u/Several_Pen_1953

While researching Mexican folklore for my novel, *The Last Bargain*, I became fascinated by how differently supernatural figures can be interpreted from one region—or even one family—to another.

The Charro Negro is often described as a finely dressed horseman who appears at night and tempts travelers with money, assistance, or some form of bargain. Depending on the telling, he may be the Devil himself, a condemned soul, or something less easily defined. La Llorona varies just as widely: grieving mother, child-killer, dangerous apparition, colonial allegory, or a figure with roots reaching further back than the familiar Spanish-language legend.

Which versions of the Charro Negro, La Llorona, or El Sombreron did you grow up hearing? Do you view them primarily as Catholic-era legends, continuations of older Indigenous traditions, morality tales—or some combination of all three?

I’d especially love to hear regional or family variations that aren’t commonly included in English-language retellings.

https://preview.redd.it/kun7cb9gldkh1.jpg?width=1875&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c3b1fbba188c059c6ad7424f0e83c0c739346e80

"A vampire tale like you've never seen before..."

Soledad survived the death of her husband.

Surviving Hidalgo may cost her soul.

In the scorched deserts of Porfirian Mexico, a grieving young widow strikes a bargain with a mysterious horseman whose blood works impossible miracles—and demands an unbearable price.

Hidalgo is an immortal horseman bound by ancient vows to the Catholic Church. In exchange for his protection, Soledad must surrender the only thing she has left to give—her own blood. Bound together by an oath neither fully understands, she is drawn into a hidden world where saints and old gods walk the same earth, and where faith and blasphemy are often separated only by the stories people choose to believe.

As they journey south, Soledad witnesses the cruelty of the Porfiriato and the suffering of those abandoned by both government and God. Yet Hidalgo refuses to intervene, constrained by laws older than kingdoms and older than the Church itself.

To him, order preserves the world.

To her, justice demands rebellion.

Caught between an immortal who believes every revolution ends in tragedy and a nation desperate to rise against tyranny, Soledad must decide whether evil is defeated through obedience...or by bloodshed.

If she chooses wrong, she will lose far more than her own soul.

The Last Bargain is a haunting historical fantasy that blends Weird West atmosphere, Catholic mythology, and Mesoamerican folklore into a story of power, sacrifice, complicity, and the terrible price of deciding who deserves to be saved.

For readers of Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman and American Gods by Neil Gaiman, with the historical atmosphere of The Gunslinger by Stephen King.

TW: Suicide, fantasy violence, death

Access the ARC now!

Publishes: September 2026

Please submit reviews by August 31st, 2026.

https://booksirens.com/book/UBMEQEG/FYD1FTH

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While researching Mexican folklore for my novel, The Last Bargain, I became fascinated by how differently supernatural figures can be interpreted from one region—or even one family—to another.

The Charro Negro is often described as a finely dressed horseman who appears at night and tempts travelers with money, assistance, or some form of bargain. Depending on the telling, he may be the Devil himself, a condemned soul, or something less easily defined. La Llorona varies just as widely: grieving mother, child-killer, dangerous apparition, colonial allegory, or a figure with roots reaching further back than the familiar Spanish-language legend.

Which versions of the Charro Negro, La Llorona, or El Sombreron did you grow up hearing? Do you view them primarily as Catholic-era legends, continuations of older Indigenous traditions, morality tales—or some combination of all three?

I’d especially love to hear regional or family variations that aren’t commonly included in English-language retellings.

While researching Mexican folklore for my novel, I became fascinated by how differently supernatural figures can be interpreted from one region—or even one family—to another.

The Charro Negro is often described as a finely dressed horseman who appears at night and tempts travelers with money, assistance, or some form of bargain. Depending on the telling, he may be the Devil himself, a condemned soul, or something less easily defined. La Llorona varies just as widely: grieving mother, child-killer, dangerous apparition, colonial allegory, or a figure with roots reaching further back than the familiar Spanish-language legend.

Which versions of the Charro Negro or La Llorona did you grow up hearing? Do you view them primarily as Catholic-era legends, continuations of older Indigenous traditions, morality tales—or some combination of all three?

I’d especially love to hear regional or family variations that aren’t commonly included in English-language retellings.