Review by: Nina Gomez
3.5 stars
Synopsis from Goodreads:
No one remembers…
One October morning in 1932, Vicente Sorolla entered the white house on the
hill and was never seen again.
Now, Detective Dori Orihuela helplessly
witnesses his brutal murder in her nightmares.
Settling into a 120 year-old Edwardian mansion, Dori restores her dream home
while recovering from a bullet wound and waiting to go back on duty.
But then one afternoon, Vicente materializes out of her butler's pantry and
asks her to find a woman named Anna. Dori wonders if she's not only about to
lose her badge, but also her sanity.
Dori and Vicente's unlikely friendship takes us back to the waning days of
Prohibition in San Diego and the dusty barrio of National City. Mary Castillo's
new novel, featuring the wild Orihuela family that first delighted readers in
Names I Call My Sister, weaves romance, history and a mystery into a humorous,
touching and unforgettable story.
My Review:
Dori Orihuela is in a funk. Relieved from police duty while
recovering from a gunshot wound, she has recurring nightmares of the incident
that got her injured. What’s worse is she is overwhelmed by the amount of work
required by a historical house that she has undertaken to restore, and her
grandmother won’t get off her case about finding a husband. To prove her point, Dori’s grandmother hires a
handsome contractor named Gavin, who turns out to be a boy that Dori had dumped
years ago in high school. It’s enough to make
her lose her mind. Or has she already lost her mind? Out of nowhere, the ghost
of a man named Vicente appears to her and asks for her help. Her nightmares of the shooting are now
compounded with visions of Vicente’s past and the tragedy that got him into the
netherworld. Dori is truly convinced
that she’s lost it.
After getting used to the idea of Vicente in her home, they
develop a friendship that has Dori searching for answers to his questions. She gets busy trying to find out the history
of the home, of Vicente and of the woman he has asked her to find for him. Things get complicated as Dori tries to
juggle her commitment to helping Vicente, her responsibilities as a
granddaughter and the sparks that start flying between her and Gavin. Learning about Vicente’s past and his great
love for Anna helps Dori to realize how much she is missing in her own life.
Mary Castillo’s novel is a smart and often humorous
portrayal of a strong and confident Hispanic woman trying to assert her independence
while staying within the confines of her culture. Dori’s grandmother is a
constant reminder of her responsibility first and foremost as a dutiful
granddaughter and member of their family. Dori comes from a culture where
respect for elders is still a high priority among family members. At the same
time, Dori is not old fashioned nor conservative. She has a mind of her own and
has prioritized her career instead of having a family. There is a constant
clash between her and grandmother and their conversations are witty, sharp and
downright engaging.
There is a strong cultural voice in this story that adds an interesting perspective to the book. Some readers may not be
familiar with the life in a barrio or the plight of the Mexican people during
the prohibition. Others may not fully
understand the reason why Dori feels so compelled to make that regular
appointment with her grandmother. The
author had the difficult task of keeping the reader engaged by weaving
Vicente’s story around that particular period. No matter what, Mary Castillo
still succeeds at delivering the universal message of this book – that love
transcends all times, all ages. If we focus on Vicente’s search for his beloved
Anna and the lesson that Dori learns from a love that has survived even death,
then we can look forward to more of Dori and Gavin in the very near future.
Connect with Mary Here
Buy The Book Here
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