1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Exotic setting does not make for masterful prose, January 12, 2009
This review is from: Hidden in Havana (Thomas Dunne Books) (Hardcover)
Not well written at all, dialogue competing with the narration to be most stilted. The rule of "show don't tell" (not that I'm a strict rule follower) is completely obliterated, and perhaps the biggest sin for a book billed as a thriller - it was not particularly suspenseful or thrilling. I somewhat reluctantly pushed my way through since it was easy enough to read (the author makes little attempt to utilize poetic prose or vocabulary anyone would need to look up in the dictionary). But if you like your reading material to be of superior quality to something you could have written yourself by 9th grade, I recommend taking a pass on this tepid tale. English is not the author's native tongue, although he has become comfortable enough with it to write a couple novels in English according to his bio. I'm not entirely sure if Hidden in Havana is one of them or if it was translated, but either way it fell short of my expectations for a work of fiction put out by a major publisher (or a minor one, or self pubbed for that matter). I learned a little about Cuba in the process of reading this book, which is cool because I'm a bit of a Cubaphile. Other than that this was a novel soon to be forgotten. I'm actually forgetting it as I write these words.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Super story, March 18, 2008
This review is from: Hidden in Havana (Thomas Dunne Books) (Hardcover)
While Cuba is not off limits to most of the world, it is to Americans. So when I could review a book set in Havana, I jumped at the chance. Cuba, and Havana in particular, has always fascinated me. Hidden in Havana, did not disappoint.
Years ago, before the revolution, a cache of diamonds was hidden in an apartment wall in Havana. Now, the person who hid the diamonds wants them back. Unable to go himself, he sends a fellow Viet Nam veteran to retrieve the treasure. Posing as Canadian tourists, Sean and Marina have to figure out if the diamonds are still where they were left, and if so, how to get them. No easy task given that Elena Miranda and her brother, Pablo, are living in the apartment where the diamonds were hidden. And, Sean and Marina are not the only ones looking for the diamonds.
Things are further complicated when Pablo is found murdered. Then we meet Capt. Felix Trujillo, who is assigned the murder investigation. While the book's basic premise is a straightforward treasure hunt, many complicating factors are woven throughout. Why was Pablo murdered? Who sent Sean and Marina to Cuba? Why were the diamonds left behind in the first place?
Several aspects surprised me. Because Cuba has been under the rule of a Communist dictatorship, I had many wrong preconceived ideas about life in Cuba. I assumed that people would be very suspicious of outsiders. Therefore, I was surprised with how easily Sean and Marina were able to gain access to the apartment and befriend Pablo and Elena. I assumed that their technology would be years behind the United States, so I found it interesting how up to date the investigative methods used were.
Latour, a Cuban expatriate, has done a wonderful job of bringing Cuba to the rest of the world through his work. While reading Hidden in Havana, I was right there with Sean and Marina. I could see the giant ficus trees, smell the food and generally bask in the atmosphere. The mystery was a good, but the trip to the forbidden Cuba was great.
Armchair Interviews says: Revel in this excellent story as you travel to Havana.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
fast-paced Cuban investigative tale, March 21, 2008
This review is from: Hidden in Havana (Thomas Dunne Books) (Hardcover)
Two Canadian tourists Sean Abercorn and his wife Marina Leucci jog the streets of Havana when they realize they did not bring enough water with them. To avoid dehydration, they ring the bell of an apartment occupied by siblings Pablo and Elena Miranda. Elena, a special education teacher, lets them in so they can cool off and gives them water.
Pablo is upset with his sister for allowing the strangers into their home as he suspects they cannot be trusted; he ponders what their real intent is. Soon after their encounter, someone murders Pablo. The Department of Technical Investigations Captain Felix Trujillo leads the official inquiry. Although connections between the victim and an illegal but money-making pornography scam surfaces, Trujillo thinks the link is to Pablo's imprisoned father, who was a key figure in the overthrow of Batista back in the late of 1950s. What he remains ignorant of is the New York Viet Nam links.
Although the focus is mostly on the two tourists rather than on the more typical honest cop working a case within the bounds of a corrupt broken system, readers will appreciate HIDDEN IN HAVANA as the Cuban capital comes alive through the eyes of the outsiders. The story line is fast-paced even with ties back to the pre-Castro era. Fans of international crime capers with somewhat of a foreign police procedural to anchor it will relish Trujillo's case while wanting him to return for more Cuban investigations.
Harriet Klausner
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