Havana Libre

Robert Arellano is the award-winning author of several books, including Curse the Names; Fast Eddie, King of the Bees; and Don Dimaio of La Plata. His Havana Lunar was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original.

[An] exquisitely made thriller...A remarkably powerful narrative. The interrogation scene repulses while it grips...but readers are advised to stay with it for a rich reading experience.

This potent noir sheds light on Cuban life in the post-Soviet era...Building to an explosive ending, this atmospheric mix of proletarian literature and Graham Greene-style espionage informs as it entertains.

This novel is rich in atmosphere and political critique.

Amidst the action, the quiet star...[is] Arellano's rich landscapes of daily life in Cuba during the special period.

Highly recommended...A memorable portrait of Havana at its most colourful and a gallery of wonderful characters moving through a rainbow of human emotions and experiences at all levels of Cuban and Miami society. [Predecessor] Havana Lunar was nominated for the Edgar; its follow-up deserves a similar fate.

There's a fine tradition of crime writing in Cuba and Havana Libre is a great new addition to the pantheon. A mix of spy story and political thriller, the characters and places are very grounded in the real world, but the story has a slightly surreal touch... Havana Libre, cleverly, doesn't draw cheap political conclusions but like all the best crime fiction the plot is bolstered by a deep understanding of the political, economic, and social situation in the country.