Ulises is a handsome con artist down to the last of his last funds in 1940s Mexico. He is getting older and knows from the experience of taking care of his now deceased father that looks don’t last forever. Desperate to get the ultimate score and real lasting money, he writes to women with lonely hearts ads. He portrays himself as a good man, often as a photographer, and slowly gathers information on his intended marks. However, not every lonely heart is foolish. Ulises is forced to flee his lodgings when the children of one of his failed con attempts locates his lodgings. He takes a chance on one of his newest correspondences, Perla. The owner of a boarding house in a small town in Veracruz, Perla is difficult and untrusting. She is also the de facto caretaker of her beautiful niece, Inés. While Ulises tries to romance Perla, Inés quickly figures out the true nature of his game. Far from wanting to protect her aunt, Inés wants Ulises to cut her in so she can get as far away from Perla as possible. She helps him seduce to aunt, only to find out how much Perla has betrayed Inés over the years. It’s only a matter of time before a con job turns to murder.
The Intrigue starts off strong, but in the end, it just wasn’t my favorite. As always, the talented Moreno-Garcia creates a stunning and believable setting and memorable characters. It is possible to easily picture the boarding house and small town in your mind. The plot takes a great deal of time to unfold, and when it finally does the payoff doesn’t justify the length of time to get there. There is a wealth of interesting characters in the boardinghouse, but most are just there to display Perla’s cruelty and obsession with visible propriety. It becomes a struggle to find someone to root for because in the end Inés and Ulises are not much better than Perla. The feel is like taking a telenovela but then removing any of the camp elements that make the telenovela fun.
The Intrigue is available July 14th from Del Rey Books.
