Murder, Moviemaking, and Mystery in 1950s Los Angeles’ Chavez Ravine

The Night Lady by Debra Castaneda is set in the summer of 1950. A newly hired reporter documents a number of mysterious murders coinciding with two major events in Los Angeles’ Chavez Ravine community, a movie is being filmed nearby, and powerful interests are forcing all homeowners out for a new stadium and a public housing project. 

Soon eviction notices are hand delivered to homes, which raises tensions and emotions: “Robert only half heard him because he spotted a man from city hall walking up the dirt path. Standing at least six-foot-five, with a gaunt face and grim expression, it was like the grim reaper had exchanged his black robe for a custom-order gray suit, the black leather briefcase he carried instead of a scythe probably full of eviction letters.”  

Most of the residents are Hispanic, some lived their whole lives here in homes their parents built; this huge disruption is particularly hard on older people who don’t relish starting over late in life. In such a situation, where eminent domain comes into play, the government never gives families true compensation in exchange for the “greater good,” and finding a new home is a challenge when many developments won’t sell or rent to Hispanics. 

The story of this community and mystery of the deaths was very engaging and entertaining, particularly because the characters were so realistic, interesting and relatable. Amidst the turmoil and confusion of an ongoing movie production, murder investigations, and daily life which included a particularly beautiful young woman who is a folk healer or curandera, with a huge medicinal garden and patients lining up daily for treatments, the plot thickens and new theories abound. 

As time and tensions advance, the reporter notices alterations in the healer’s landscape: “The moon was full and bright, the garden made luminous in its silver glow. What he saw took his breath away, made his heart beat faster, and made his mouth fall open. The garden was so changed he hardly recognized it. It was strangely beautiful in its grotesque abundance, the blooms of the flowers still open as if it were the middle of the day and not nearly ten o’clock at night.” The healer wanted her neighbors to stand up for their rights and resist resettlement. Her work is interrupted once she’s arrested as a possible suspect in the murders, and things take a turn for the worse. 

As events proceed, townspeople begin to see evidence of frightening supernatural events, which raise more questions about the murders, and whether families are being frightened out of their real estate: “Even from that distance, he could smell the roses, which meant it was exactly as Espy had said. The roses had shot up, bigger and even more luscious than before. Their overpowering fragrance filled him with disgust. And fear. It was ridiculous to be afraid of a garden. But he was. As his hands gripped the fence, he felt something on his knuckles. When he looked down, he stopped breathing and saw a vine slithering across his pale skin, nearly silver in the moonlight. There was no one around to see him run.”

After an assault, the reporter’s investigation becomes personal, and the race is on to discover proof for his suspicions. The terrifying and satisfying conclusion is his assignment to photograph the arrest! Lives seek the normalcy of routine, but change and challenges are inevitable. Friendships formed during difficult times transcend zip codes, race, and backgrounds, enabling us to see beyond the corner of differences, to the richness of shared humanity.