The Hacienda

By: Isabel Cañas

Narrated by: Victoria Villarreal, Lee Osorio

Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca in this debut supernatural suspense novel, set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, about a remote house, a sinister haunting, and the woman pulled into their clutches...

During the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father was executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security that his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost.

But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.

When Rodolfo returns to work in the capital, visions and voices invade Beatriz’s sleep. The weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Rodolfo’s sister, Juana, scoffs at Beatriz’s fears—but why does she refuse to enter the house at night? Why does the cook burn copal incense at the edge of the kitchen and mark the doorway with strange symbols? What really happened to the first Doña Solórzano?

Beatriz only knows two things for certain: Something is wrong with the hacienda. And no one there will save her.

Desperate for help, she clings to the young priest, Padre Andrés, as an ally. No ordinary priest, Andrés will have to rely on his skills as a witch to fight off the malevolent presence haunting the hacienda and protect the woman for whom he feels a powerful, forbidden attraction. But even he might not be enough to battle the darkness.

Far from a refuge, San Isidro may be Beatriz’s doom.

©2022 Isabel Cañas (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Hacienda San Isidro is the house of your worst nightmares.”—The New York Times

“A tale of romance, dread, and supernatural menace."—Harper’s Bazaar

“[A] gothic tale of doomed love and vengeful spirits."—The Washington Post

so scary

I love it. it was a scary story with a beautiful characters and beautiful plot.

Not my kind of genre

Too much gore for me. The supernatural forces got into my skin. The narration was good

Thrilling!

Loved how every chapter keeps you thinking and wanting to hear more. Loved the narrators.

Wonderful

Worth the read. I enjoyed myself. Only thing that was tripping me up was when the main character hit her heel and went sprawling backward.. and that just doesn’t make sense with me.

Loved it

The narrators were great and the story line kept me on edge wondering what would happen. Couldn’t put it down.

It’s an experience!

Isabel Cañas took my heart on a journey I only THOUGHT I was prepared for. I certainly was not. But by the end, I wasn’t ready for it to be over!

Really great

This is a really great book. Surprisingly creepy. Didn’t find a dull moment. And here is my fifteenth word

An excellent gothic

The performances were excellent! The writing was excellent. I was very close to loving it, but I greatly enjoyed it. I actually liked it better than Mexican Gothic, and that I enjoy too.

Only one disappointing thing

This was a very good story well performed by both narrators. However I was disappointed in the decision to narrate in English without a Spanish accent. The Spanish words that were spoken were impeccably pronounced and led interest and authenticity to the performance. But then to surround them with English pronounced without an accent was jarring and marred the experience of a story about Spanish speaking people set in their own country.

Twists and turns

This book went back and forth in time to reveal a tale complicated by lies and hatred, love and loss. Performed expertly, I was never lost but appreciated a narrative that revealed the truth, layer by layer.