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The Intrigue
- Author
- Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- Narrator
- Andre Bellido
- Publisher
- Quercus
- Publish Date
- 16 July 2026
- Run Time
- 10 hours 3 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
Handsome con artist Ulises has long charmed lonely women via letters to steal their money, but money is hard to come by in 1940s Mexico. Ulises knows his looks won't last forever, and he's desperate to get his hands on a real fortune.
He thinks he's found it when he captivates his newest correspondent, Perla, the owner of a small-town boardinghouse in picturesque Veracruz. But when he meets her, he finds something he didn't expect. The woman has a niece, Inés, who is as observant as she is desperate to escape her aunt's household.
When Inés discovers Ulises' true intentions, she wants in on the scheme. They'll convince her aunt that Ulises is a great catch, Perla will marry him, and her money will vanish. Easy, fast and clean. But Perla is not the desperate, silly spinster Ulises imagines. She harbors secrets. And although Ulises does not believe in true romance, Inés is more alluring than he bargained on. Suddenly, a simple plan may become perilously complicated.
Venture into the streets of a small town where the patina of convention and good manners conceals a cauldron of avarice and lust.
PRAISE FOR THE INTRIGUE:
'Lush and passionate with magnetic prose . . . The Intrigue will grab you by the throat and won't let go until its earth-shaking finale!' S. A. Crosby, author of King of Ashes
'As the deception and the bodies mount, I rooted increasingly for this Bonnie & Clyde to get away clean with the loot. Do they? Read and find out; you won't be sorry!' Kate Quinn, author of The Alice Network
'Everything about Moreno-Garcia's latest exudes noir at its very best' Library Journal
'Moreno-Garcia delivers a pulpy noir-telenovela mashup that would make James M. Cain jealous' Los Angeles Times
'This is yet another rock-solid novel from a born storyteller. Clever, taut, and just flat-out fun' Kirkus Reviews
Critics Review
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Lush and passionate with magnetic prose, The Intrigue takes up the mantle of true noir classics like Double Indemnity or Black Wings Has My Angel, and reinvigorates the genre with a new perspective. Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes with the soul of a sensualist and the eye of a practiced observer of human nature. The Intrigue will grab you by the throat and won't let go until its earth-shaking finale!
S. A. Crosby, author of KING OF ASHES
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Silvia Moreno-Garcia has a great gift for making you cheer for things you shouldn't in her books, and The Intrigue is no exception. As the deception and the bodies mount, I rooted increasingly for this Bonnie & Clyde to get away clean with the loot. Do they? Read and find out; you won't be sorry!
Kate Quinn, author of THE ALICE NETWORK
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Writing with elegantly crafted prose to rival Raymond Chandler and James M. Cain's discerning flair for morally complex characterization, Moreno-Garcia (The Bewitching) serves up her own seductive literary cocktail composed of equal measures of deception, danger, desire, and desperation. From its expertly evoked settings to its flawlessly paced plot, everything about Moreno-Garcia's latest exudes noir at its very best
Library Journal
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Moreno-Garcia (The Bewitching) satisfies with this devilish tale of a con man in 1940s Mexico who meets his match in the niece of his latest victim . . . Moreno-Garcia keeps the power dynamics unstable in this deliciously dark thriller, with most of the characters concealing momentous secrets that inform their respective motivations. The resulting fireworks are difficult to look away from
Publishers Weekly
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Moreno-Garcia has ventured into historical noir before with her excellent Velvet Was the Night (2021), and with her new novel, she shows that she's still comfortable probing the darkness in people's souls . . . This is yet another rock-solid novel from a born storyteller. Clever, taut, and just flat-out fun
Kirkus Reviews
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In her 12th genre-defying novel, Moreno-Garcia delivers a pulpy noir-telenovela mashup that would make James M. Cain jealous . . . As Moreno-Garcia reveals the claustrophobic customs and mores of a town whose name means "drowned pig," disaster feels inevitable
Los Angeles Times
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The Intrigue looks to be Silvia Moreno-Garcia in peak form, for another entry in a storied career
Crime Reads
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An irresistible plot in a noir tale of desire, greed, and seduction
Book Riot
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The Intrigue mixes lust, greed, and dark humor in a noir story where no one's heart - or wallet - is safe
SheReads
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This noirish slow-burn drama promises sultry suspense on sun-soaked coasts
Maclean's Magazine
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A model of what noir can be right now, The Intrigue is simply thrilling
Irish Times
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- Narrator
- Andre Bellido
- Duration
- 10 hours 3 minutes
- Release Date
- 16 July 2026
- ISBN
- 9781529441796
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Quercus
- Genre
- Crime and mystery: hard-boiled crime, noir fiction, Thriller / suspense fiction
Synopsis
From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic and Velvet Was the Night comes a sizzling noir about desire, danger, and greed, in which seduction is the ultimate conHandsome con artist Ulises has long charmed lonely women via letters to steal their money, but money is hard to come by in 1940s Mexico. Ulises knows his looks won't last forever, and he's desperate to get his hands on a real fortune.He thinks he's found it when he captivates his newest correspondent, Perla, the owner of a small-town boardinghouse in picturesque Veracruz. But when he meets her, he finds something he didn't expect. The woman has a niece, Inés, who is as observant as she is desperate to escape her aunt's household.When Inés discovers Ulises' true intentions, she wants in on the scheme. They'll convince her aunt that Ulises is a great catch, Perla will marry him, and her money will vanish. Easy, fast and clean. But Perla is not the desperate, silly spinster Ulises imagines. She harbors secrets. And although Ulises does not believe in true romance, Inés is more alluring than he bargained on. Suddenly, a simple plan may become perilously complicated.Venture into the streets of a small town where the patina of convention and good manners conceals a cauldron of avarice and lust.PRAISE FOR THE INTRIGUE:'Lush and passionate with magnetic prose . . . The Intrigue will grab you by the throat and won't let go until its earth-shaking finale!' S. A. Crosby, author of King of Ashes'As the deception and the bodies mount, I rooted increasingly for this Bonnie & Clyde to get away clean with the loot. Do they? Read and find out; you won't be sorry!' Kate Quinn, author of The Alice Network'Everything about Moreno-Garcia's latest exudes noir at its very best' Library Journal'Moreno-Garcia delivers a pulpy noir-telenovela mashup that would make James M. Cain jealous' Los Angeles Times'This is yet another rock-solid novel from a born storyteller. Clever, taut, and just flat-out fun' Kirkus Reviews
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