ARC Review: Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Silvia Moreno-Garcia is known for her ability to blend multiple genres so the fact that her newest novel, Silver Nitrate, is an excellent blend of gothic horror, mystery, & historical fiction shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s a spooky slow burn with complex characters and a mystery you can’t put down.
Montserrat is a sound editor in Mexico City who is struggling to make ends meet. It doesn’t help that the studio she works for is a total boys club and she refuses to play their misogynistic game. Her best friend Tristán is an actor whose career can’t seem to outrun his troubled past. When Tristán discovers legendary film director Abel Urueta lives in his new building, the three lonely souls strike up a friendship and set out to finish Urueta’s last, unfinished film. Urueta believes the film to be cursed and only when the film is finished will the curse be lifted.
For a while, it seems like finishing the film is bringing good luck their way. Tristán gets offered a big role. Urueta is approached to do a retrospective of his work. And Montserrat’s sister goes into remission. Yet something sinister lurks in the shadows when Tristán is haunted by his dead ex-girlfriend and Montserrat is stalked by the ghost of a Nazi cult-leader. Things take a turn for the worse when members of the cult discover what Abel, Tristán, and Montserrat are up to.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Del Ray for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I had never read anything by Silvia Moreno-Garcia before reading Silver Nitrate so I knew very little about what to expect. I heard she did genre well and that her books tended to be on the spookier side so when I read the blurb for Silver Nitrate, I said “sign me up!” It checked off several boxes in regards to my interests so I was excited to get reading!
It takes a while to get to the main plot thanks to the exposition-filled beginning creating a rich world which gives off 1940s film noir vibes even though the book takes place in 1993. It lends to an overall theme of many characters–not just Montserrat, Tristán, and Abel–feeling stuck in the past. I mean, we are dealing with Nazi occultism after all.
Once the main plot took off, I was thoroughly invested. I almost never knew what direction it was going which meant I couldn’t stop reading until the mystery was explained. I was completely immersed in the story which is all thanks to Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s ability to combine historical fiction with aspects from other genres like horror, mystery, and suspense. The attention to detail shows and adds more and more layers of complexity.
Montserrat and Tristán are such an interesting pair of protagonists.They’re polar opposites. Montserrat is rough around the edges and prefers to be alone while Tristán is a charming actor who craves company and as childhood best friends with a long history together they would do just about anything for each other (except let Tristán drive Montserrat’s car) which is how they get involved with Abel Urueta’s cursed film. It’s really satisfying to see their growth separately and together.
Overall, Silver Nitrate is a solid read for anyone who enjoys a good spooky slow burn. It has a few scary moments sprinkled throughout the story but nothing that’ll make you sleep with the light on. Even though I don’t have any other Silvia Moreno-Garcia books to compare it to, I’m sure her fans won’t be disappointed.
Silver Nitrate is available now from your favorite bookseller.
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
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