred review from April 3, 2023
Bestseller Moreno-Garcia (The Daughter of Doctor Moreau) takes readers behind the scenes of 1993 Mexico City’s horror movie industry in this powerful and chilling thrill ride. Lifelong film buffs Montserrat and Tristán have remained best friends since childhood, though their lives take very different turns, with Montserrat going into the underpaid, male-dominated audio editing space and Tristán rising to and falling from soap opera stardom. Tristán finds a similarly fallen friend in his new neighbor, Abel Urueta, a once legendary director whose career was destroyed by the unfinished mess of his last film. Abel claims the screenplay was written by Nazi occultist Wilhelm Ewers, who meant to use the film to cast a luck spell, but following Ewers’s sudden death the spell was inverted. Abel convinces Montserrat and Tristán that finishing the film with him will finish the original spell and bring them all luck—only for their endeavors to draw forth something very different from the dark. Combining real history with unsettling magic, Moreno-Garcia effortlessly ties explorations of misogyny, addiction, antisemitism, and racism into a plot that never falters from its breakneck pace. The narrative shifts effortlessly between fantasy, horror, and romance, helmed by a well-shaded cast. The complex female characters are particular standouts. This is a knockout. Agent: Eddie Schneider, JABberwocky.

October 1, 2023

Moreno-Garcia (The Daughter of Doctor Moreau) pens another cross-genre novel, using her penchant for historical fiction to weave a tale of occult horror set in 1990s Mexico City. Montserrat Curiel is a talented, underappreciated sound editor, barely scraping by due to the sexism of the film industry. Her best friend, Trist�n Abascal, is a washed-up soap actor, his reputation tarnished by an accident from his past. After befriending cult horror-film director Abel Urueta, Montserrat and Trist�n become entwined in a dangerous mystery involving an incomplete cursed film that Abel was making for a Nazi occultist. Brazilian actor Gisela Ch�pe returns to narrate another Moreno-Garcia novel, having previously narrated Velvet Was the Night and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. Ch�pe provides unique voices for each character and seamlessly interweaves Spanish dialogue. The narration is measured, adding an element of melodrama to the story, reminiscent of noir. VERDICT This slow-burn horror thriller full of Mexican history and culture and laced with social commentary is perfect for fans of horror and film history and listeners looking for moody thrillers with supernatural elements. For listen-alikes about cursed media, suggest Josh Winning's Burn the Negative, Clay McLeod Chapman's The Remaking, or Kiersten White's Mister Magic.--Meghan Bouffard

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