The Novel Detective

by Teresa Dovalpage

A twisty, genre-bending metafictional mystery set in Cuba past and present about a writer returning to her long-lost hometown to seek the buried truth about two suspicious deaths at her Havana high school, perfect for fans of Chanel Cleeton and Jean Hanff Korelitz

2020: Teresa, a Cuban-born mystery writer now living in America, gets an unexpected call from her childhood best friend, Estrella, inviting her to Havana. Estrella is determined to get answers about a case that has haunted them both for decades: the purported dual suicides of a teacher and student at their high school. Though Teresa doesn’t quite understand why Estrella is taking the story so personally, she’s along for the ride—as she always wanted to write a novel about this case.

1980: Fourteen-year-old Teresita, bespectacled, awkward and mystery novel–obsessed, is “nosy, but not a tattletale.” She knows who’s been skimming off the top of the amphetamine stash in her mother’s pharmacy, which teacher keeps cyanide in his cabinet at school and that their classmate Yoyi is sleeping with their English teacher. Over the course of one fateful day, Teresita gets closer than ever to learning the “Truth of Life”—her catchall term for the intricacies of adult existence—even if it means coming face to face with death.

Drawing upon the tradition of Latin American magical realism and directly inspired by the author’s own childhood in Cuba and adult life in the United States, this resonant tale is at once personal and universal, full of nostalgia, candor and danger.

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Adult, Adult Fiction, Books About Books, Thriller

304 pages, Hardcover

First published July 14, 2026

About the author

Teresa Dovalpage was born in Havana, Cuba, and now lives in Hobbs, New Mexico, where she teaches Spanish and ESL at the college level. She holds a PhD in Hispanic Literature from the University of New Mexico, specializing in Latin American literature.
She is the author of thirteen novels and four short story collections published in English and Spanish. Her Havana Mystery series, published by Soho Crime, has earned critical acclaim, including an NBC News selection among the year's ten best books by and about Latinos, an Amazon Editors' Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense, and praise in The New York Times. Her latest novel, The Novel Detective, was named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.
Her Spanish-language work has been published by Anagrama, Renacimiento, Egales, and other presses in Spain. Her novel Muerte de un murciano en La Habana was a finalist for the Herralde Prize, and El difunto Fidel received the Rincón de la Victoria Award. She has also published short story collections and plays, several of which have been staged by Aguijón Theater in Chicago.
A lifelong lover of books, languages, and travel, Teresa draws inspiration from the places she has called home. She lives in southeastern New Mexico, where she teaches, writes, and is always at work on her next novel.

Reviews

[Tucker Almengor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many thanks to Recorded Books Media for the advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review
★ 2.89 stars ★

I'm not gonna lie, if this wasn't a netgalley arc, I probably would've DNF-ed it.

I don't think this is a bad book by any means but it just wasn't the book for me. Upon reading the synopsis and seeing the cover, I was expecting more of a quick and easy suspense thriller type read. (popcorn reads as I call them).

This goes a bit deeper than that by exploring Cuba's culture through the two main POVs which felt very genuine and written from both experience and care. It just wasn't what I was looking for. This felt more literary & multicultural than I expected.

I also didn't feel much of a connection to the 2020 main character, Teresa. Her storyline of immediate diving in headfirst to this mystery in Cuba felt quite sudden. I would've liked to see a bit more build up to that.

All in all, by no means a bad book. Just not the book for me.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting dual timeline book that begins in Havana in 1980, but wraps up in the US (and Cuba) in 2020.

Teresa and Estrella are best of friends… they do everything together.
They hang out, they go out, they talk about boys, they put on makeup… everything!
Including finding a friend of theirs and a teacher … dead on the school campus.

Of course this stirs up all kinds of trouble…. and life will never be the same for either of them..

Fast forward to 2020. Teresa is a mystery writer. She gets a phone call from Estrella asking her to come back to Cuba to try and figure out exactly what happened to their friend… and of course, she goes. No hesitation.

But, what they find when they start digging is not at all what they expected. And once the details are out, well…they have to keep investigating until they find out who did what!

4 bold, curious, bright, scary stars for me! 🌟🌟🌟🌟

#TheNovelDetective by @TeresaDovalpage and narrated nicely by @CynthiaFarrell.

This one has just been released. Please look 👀 for it on shelves now!

Thanks so much to #NetGalley, @RBMedia and @RecordedBooks for an ALC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

You can also find my reviews on: Goodreads,
Instagram: @BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine

Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!!

And as always, thanks for reading along with me! 📚⭐️📖🩷

[Wondrously Bookish Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the Cuban cultural notes and the Spanish present in the book as well as the school setting (being an English teacher myself), while the mystery was more than tolerable. The audiobook was superbly done, but the book did require a bit of extra focus in this audio format, given the present and past time lines.

Thank you Netgalley for this ALC.

[Naori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley and Recorded Books Media for this advance audio arc in exchange for an honest review. These are my words are my own.

A chorus of Latynx speculative and horror writers have been reminding us lately of the importance of “cuentos” (stories). I am thinking in particular about Donna Barba Higuera’s The Last Cuentista series and Mexican horror writers like Isabel Cañas. I would add a resounding voice to this chorus in the name of Theresa Dovalpage. These writers have been speaking to readers about the need for hearing stories in the language of one’s thoughts: to reading, writing, dreaming, and thinking not just in the language that you are told or taught, but in the one that you are born with or hold inside of you. On the surface, The Novel Detective seemed like it would be an interesting, fun read, but nothing that really taught a lesson. However, I came away, realizing that this writer belongs among the legions of her Latina comrades (no Cuban pun intended) because of her deft historical writing and her ingenious use of cyclical storytelling.

The Novel Detective centers around two childhood best friends, Téresa and Estrella, who were witnesses and interlocutors in the deaths of a teacher and fellow student at the end of their high school experience in 1980’s Cuba. The book opens with Estrella, in what is presently 2020, contacting Téresa and asking her to come back to Cuba to try to discover what really happened to Félipe (dreamy instructor) and Yoyi (tragic frenemy) in 1980. From their landing in Cuba, the author begins to layer characters upon landscapes upon history upon memories until the world of the novel has grown and grown. This is definitely not a race to the finish, nor is it a narrative highway. Dovelpage weaves a world around you like fine lace until you stretch your shoulders and unknowingly realize you are inside of something tangible, permeable yet wondrously intricate. We are never sure who is leading us: the author, one of the characters, or is it our own curiosity that is fueling the hunt? Fantastically, as the two women search for truths about Felipé and Yoyi, we don’t realize that we have ourselves been drawn into a story that is already being written. This truth is made clear only in the final line.

The reason that I took one star away from this book is that, although it is historically dense, a lot of it depends on your knowledge of Cuban history. For instance, the Muriel boat lift gets referenced immediately and is one of the most central issues in the story, however it doesn’t get explained at all until the very end, and even then only marginally. I have a better knowledge of Caribbean history than some, but I still had to look up the exact number (around 125,000) Cubans that made that mass exodus from Muriel Harbor in 1980, in order to accurately center the historical underpinnings of the novel. This brings me to the narrator.

Cynthia Farrell was exquisite. Narrating an audiobook that traverses the terrain between one language and another, one time line and another, and especially one global history and another, is a difficult thing to enact. However, Farrell narrated with grace and deliverance. She slipped easily into the Spanish terminology, she articulated the landmarks, and enlivened the Cuban history without making it sound forced, rushed or confusing. That is no simple feat. Farrell was able to coax forth a story in English at a pace in which the reader stays continually invested, while also referencing Spanish names, landmarks, events, and terminology without letting the non-Spanish-speaking listener detach. She was also a tremendous voice actress, switching constantly between the characters of the more grounded, logical, and lower-registered Téresa, with the higher pitched, flightier, emotionally tumultuous Estrella. Estrella, whose name means star, blinks on and off throughout the story in her steadfastness as a friend, in her stability as a person and in her wavering dance with the truth. In the same way, the author led us down a garden path of discovery, the aerial view of which would reveal was actually a maze. I would recommend this book for fans of mystery/crime fiction, Caribbean/Cuban literature and historical fiction.

[Haley Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway!

When I first received the book, I was nervous because I wasn't sure how well the physical reading was going to go. Meaning, I normally listen to books due to my brain being plagued by "grammatically-targeted OCD". I was also nervous about any Spanish that I was likely to encounter.

But, when I began the book, I quickly found myself engrossed not only in the characters and plot but also in their world and the Cuban history sprinkled throughout the text. It was enthralling to be whisked away into the pages and come out not only understanding more about Cuba and her people, but that it was done in a way that I didn't make me feel like I had been slapped with a history textbook.

Those were my two biggest worries.

Aside from those I found the characters not only entertaining, but also relatable.

I was totally Teresita when I was younger, and therefore was able to connect with her instantly. She is a serious young lady that doesn't miss anything. She plays by the book (normally), and knows when to keep her cards close to her chest. She finds pleasure in detective novels, crime shows, and amateur sleuthing.

Estrella was a well written "side-kick" that brought along the themes of friendship and loyalty, and how those bonds can be tested. She also sported a fun personality that provided some quick comedic quips.

The plot of the story did have me jumping through hoops trying to find out who the killer was, and this impressed me as I'm normally able to guess it within the first few chapters. (Honestly, I did guess it before the characters got around to it, but I won't hold that against them.)

Also, the two different time periods lent well to the overall telling of the story, and complimented the reader in a way that he or she could sympathize more fully with the characters actions, thoughts, emotions, and deductions throughout the book.

My favorite things were that all loose ends were tied up nicely and that the author wrote a wonderful little passage at the end that brought the whole reading experience full circle. Great detail!

Thank you, for the opportunity to read this book!

[betweenthebookmarks_]

Review of advance copy received from NetGalley

This story alternates between 1980 and 2020 as two women in their 50s try to solve a mystery from their high school days in Cuba.

The idea for this book has a lot of potential. I enjoyed learning a little more about Cuba and Cuban history through this book. I also liked the general premise for the plot.

Ultimately, I felt like there were some missed opportunities that left me wanting more. For example, the characters seemed to be exactly the same in 1980 and 2020. While I would expect their general personality traits to be relatively stable across time, 40 years still changes a person, and I wish that this maturation was more evident. Because the characters seemed almost identical and unchanged across time, I felt like the character development fell flat.

While the premise for the plot was interesting, it seemed like the characters rushed into the mystery, and the two main characters rushed into rekindling their friendship. None of the reasons that the main character, Teresa, provided for going off to Cuba to solve an old mystery would have been good enough reason for me to leave my cat (personally). I wish that part in the beginning of the book had been fleshed out a little bit more.

Also, the flow of the novel was somewhat impacted by switching between first person in the 202o chapters and third person in the 1980 chapters. Given that the main character, Teresa, is a writer, it would have been neat if the 1980 chapters were diary or journal entries of hers to help show the early signs of her growing up to be a writer.

The narration of the audiobook was okay. The narrator did a good job changing voices for the different characters. However, her reading of some of the characters made them sound different (older/younger, more mature/less mature) than I thought them to be. It was hard to tell if this was because of the dialogue written or the way that the narrator read it (or both).

While there were some good aspects and good moments, I really wanted to like this audiobook more than I did.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and RBMedia for this advanced listeners arc. My review is my own.

WOW! I was blown away by how much I liked this, and how easy it was to listen to. Overall, the author and narrator did such a great job making the story come to life. I thought this was an excellent little mystery to read that didn’t have too many red herrings just for the sake of having them.

Teresa is a Cuban-American mystery writer who gets a call from an old friend to come with her to Havana. Her friend, Estrella is determined to clear her name to her dying mother about a set of murders that transpired back in the 80’s. While Teresa is not thrilled at the prospect, she goes anyway, just to see why her friend is so invested in this, but she figures it can set up for a new book. This is in 2020. In tandem, in the 1980’s during occupied Cuba, a young Teresa and Estrella relive the events that transpired during the set of murders and the events unfold from there to reveal the truth of what happened.

This was a very well written novel, and the shift between the 1980s and 2020 was stated (audiobook version) so the listener did not feel lost during the shifts. Teresa and Estrella were both complex and interesting characters to follow, and even with Estrella being chaotic and sometimes suspicious. Even some side characters had plenty of depth to them to make them seem more than one-dimensional. The mystery itself involving the murders was well plotted out, and my immediate thought was the obvious choice.

The narrator did an amazing job in speaking Spanish, and pronouncing the names correctly. It was a great way to really learn and dive into the culture of what life was like back in the 1980s in Cuba versus just in 2020.

I would read this again for the sake of a comfort read.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love South American literature and there is a particular kind of magic in Cuban storytelling that caught my attention immediately and kept me fully engaged from the first page. The dream, the phone call and the sudden urge to return and solve an old mystery set the tone for an enthralling journey.

This mystery works because it balances a clear investigation with a strong sense of place and a subtle layer of magic realism: Teresa, now an established writer living in the U.S., is pulled back to Havana by Estrella, her childhood friend who never accepted the official version of the school tragedy.
Returning in 2020 shows a Cuba that has changed in practical ways. Private businesses operate more freely, hotels for tourists stand where old schools once were and the city moves with a mix of resourcefulness and modern ambition. Teresa sees these changes with the detached curiosity of someone who left long ago but still recognises the rhythm of the streets.
The 1980 timeline is sharper and more intimate. Young Teresita is shy, observant and already tuned to the inconsistencies of adult behaviour. She notices the affair between Yoyi and their English teacher, the pharmacy worker involved in illicit deals and the small details that point to a larger truth. The magic realism is understated. It appears in how memory shifts, how superstition shapes interpretation and how the past continues to influence the present without needing dramatic effects.
The dual narrative works well. It shows Cuba across two very different moments and highlights how both Teresas carry the same unresolved story.
The investigation becomes a way to understand the past, the country and the choices that shaped them.
Highly recommended. Many thanks for this digital copy, all opinions are mine

[Alysha Hobbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received an early audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for my honesty review.

This was a beautiful palate cleaning mystery book! It was just what I needed. I absolutely loved the Cuban Latin culture combined with the mystery. There was some politics intertwined during the flashbacks to 1980s Cuba, which makes sense given that is what was occurring during that time. I’m not much for history or politics so I found myself zoning out a bit during those parts. That’s not to say it wasn’t needed as it was a way to explain the way of life during the 1980s in Cuba, which is where/when the case originated.

I enjoyed the blend of Cuban/US culture in this book. I’m mixed so it felt a stronger connection and understanding with this book that not everyone will understand. Once you leave a certain way of life, those left behind often tend to feel like you are “better,” especially in the Latin community. The interactions with Cubans were spot on!

I really enjoyed the audiobook, specifically the narrator chosen as she did a tremendous job with the accents!

My only reasoning for the 4 out 5 is because solving the mystery came out of nowhere. Not sure where it got lost but I wished there had been a little more solving instead of just facts and then the mystery is solved. But again a really good read.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this audiobook. It wasn't quite what I expected, but honestly, I think I liked it even more because of that.

This story blends mystery with historical fiction as it moves between 1980s Havana and present-day Cuba. I loved the dual timelines and how each chapter slowly revealed more about what happened all those years ago. Every time I thought I had things figured out, another piece of the puzzle came together.

One of my favorite parts was learning more about Cuba. The history and culture were woven naturally into the story, and I never felt like it slowed the mystery down. It added so much depth and made the setting feel incredibly vivid.

I also really liked Teresa as the main character. As a mystery writer investigating a case from her own past, she was curious, determined, and easy to root for. The mystery itself kept me engaged, and I genuinely didn't see the ending coming.

I listened to the audiobook, and Cynthia Farrell did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life. She made it easy to follow both timelines and kept me invested from beginning to end.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable listen. It's not a fast-paced popcorn thriller, but if you enjoy mysteries with dual timelines, memorable characters, and a fascinating historical setting, I'd definitely recommend picking this one up.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I liked the tidbits of information about living and growing up in Cuba,this book was okay on the overall storyline. This slow burn mystery takes you along a slowly winding path.

“ 2020: Teresa, a Cuban-born mystery writer now living in America, gets an unexpected call from her childhood best friend, Estrella, inviting her to Havana. Estrella is determined to get answers about a case that has haunted them both for decades: the purported dual suicides of a teacher and student at their high school. Though Teresa doesn’t quite understand why Estrella is taking the story so personally, she’s along for the ride—as she always wanted to write a novel about this case.

1980: Fourteen-year-old Teresita, bespectacled, awkward and mystery novel–obsessed, is “nosy, but not a tattletale.” She knows who’s been skimming off the top of the amphetamine stash in her mother’s pharmacy, which teacher keeps cyanide in his cabinet at school and that their classmate Yoyi is sleeping with their English teacher. Over the course of one fateful day, Teresita gets closer than ever to learning the “Truth of Life”—her catchall term for the intricacies of adult existence—even if it means coming face to face with death.”

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Teresa Dovalpage, and RBmedia/Recorded Books for the advanced listening copy of The Novel Detective.

This is an interesting mystery that blends metafiction with a layered story rooted in Cuban culture and history. One of the book’s greatest strengths is its unique premise, which caught my attention. I also appreciated the cultural lens through which the story was told, adding authenticity to the narrative.

The audiobook was especially enjoyable thanks to Cynthia Farrell’s narration. She brought life and personality to the characters, making it easy to stay engaged throughout the listening experience.

While I enjoyed the overall story, there were sections that felt repetitive and moved more slowly than necessary. I found myself wanting the plot to build momentum a bit sooner, with more intrigue and suspense to keep me eager to uncover the truth behind the mystery. I also think a few of the supporting characters could have been developed more fully, as they had the potential to add even greater impact.

Overall, The Novel Detective is a solid, thoughtfully written mystery with an original concept and an engaging narrator. With a tighter pace and a little less repetition, I think it could have been even more compelling. It’s an enjoyable read

[Sacha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

I love a good mystery/thriller, and while there is a mystery here, there are few thrills. For me, this was a really slow burn.

Rather than recommending this to folks who enjoy the aforementioned genres, I'd go more for those who like historical fiction and are interested in knowing more about Cuba in the '80s. When I reflect on my reading experiece, these are the details that stand out.

I did enjoy the application of the two timelines, but I had some challenges with the authorial inspiration. I'd rather read a memoir or an original piece of fiction versus something that's been inspired by the author's experience (including the shared name with the m.c.). There are clearly strong fictional threads here, but I just didn't love the overlay..

The concept of this sounded more intriguing to me than the final product became, but I still enjoyed the listen enough. I'd give this author another shot but will hope for more thrills in the future.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Krisi Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Teresa Dovalpage, NetGalley, and the publisher for allowing me to listen to this book in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love a good mystery/thriller! I loved dual perspectives and timelines and really enjoyed books set in Cuba in the past. But, I was a little disappointed. Nothing felt fast paced or like the thrill of discovery. I liked the mystery and the set-up of the book were interesting and I liked what was happening, but I didn’t like the way it was told. I wanted to discover more instead of just being told what’s happening. I didn’t feel connected to the characters and so with every twist and turn that was supposed to bring my emotions a long with, I just kept reading like any other page.

I think the details of what it was like living in Cuba in the 80’s was very clear and well done, but that shouldn’t be the most notable thing of a mystery novel. I did not care of the narrator. There was much more emotion when the narrator was speaking Spanish, but very monotone when narrating the rest of the story.

Overall, I think this was a great idea for a book, I’m not sure it’s in the right genre, and I wanted more of a connection to the MC’s.

[Karis Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book and my curiosity was PIQUED and I’m so glad I picked it up, because this was such a departure from what I usually read. As a romance reader, diving into a literary mystery was an interesting change.
This is a dual timeline story following childhood best friends Teresa and Estrella, one a novelist, the other a DJ and TV host who’ve been estranged for over 40 years. We bounce between Havana in 1980 and Havana in 2020 pre covid, when Estrella calls Teresa back into her life to finally get answers about two deaths that happened when they were young, deaths that were covered up and that quietly ended their friendship.
Watching them go from not trusting each other at all to slowly finding their way back to “old times” was interesting. And I loved seeing how differently their lives turned out despite where they started. I had my own theory about how it would end going in but boy was I wrong.

This was atmospheric, deep, and gripping, highly recommend if you want something that’ll pull you both backward and forward at once.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Cynthia Farrell.
Thank you to Soho Crime, Recorded Books, and NetGalley for the ARC! 🙏

[Kirsten Desorcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to an early copy of this book on audio.

The audio: I liked that the narrators spoke with a bit of an accent, and pronounced the words with a Spanish tongue. The only thing that bothered me was that the voice of Estrella sounded very juvenile, which was okay when the timeline was 1980 but sounded weird in the current timeline where she was supposed to be 54.

The story: I liked that the author brought in aspects of her own life and experience to bring the setting alive. The mystery story unfolded like one of the classic novels the main character is nonstop raving about (clearly the author is a fan of Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle). I think there was a bit too much repetition throughout the story, and I think some of that could have been cut out because it was getting a bit excessive. I did enjoy the references to the classics though, just maybe a bit of editing to cut down on the repetitive phrasing. The author did a good job describing the scenes. Interesting book! 4⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a complimentary advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own and are in no way influenced by the author, publisher or NetGalley.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Novel Detective by Teresa Dovalpage had an intriguing premise, and I really wanted to enjoy it, but ultimately it just wasn't the right book for me. I loved that the story was set in Cuba and appreciated the dual timelines that explored both the country's past and present.

Unfortunately, there were so many characters that I struggled to keep everyone straight. My biggest disappointment, though, was the mystery element. It felt like an afterthought rather than the driving force of the story. I actually think I would have enjoyed the book more if it had simply focused on two friends returning to Cuba to revisit their childhood memories and reconnect with their past.

The audiobook narration by Cynthia Farrell was excellent and truly brought the story to life. Her performance, combined with the overall production quality, made for an engaging listening experience despite my issues with the novel itself.

Thank you to NetGalley & RBmedia | Recorded Books for letting me read this ARC.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Novel Detective is a slow-burn mystery that serves as a puzzle and a exploration of memory and friendship. By weaving together the timelines of 1980 and 2020 Havana, Teresa Dovalpage captures the vibrant, yet politically charged texture of Cold War-era Cuba as well as the stark realities of the modern city on the days before the pandemic. The story is character-driven, focusing less on high-stakes action and more on the psychological and social fallout of a forty-year-old tragedy.
Cynthia Farrell’s narration brings great pacing to the story. She effortlessly transitions between the voice of the mature, reflective adult narrator and her observant, mystery-obsessed fourteen-year-old self. Farrell handles the integrated Spanish dialogue and cultural nuances seamlessly.
I enjoy stories from cuba, and Cuban authors. These characters while growing up together had very different lives due to choices made after the tragedy occurred.
Thank you Net Galley and Recorded Books.

[Martha van Zyl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Novel Detective is an inventive, atmospheric mystery that blends crime fiction, memory, history, and metafiction into a deeply engaging story. Teresa Dovalpage creates a vivid portrait of Cuba across two timelines, using a decades-old mystery to explore friendship, identity, exile, and the uneasy relationship between truth and storytelling.
The novel’s dual structure works especially well. In 2020, Teresa returns to Havana with her childhood friend Estrella to investigate the suspicious deaths of a teacher and student from their school days. Their search is filled with buried secrets, personal tension, and the unsettling sense that the past has never truly been left behind.
The 1980 storyline is equally compelling. Fourteen-year-old Teresita is curious, observant, and completely absorbed in mystery novels. Her determination to understand the adults around her gives the story humour and charm, even as she edges closer to dangerous truths. She is a memorable protagonist whose intelligence and awkwardness make her both believable and endearing.
What makes The Novel Detective particularly distinctive is the way it plays with the conventions of detective fiction. The mystery is not only about uncovering what happened, but also about how memories are shaped, how stories are rewritten, and how the desire to create a novel can influence the search for reality.
The Cuban setting is richly drawn, with a strong sense of place, nostalgia, and political unease. Elements of magical realism add another layer to the story without overwhelming its emotional core. The result is a novel that feels personal and intimate while also exploring broader themes of migration, belonging, and the secrets people carry across borders.
Thought-provoking, suspenseful, and refreshingly original, The Novel Detective is an excellent audiobook for listeners who enjoy literary mysteries, historical fiction, and stories that blur the line between life and art.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Goodreads for this book for me to read and review.

I’m rounding it up to a 3.5.

Teresa is a mystery writer living in Miami. She gets a call from her childhood friend, Estrella. She wants Teresa to help her solve a mystery. Their former classmate and a teacher died mysteriously on the same day. Their deaths were ruled a suicide. Estrella believes something more sinister happened. They meet up in Miami and travel to Cuba together, where they both grew up.

This is a dual timeline story. Featuring present time and the 1980s. I enjoyed the friendship between Teresa and Estrella. There was suspicion there but also true friendship. I wish that the words written in Spanish throughout the book were also translated into English. At times it was hard to follow the story, because of this. Overall I thought it was an interesting story and I got to read about what Cuba was like back when I was a teenager.

[Mona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the advance audiobook via NetGalley. The setting in Cuba is undoubtedly the star here. There is a dual timeline which does really well at toggling between the atmosphere of 1980s Havana and modern-day Havana. It gives you a rich, cultural experience that feels authentic and deeply personal. The narration is great, effortlessly switching between English and Spanish, really bringing to life the contrast between the logical Teresa and the unpredictable Estrella. However, as a mystery, the pace is too leisurely. It often feels more like a literary exploration of memory and Cuban history than a detective story.. When it finally arrives, the resolution feels somewhat abrupt and I realised that I did not really care who the murderer was. It’s the kind of novel that you enjoy more for the journey than for the destination.

[Sarah-Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teresa Dovalpage's The Novel Detective is one of those books with books wherein the central character is an author and detective. In this case, Teresa, a writer of mystery novels, joins her best friend Estrella on a trip back to Cuba. Both of them are emigres, both remember a pair of deaths at a school they attended together, and they've agreed that they're no longer satisfied having the killings "solved" as a murder-suicide. That's the determination the police came to years ago.

Dovalpage spins together the different narrative strands into a an almost-cozy mystery complicated by distance in time and geography. It is a mystery novel, but it's also an exploration of the differences between Cuba immediately after the revolution and Cuba of the present day.

[Sandi Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel set in dual timelines in Cuba from 1980 to 2020.

Teresita, a Cuban-born mystery writer now living in Florida, receives an unexpected call from her childhood best friend, Estrella, inviting her to Havana to help her find out the truth about the deaths of their classmate Georgina (Yoyi) Nunez Martinez and nineth grade English teacher Felipe Suarez Porras at their Havana High School. Even though Teresita suspects her friend Estrella, each are determined to get answers about a case that has haunted them both for 40 years and Teresita wants to get justice for Yoyi.

With a list of suspects, this is the book Teresita has always wanted to write but to learn the truth she now has to face her past .

[Barbara Schultz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: The Novel Detective
Author: Theresa Dovalpage
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Cynthia Ferrell
Publisher: RB Media
Genre: Historical Fiction- Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: July 14, 2026
My Rating: 3.3 Stars!
Pages: 304

Set in Cuba past and present about a writer returning to her long-lost hometown to seek the buried truth about two suspicious deaths at her Havana high school.

I am a big thriller fan- but this caught my eye and I thought it sounded interesting.
Yes! It was.
The narrator was great and her Spanish beautiful. However, I believe if I spoke Spanish I would have enjoyed this more.

I want to thank NetGalley and RB Media for this audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 14, 2026.

[Olivia Adrianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This turned out to be not at all what I was expecting and in a good way!

Teresa is an author who now lives in the USA, but immigrated from Cuba where she left more than one ghost behind.

Her childhood friend Estrella encourages her to take the journey back to Cuba to solve the mystery of their teen years: why did this happen?

There is a bit of a dual timeline, with 2020 being the present time and 1980 being a flashback sequence of events leading up to and around that major mysterious event.

The book was very well described, and I felt like I was walking in Teresa’s shoes as she came back to Havana. The hotels, the streets and even the cars! The author clearly input a lot of themselves in this novel which made it so atmospheric.

Thanks NetGalley!

[Anjali · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid mystery, more literary than page-turning. A Cuban-American author, named Teresa like the author herself, returns to Cuba with her childhood best friend to uncover the truth behind a a classmate's and teacher's suicides when the girls were students. I really enjoyed the Havana setting and culture, which were richly detailed, but I struggled to connect with any of the characters. I think it would have been helpful to learn more about present-day Teresa to be more engaged with the story. Cynthia Farrell did a good job with the audiobook narration. Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia | Recorded Books for an audiobook review copy.

[Julie Friar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teresa left Cuba to live in America and is now a mystery writer. Her childhood friend Estrella asks her to return to Havana to try and find out what really happened years ago when a teacher and student apparently committed suicide. This book is partly set in 2020 but also in 1980 and covers what the girls knew at the time and what they want to know now. Were these really suicides.

Very well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Very good characters in a well paced novel. Life in Havana has never been easy. School life was complex and questions need answering. An enjoyable book.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love novels set in Cuba and this one did a fantastic job of making Cuba come to life, almost as if it’s a character of its own. However, the mystery itself was lackluster, and I was continually drawn out of the story by the shifts in time and the constant mention of Christie, Poirot, and Marple, which grated on my nerves after a while. I think this would have done better strictly set in the 80s. The narration was well done, no issues.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the review copy.

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Novel Detective by Teresa Dovalpage has an intriguing premise and a richly drawn Cuban setting, but it didn’t fully work for me. The pacing is very slow, and the writing often felt more like fan fiction than polished literary fiction, making it hard to connect with the characters or stay immersed in the story. While there are some interesting cultural details and the mystery eventually comes together, it takes too long to get there. Readers who enjoy leisurely, character-driven mysteries may appreciate it more, but I was hoping for a stronger mystery and more refined prose.

[Alice Granger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for this arc!
This book is phenomenal. I loved the build up and how the chapters are divided between the past and the present, leading to both the resolution of the murder and to how it happened. I didn't guess the killer until the end and was hoping it would have a plot twist of it being the other obvious suspect, however the read was still enjoyable. The writing style and pace both fit the story and all the characters were diverse and had their own goal in the story. It was a great mystery novel!