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Havana Blue (Mario Conde Mystery 3) [Paperback]

Leonardo Padura (Author), Peter Bush (Translator)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Mario Conde Mystery 3 June 1, 2007

Praise for the Havana Quartet:

“Overlaid with a rich smoky patina, an atmosphere that reeks of slums and riches, cigar smoke and exotic perfumes. Havana Black is a strong tasting book, a rich feast of wit and feeling.”—The Independent

“Drenched with that beguiling otherness so appealing to fans of mysteries of other cultures, it will also appeal to those who appreciate the sultry lyricism of James Lee Burke.”—Booklist

“A great plot, perfectly executed with huge atmosphere. You can almost smell the cigar smoke, rum and cheap women.”—Daily Mirror

Havana Red, another winner from Bitter Lemon Press.”—The New York Times

Lieutenant Mario Conde is suffering from a terrible New Year’s Eve hangover. Though it’s the middle of a weekend, he is asked to urgently investigate the mysterious disappearance of Rafael Morin, a high-level business manager in the Cuban nomenklatura. Conde remembered Morin from their student days: good-looking, brilliant, a “reliable comrade’’ who always got what he wanted, including Tamara, the girl Conde was after.

But Rafael Morin’s exemplary rise from a poor barrio and picture-perfect life hides more than one suspicious episode worthy of investigation. While pursuing the case in a decaying but adored Havana, Conde confronts his lost love for Tamara and the dreams and illusions of his generation.


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Havana Blue (Mario Conde Mystery 3) + Havana Black: A Lieutenant Mario Conde Mystery (Mario Conde Mystery 2) + Havana Gold: The Havana Quartet
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Blending noirish police procedural with vivid images of life in contemporary Cuba, Padura has produced another gem in the third of his Havana Quartet (after Havana Black and Havana Red). Police lieutenant Mario Conde is roused from a post–New Year's Eve hangover by a call from his superior reporting the disappearance of Rafael Morín Rodríguez, a high-level official in the ministry for industry. By chance, Rodríguez and his gorgeous wife, Tamara, were high school classmates of Conde, who carried a torch for Tamara for many years. While she claims to be mystified by her husband vanishing, swearing that he was an honest public servant, Tamara remains high on Conde's list of suspects even as he struggles to master his desire for her. That desire threatens to compromise an already sensitive investigation. Padura's taut writing and lyrical images will impress even newcomers to the series. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Praise for the Havana Quartet "Overlaid with a rich smoky patina, an atmosphere that reeks of slums and riches, cigar smoke and exotic perfumes. Havana Black is a strong tasting book, a rich feast of wit and feeling." Independent "Drenched with that beguiling otherness so appealing to fans of mysteries of other cultures, it will also appeal to those who appreciate the sultry lyricism of James Lee Burke. " Booklist "Well-plotted second volume of the seething, steaming Havana Quartet... a densely packed mystery." Publishers Weekly

Product Details

  • Paperback: 286 pages
  • Publisher: Bitter Lemon Press (June 1, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1904738222
  • ISBN-13: 978-1904738220
  • Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #261,350 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT, GREAT WRITER ..., July 3, 2007
By 
Charlie Stella (Fords, New Joisey) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Havana Blue (Mario Conde Mystery 3) (Paperback)
I picked up Havana Blue in a small bookshop in NY a few weeks ago and was so impressed with the writing, I ordered the rest of the series plus Adios Hemingway from amazon (to get them as fast as possible). Padura is an incredibly gifted writer. The sensuality of his prose is visceral. I literally brewed coffee when reading about Lt. Mario Conde's attempts to get a good cup from his boss. I craved cigars again ... I took my wife out to a Cuban joint in Brooklyn for red beans and rice. I want to visit/live in Havana, at least for a while.

Padura has a genuine obsession (or was strongly influenced) with/by both Hemingway and Salinger and his writing is every bit as wonderful. He's a genuine wordsmith who I couldn't read fast enough. This entire series (the Mario Conde character) is very highly recommended. I hope Padura keeps going ... and Adios Hemingway--absolutely masterful.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent Havana police procedural, June 9, 2007
This review is from: Havana Blue (Mario Conde Mystery 3) (Paperback)
Havana police lieutenant Mario Conde enjoyed the New Year's Eve celebration but he drank too much as he expected the day off to recover. Instead in spite of a four poster headache, his superior calls to tell him that Ministry for Industry official and party VIP Rafael Morin Rodriguez vanished.

Mario knew Rafael and the man's wife Tamara when the trio attended high school together and the cop was in unrequited puppy love for her. Hangover aside, Mario interviews Tamara, who offers nothing about what happened or why; instead she insists her loving spouse is an honest civil servant working for the benefit of the people. Although he prefers otherwise, Mario assumes either Rafael is dead or fled before a scandal destroyed him; either way the case has political ramifications that he knows he must gingerly walk carefully. However, the biggest issue in Mario's mind is not those looking at his every step in the investigation, but that the prime suspect is Tamara, who he still wants.

The third colorful Havana police procedural (see HAVANA BLACK and HAVANA RED) is a terrific whodunit starring a likable dedicated cop trying to investigate a maybe crime in a totalitarian society where he can easily follow a clue across a forbidden zone. Mario's investigation is top rate as he struggles with his feelings for the prime suspect and has even more trouble dealing with officialdom as the potential victim is a highly ranked bureaucrat. Readers will appreciate Leonardo Padura's tense Cuban mystery starring a great detective in a superior tale.

Harriet Klausner
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Introducing the Fascinating Mario Conde, November 4, 2009
By 
Lea Moores (St. Louis Park MN USA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Havana Blue (Mario Conde Mystery 3) (Paperback)
I read Havana Fever this summer and was dazzled by it. As a reviewer noted, this is the first book in the series. I will read all of them but wonder if I would if I'd read this first - it lacks the vivid descriptions and suspense of Fever. But the Count is the Count and he is irrestible..it's hard not to love a book that has a character named Juan Wong in it...
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