Reviews

A page turner until the very end! This novel is fantastic! Not generally a reader of the thriller genre, I received the book as a gift and finished the whole thing in two days. My stomach was in knots for most of the time! The plot twists are compelling as is the backdrop of the complexities of life and culture in the Central Valley. The author's vibrant description of both central California and Mexico transported me there. This book was an immensely pleasurable experience...I highly recommend it to all

Chris

Del Rio compassionately explores critical issues. I was up last night reading through this suspenseful novel. More than once I recalled Theodore Dreiser a century ago. Rosenthal deals straight up with contemporary issues of institutionalized crime, racism, and injustice, and skillfully weaves a path through it, in California and western Mexico, in a way that adds to the suspense and excitement. This book is not only for mystery and crime aficionados, but could very well be assigned in college classrooms because of the mirror it casts on the protagonist, and, not incidentally, on our society itself.

Frederick M. Smith

You will be unable to put this book down! This is one of those books that will have you binge-reading until the wee hours of the morning. An incredibly well-written novel with compelling characters and a fast-moving story will keep you on the edge of your seat when you're reading and thinking about it when you're not! I was also fascinated by the amount of information/detail about international drug and human trafficking activity. Makes you wonder if the author went undercover with the State Department before writing it the book....yeah, it's that good.

JayCee

Del Rio is a great mystery with an enticing blend of the hardscrabble life, cultural tensions, and tough politics of the California Central Valley and Sierra foothills. And much more!

Theodore Temple

Clever human insights. Lots of action. Relatable characters. Fun humor. Good plot twists. Del Rio is a great summer read.

J. F. Bach

How can you not like a mystery novel in which dead bodies are, literally, falling out of the sky? Jane Rosenthal’s latest novel Del Rio appeared on the top twelve book list for 2021 posted by “frolic.media”. After reading Del Rio, I understood why it was selected for a recommended reading list alongside works by such distinguished writers as Jane Harper and Jhumpa Lahiri. Readers of Del Rio are taken on a wild ride from the central valley of California to a lavish resort in the jungle of Mexico to a posh hotel in San Francisco. The plot unfolds from the point of view of two people: Callie, the Del Rio DA who stumbles upon some very ugly sh$t involving a local elected official, and Nathan, a wrong-place-wrong-time professor who is sucked into the whole sordid mess. The story plays out with surprising and interesting twists and the result is a very satisfying read.

JJ Hoyt

What a great read! I really am enjoying this book. Well-written and great characters.

Kelly

A great read that entertains and keeps you guessing Del Río begins with a body in an orange grove and takes us down the Pacific coast of Mexico. The smooth narrative drew me in and compelled me to keep reading. Jane Rosenthal is a master storyteller and is expert at mixing her cocktail of suspense with a splash of humor and settings banal and exotic. I enjoyed the way she juxtaposes the cultures of California and Mexico and the way she kept me guessing about how the book would end.

Craig Delaney

Jane Rosenthal Takes You There with Del Rio An uncanny ability to choose the details that make a place real for the reader-- the Central Valley of California, Mexico City, Miramonte, or Berkeley!

Susan W

Beautifully crafted suspense. Remember Jane Rosenthal's name. With Del Rio, her writing career is about to skyrocket.

Elizabeth Wafler

A Wonderful Read, A page turner for our times. International thriller with a spunky female District Attorney that is bent to succeed and to right the wrongs - even when the cost is high.

Stephanie F.

...opens the doors to Mexico City’s opulent mansions and lets you go behind the high walls into a world as mysterious as the country’s ancient past

Betty M.

I read my husband’s e-copy of The Palace of the Blue Butterfly. What an engrossing read! I’m a sucker for a really good mystery populated by interesting characters, and this tale surely is one! But it's also a real bonus to feel totally immersed in such a captivating location (Mexico) thanks to a skillful author who paints vivid lyrical landscapes and “personscapes”. Sign us up for the next in the trilogy!

Dorothy W.

The story twists and turns as an adventure through Mexico. Enjoy the sights, sounds and even smells of the culture.

Bubba

This is a well-written, captivating story. Hard to put it down. Gives good idea about mexican life, at different layers of the population.

Reader

Palace of the Blue Butterfly transports the reader into Mexico. Great adventure, good story line -- definitely worth reading! Love both the characters and writing style. Hope there is a sequel.

David S.

The vivid and evocative descriptions of Mexico drew me in; fully realized characters and a plot that kept me guessing made this novel one of my favorite summer reads.

Craig D.

Good plot and character development. Dialogue well done. Build to a believable climax I'd like to read the other 2 in the trilogy.

Jason G.

If you are a fan of women's fiction, you'll love Palace of the Blue Butterfly. This novel has all the page turning elements of Romantic Suspense, but like literary women's fiction, it has beautiful language complex character development and an intriguing, mysterious setting. Great read.

Anna E.

Hey, guys. Don’t think this is “just” chick lit. What a nice surprise to be treated to a vivid tour of Mexico City, a cast of fascinating people and a suspenseful page-turning plot, all relayed by a clearly knowledgeable author who writes beautifully. Let’s see more from Jane Rosenthal, please!

Patrick C

It takes a skillful writer to get you hooked on a subject in which you had no prior interest. Jane Rosenthal did that for me. Now I want to eat good Mexican food - IN Mexico, go to Mexican art museums and pierce the shroud of smog hanging over Mexico City to see for myself what's inside. Mostly I want to find out what happens next. Will there be a sequel? It's too soon for the fun to end, and this was a fun summer read.

Richard E.

Like Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna, the prose and intricacies of the Mexican setting keep you reading. The pace is languorous, leaving the reader plenty of time to savor both the story and the wonderful descriptions.

CA Reviews

High school Spanish teacher Lili leaves her bland life in California behind when her volatile and unpredictable sister disappears. At first full of determination to get answers, Lili's energies are sapped by a parade of suspicious people and the need to generate an income. She slowly slides into her sister's house, clothes, job, and life. Lili is almost too resigned to the situation until she learns a secret that galvanizes her into action again.

CA Reviews

This novel offers two ways to become engrossed: either fall in love with Lili Golden's quest to repair her life by searching for her missing sister, or fall in love with the author's evocative phrases and descriptions of Mexico. Or fall in love with both.

CA Reviews