The Hacienda – Isabel Cañas

Title: The Hacienda

Author: Isabel Cañas

Genre: Thriller, Historical Fiction

Plot: Beatriz has just gotten married to Rodolfo Solórzanos not long after being arrested by Mexico’s newly founded republic after their war for independence with Spain. She and Rodolfo move to his house, Hacienda San Isidro. Beatriz longs to make the house hers. But not everything is as it seems. After Rodolfo returns to the capital, Beatriz begins to notice odd things: red eyes in the shadows, temperature fluctuations, blood soaked things, and a skeleton buried in the wall. When she tries to show others what she saw, the things vanish. Still, Beatriz seeks help from the local priests. They try to dismiss her, but Padre Andrés believes her. He promises to help. Padre Andrés being there only brings up more secrets from the past. Secrets that people want to keep buried. Will Padre Andrés’ help be enough? Should the secrets of the past really be uncovered? Can they save the hacienda? Or is it lost to whatever, or whomever’s taken up residence there?

Rating: 4.0 – a good blend of historical fiction and thriller

Opinion: This was a great book. It was hard to put it down. There were a few times I had to put it out of sight so I wouldn’t be tempted to read it. It was definitely creepy but not creepy to keep me up at night or freak me out if I read it at night. I loved the history of this book. It was interesting to read about a different culture and their history, even if was a thriller. I learn a little about the caste system Mexico had in college, but this has a more in depth and more interesting way to learn about it. I enjoyed learning about daily life on an hacienda and life from an outsider’s perspective. This book does have a fair bit of Spanish, but most of it has the English equivalent nearby or is self explanatory. I loved this book. It’s a great blend of history and spookiness. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves history and thrillers.