John Anthony Miller’s novel -The Drop - is delightfully entertaining. The exotic location – Havana, Cuba on the eve of the Cuban Revolution – a precursor of what was to come to the paradise island, basking in the sun, just ninety miles off the southern-most tip of Key West and Miami - will set the stage for the schemes and plans of a motley group of rebels, eager to start the revolution, seeking revenge against members of the Batista regime. The dialogue of the characters – Ariana Rojas, Mario, Carlos, Pablo, Jimmy and Darlene Foster, a wealthy couple from Miami, Buddy Stefano, manager of Paradise, the casino and luxury hotel, who has ties to the Tampa Mafia, Joey Moretti, an enforcer from Tampa, Captain Felix Diaz of the Havana Police Department, Harry Bennett, from Chicago, Illinois, and Rafael, the putative leader of the revolutionaries - will engage you from the very first page to the very end of the narrative.
As Buddy Stefano copes with the bombing of his casino, and as Darlene Foster copes with the emotional hardships surrounding the kidnapping of her husband, Jimmy Foster, the rebels become bolder, attacking and targeting certain people as they enter the Havana Police Department, seeking revenge for past criminality.
Nevertheless, the schemes and plans of Ariana Rojas, and Rafael, and Jimmy and Darlene Foster, and Buddy Stefano, will undoubtedly go awry, as Murphy's law, an adage or epigram, that states "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong" comes into play, making for some interesting developments, possible scenarios, and unthinkable resolutions. Miller is an expert in describing these possible scenarios.
And you may ask yourself if Jimmy Foster, Ariana Rojas, and the rebels will ever find justice – either divine justice, cosmic justice, or earthly justice - on a paradise island, on the verge of a revolution, populated by snakes, corrupt officials, and gangsters? We must remember that “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” In other words, “man reaps what he sows.” I am sure that you will be more than satisfied and thrilled with the outcome, with the justice that is metered out to the characters, planning and scheming, on this paradise island.
Therefore, I highly recommend and encourage all readers to pick up and read a copy of The Drop by John Anthony Miller.