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 con 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.