97 Miles South

by Phil Thompson

Christina ransoms her American lover’s freedom with the only things she owns, her beauty and her body. Now, it's up to Pete to repay that debt. Risking both their lives in a midnight, open ocean dash, he must reach dry land if the Cuban woman he loves is to survive. High seas adventure and an improbable love engulfs a crew of resourceful American anglers who dare to cross the Straits of Florida, to the forbidden fruit of the Caribbean...Cuba. Pursuit of giant Blue Marlin, in waters made famous by Hemingway is not without hazards, as is navigating thru the socialist society of the western hemisphere’s only communist government. Spies, informants, a powerful secret police colonel combine to assure the visiting Americans spend their dollars without spreading the taboo dogmas of capitalism, democracy and most threatening of all ….free speech. Classic cars, centuries old cities and breathtaking mountain vistas - off limits to most Americans - masks the struggle the average Cuban faces to feed his family. Morality battles necessity for a people living on the most fertile of all Caribbean lands where a three meal day is rare, the black market, a risky requirement. One American's pursuit of love proves more perilous than monster fish. Tempting prison, even death, Pete tests an angry ocean, defies El Guardia and the United States Coast Guard in a rescue dash for his gorgeous island love. Leaving all she knows behind, Christina risks life itself in the night time run alongside the American she wants, to the freedom she seeks. “Like a Hobbit in the world of Karl Marx with fishing poles.”- The Online Fisherman.

337 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 17, 2012

Reviews

[Don Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of billfishing (like me), and have heard the stories about how great the fishing is off Cuba (like me), then you're sure to enjoy this adventure novel set around a tournament offshore of Havana.

This was given to me by one of my collaborators, who said it was the best fishing novel that he'd read (I'm sure he was talking about other than mine...I HOPE he meant other than mine...HE BETTER HAVE MEANT OTHER THAN MINE!). Okay, let me seriously say that it is the best fishing novel set in Cuba that I've read. The attention to detail, the interesting characters, and the daily struggle for survival are all there. Well done, Phil Thompson!

[Bob Pomeroy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up at one of Inkwood Books self published authors events. I was hooked by the idea of a novel about Americans visiting contemporary Cuba. Sometimes, novels can give a better feel for a place than reporting or academic writing.

I liked that the book gives an impression of how people live in Cuba now, how they hustle for basic needs and the extreme creativity used to keep things working without things we would consider essential (like replacement parts for old cars). Thompson is sympathetic to the Cuban women who use the sex trade to supplement their incomes.

Thompson's writing becomes lyrical when he's on the water, chasing a fish. His descriptions of the sea and the hunt for Marlin is evocative. If the entire book sparkled like these passages, 97 Miles South would be a fantastic book. Unfortunately, when the action moves onshore, the writing becomes pedestrian. The American fisherman who are the main actors in this book are poorly defined. Even at the end of the book, only two of the Anglo characters had been developed enough that I could easily identify them, the other character could just have easily been called fisherman 1, Fisherman 2, etc.

To sum up, if Thompson were working with a major publisher, this would be a good working draft that still needs work to bring it fully to life. It's still an interesting read, but it could be much better.