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Havana Best Friends
Canadian debut publication by one of the Spanish-speaking world’s top crime-fiction writers. Elena Miranda and her brother, Pablo, have lived in the same spacious Havana apartment since they were children, not knowing that a $10-million treasure in diamonds is hidden behind a tile in their bathroom. Now the son of the man who buried them there wants them, and he knows the ideal person for the job: his ruthless former comrade-in-arms during the Vietnam War.
Equipped with a Spanish-speaking “wife” and Canadian passports, the vet flies to Cuba to sweet-talk his way into Elena and Pablo’s lives and get his hands on the diamonds. But Cuba has a way of confusing even the best-laid plans, and soon the treasure hunters find themselves being hunted.
A complex, hard-boiled novel of betrayal, deceit, and cunning, Havana Best Friends takes place in a Cuba that tourists rarely see. Stunning plot twists rocket the story forward, but not once does the action overpower the story’s heart — the emotional lives of the people whose worlds are changed forever by these so-called best friends.
Equipped with a Spanish-speaking “wife” and Canadian passports, the vet flies to Cuba to sweet-talk his way into Elena and Pablo’s lives and get his hands on the diamonds. But Cuba has a way of confusing even the best-laid plans, and soon the treasure hunters find themselves being hunted.
A complex, hard-boiled novel of betrayal, deceit, and cunning, Havana Best Friends takes place in a Cuba that tourists rarely see. Stunning plot twists rocket the story forward, but not once does the action overpower the story’s heart — the emotional lives of the people whose worlds are changed forever by these so-called best friends.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
José Latour
20 books14 followersJosé Latour was born in Havana, Cuba, on April 24, 1940. He started reading at a very tender age, progressing from Hans Christian Andersen and the Grimm brothers as a child to Raymond Chandler and Erle Stanley Gardner in his late teens.
By the time the Cuban Revolution came to power, José, who was 19, had become an ardent supporter. He joined the Ministry of Treasury as a junior financial analyst and translator and later moved on to the Cuban Central Bank. From there he transferred to the Ministry of Sugar, ending up in the State Committee of Finance, where from 1977 onwards he swelled the ranks.
Shuffling papers, however, was not challenging enough. In that same year José started writing crime fiction in his spare time. His first three novels (Preludio a la Noche, Medianoche Enemiga and Fauna Noctura), set in pre-revolutionary Havana, were published by Editorial Letras Cubanas in 1982, 1986 and 1989. The fourth (Choque de Leyendas), was launched in 1998, nine years after he first delivered the manuscript to the publisher.
José also joined the Union of Cuban Writers and Artists and the International Association of Crime Writers (IACW) in1988. Two years later he resigned his position as global financial analyst in the Ministry of Finance to become a full-time writer. In 1998 he was elected vice-president for Latin America of the International Association of Crime Writers.
In 1994 José delivered to his publisher The Fool, a novel based on a real-life case of corruption in the ministries of the Interior and the Armed Forces that was uncovered in 1989. This book was considered counterrevolutionary and José was labeled an “enemy of the people.”
Certain that neither The Fool nor the books he wanted to write would get published in Cuba as long as all publishing houses were state-owned, rejecting ideological subservience and adamant about pursuing a career as a novelist, José took a shot at writing in English.
His first novel in that language, Outcast, was published in the U.S., six Western European countries, Brazil and Japan. It got flattering reviews and was nominated for an Edgar. Since, he has penned Havana Best Friends (2002), Havana World Series (2003), Comrades in Miami (2005), The Young Englishman (2009 - as Enrique Clio), and Crime of Fashion (2009).
Seeking creative fiction and fearing dictatorial repression, the author and his family moved to Spain in August 2002 and to Canada in September 2004.
By the time the Cuban Revolution came to power, José, who was 19, had become an ardent supporter. He joined the Ministry of Treasury as a junior financial analyst and translator and later moved on to the Cuban Central Bank. From there he transferred to the Ministry of Sugar, ending up in the State Committee of Finance, where from 1977 onwards he swelled the ranks.
Shuffling papers, however, was not challenging enough. In that same year José started writing crime fiction in his spare time. His first three novels (Preludio a la Noche, Medianoche Enemiga and Fauna Noctura), set in pre-revolutionary Havana, were published by Editorial Letras Cubanas in 1982, 1986 and 1989. The fourth (Choque de Leyendas), was launched in 1998, nine years after he first delivered the manuscript to the publisher.
José also joined the Union of Cuban Writers and Artists and the International Association of Crime Writers (IACW) in1988. Two years later he resigned his position as global financial analyst in the Ministry of Finance to become a full-time writer. In 1998 he was elected vice-president for Latin America of the International Association of Crime Writers.
In 1994 José delivered to his publisher The Fool, a novel based on a real-life case of corruption in the ministries of the Interior and the Armed Forces that was uncovered in 1989. This book was considered counterrevolutionary and José was labeled an “enemy of the people.”
Certain that neither The Fool nor the books he wanted to write would get published in Cuba as long as all publishing houses were state-owned, rejecting ideological subservience and adamant about pursuing a career as a novelist, José took a shot at writing in English.
His first novel in that language, Outcast, was published in the U.S., six Western European countries, Brazil and Japan. It got flattering reviews and was nominated for an Edgar. Since, he has penned Havana Best Friends (2002), Havana World Series (2003), Comrades in Miami (2005), The Young Englishman (2009 - as Enrique Clio), and Crime of Fashion (2009).
Seeking creative fiction and fearing dictatorial repression, the author and his family moved to Spain in August 2002 and to Canada in September 2004.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 4, 2021
I found this because I was looking for something set in a city in the Caribbean. I'm pretty sure I was nosing around at Stop You're Killing Me. (One could easily lose hours there, by the way.) Anyway, it was just what I wanted to be reading at this time.
It opens with a couple jogging around a park in Havana, when the man stops, bends over, and appears to have trouble breathing. He says he thinks it may be heat prostration. So they walk across the street and ring the bell of an apartment and ask if they could have a glass of water. It didn't take much for me to realize this was a ruse.
The information given in the GR description or on the blurb at the back of the book isn't revealed in the book until about page 100 or so. Normally I would think that would begin to be spoilerish. In a way, I'm glad I did know as it increased my eagerness of how things were going to work out. As this is definitely thriller rather than pure mystery, eagerness to know how things work out is the point of reading the genre. Latour does this well. My anxiety level increased especially in the last 75 pages.
Latour's first books were written in Spanish while he was living in Cuba. This was his first work in English after he left that country and settled in Canada. Thrillers are not my go to, so I'm not in a hurry to add another by him to my already over-burdened wish list. On the other hand, if one were staring me in the face, I'd pick it up in a hot tick. 4-stars, only because I thought there was a bit more coarse language than was needed.
It opens with a couple jogging around a park in Havana, when the man stops, bends over, and appears to have trouble breathing. He says he thinks it may be heat prostration. So they walk across the street and ring the bell of an apartment and ask if they could have a glass of water. It didn't take much for me to realize this was a ruse.
The information given in the GR description or on the blurb at the back of the book isn't revealed in the book until about page 100 or so. Normally I would think that would begin to be spoilerish. In a way, I'm glad I did know as it increased my eagerness of how things were going to work out. As this is definitely thriller rather than pure mystery, eagerness to know how things work out is the point of reading the genre. Latour does this well. My anxiety level increased especially in the last 75 pages.
Latour's first books were written in Spanish while he was living in Cuba. This was his first work in English after he left that country and settled in Canada. Thrillers are not my go to, so I'm not in a hurry to add another by him to my already over-burdened wish list. On the other hand, if one were staring me in the face, I'd pick it up in a hot tick. 4-stars, only because I thought there was a bit more coarse language than was needed.
September 2, 2008
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. I'm rounding down from 1-1/2 stars because GoodReads refuses to give us a half star option so I need to round in one direction or the other.
April 27, 2011
a thriller with twists and turns where the author bothers to complete the twists and the turns so you are not completely lost and have to find your way back. I also liked the true image of Havana that he painted for us, and the cautious but necessary character building which made me appreciate and know each character. An enjoyable read.
February 21, 2023
Loved this. I visited Cuba not long after this book was written, and every detail reminded me of that visit. It's great to read a book by a Cuban set in Cuba - so often it's just a location. I loved the twists and turns, no strand left forgotten, and the characterisation was strong, too.
March 15, 2019
Gripping well thought out. A true page turner!
September 21, 2021
3.5 stars, rounded up.
February 8, 2016
In Cuba, nothing is quite as it appears on the surface. Whether it’s a police investigation or just a nice place to eat dinner, life is fraught with deceit and paranoia. In "Hidden in Havana," what begins as a Canadian jogger suffering the effects of the Havana heat will turn into murder and the hunt for treasure hidden since the 1950s. IDDEN IN
The story begins when Elena Miranda (daughter of an imprisoned former Batista loyalist) answers the door to a Canadian couple who appear on her doorstep, the husband apparently suffering heat exhaustion. They ask for a glass of water, and thus begins the journey that will lead to death, deception, and, ultimately, a new life for Elena.
Nothing in this story is as it first appears on the surface, a theme that meshes well with the strongest suit of the book, a look inside Cuba and just how the ordinary citizen, be they police inspector or special needs teacher, copes with everyday life in the country. In a country where salaries are low and goods scarce, Elena’s brother has become part of the underground economy. Elena’s father is in prison for pre-Castro events, and her mother is living in the countryside. When two strangers enter her life, she will have no notion of the changes they will bring.
After the Canadians leave, her brother is murdered, and Elena and the police discover that he was involved in a series of unsavory activities. Police begin investigating the unusual death, the Canadians return on a mission to locate treasure that’s been hidden for years that Elena can help them uncover. This will result in more death and destruction, including a wild chase across the country, and more.
Author Jose Latour offers up a thriller that will give readers not only a great mystery with an edge-of-the-seat flair, but keen insight into Cuban life, and the ways in which the average Cuban copes with the Communist bureaucracy. From the Cuban investigator to the neighborhood snoop, Latour presents engaging characters, and readers will root for Elena to the last page. With reference to a pre-Castro past, Latour does end the book with an enigmatic finish, leaving readers to wonder if there is more to come to the story, particularly as relates to Elena’s father who forewarns her about future dangers. Yet, even with this unsettled final scene, "Hidden in Havana" satisfies.
Merged review:
In Cuba, nothing is quite as it appears on the surface. Whether it’s a police investigation or just a nice place to eat dinner, life is fraught with deceit and paranoia. In "Hidden in Havana" by author Jose Latour, what begins as a Canadian jogger suffering the effects of the Havana heat will turn into murder and the hunt for a treasure hidden since the 1950s.
The story begins when Elena Miranda (daughter of an imprisoned former Batista loyalist) answers the door to a Canadian couple who appear on her doorstep unexpectedly, the husband apparently suffering from heat exhaustion. They ask for a glass of water, and thus begins the journey that will lead to death, deception, and, ultimately, a new life for Elena.
Nothing in this story is as it first appears, a theme that meshes well with the strongest suit of the book, a look inside Cuba and just how the ordinary citizen, be they a police inspector or a special needs teacher, copes with everyday life in the country. In a country where salaries are low and goods scarce, Elena’s brother has become part of the underground economy of Cuba. Elena’s father is in prison for pre-Castro events, and her mother is living in the countryside. When two strangers enter her life, Elena will have no notion of the changes they will bring to her life.
After the Canadians leave, her brother is murdered, and Elena and the police discover that he was involved in a series of unsavory activities. Police begin investigating the unusual death, the Canadians return on a mission to locate treasure that’s been hidden for years that Elena can help them uncover. This will result in more death and destruction, including a wild chase across the country, and more.
Author Jose Latour offers up a thriller that will give readers not only a great mystery with an edge-of-the-seat flair, but keen insight into Cuban life, and the ways in which the average Cuban copes with the Communist bureaucracy. From the Cuban investigator to the neighborhood snoop, Latour presents engaging characters, and readers will root for Elena to the last page. With reference to a pre-Castro past, Latour does end the book with an enigmatic finish, leaving readers to wonder if there is more to come to the story, particularly as relates to Elena’s father who forewarns her about future dangers. Yet, even with this unsettled final scene, "Hidden in Havana" satisfies the mystery reader completely.
The story begins when Elena Miranda (daughter of an imprisoned former Batista loyalist) answers the door to a Canadian couple who appear on her doorstep, the husband apparently suffering heat exhaustion. They ask for a glass of water, and thus begins the journey that will lead to death, deception, and, ultimately, a new life for Elena.
Nothing in this story is as it first appears on the surface, a theme that meshes well with the strongest suit of the book, a look inside Cuba and just how the ordinary citizen, be they police inspector or special needs teacher, copes with everyday life in the country. In a country where salaries are low and goods scarce, Elena’s brother has become part of the underground economy. Elena’s father is in prison for pre-Castro events, and her mother is living in the countryside. When two strangers enter her life, she will have no notion of the changes they will bring.
After the Canadians leave, her brother is murdered, and Elena and the police discover that he was involved in a series of unsavory activities. Police begin investigating the unusual death, the Canadians return on a mission to locate treasure that’s been hidden for years that Elena can help them uncover. This will result in more death and destruction, including a wild chase across the country, and more.
Author Jose Latour offers up a thriller that will give readers not only a great mystery with an edge-of-the-seat flair, but keen insight into Cuban life, and the ways in which the average Cuban copes with the Communist bureaucracy. From the Cuban investigator to the neighborhood snoop, Latour presents engaging characters, and readers will root for Elena to the last page. With reference to a pre-Castro past, Latour does end the book with an enigmatic finish, leaving readers to wonder if there is more to come to the story, particularly as relates to Elena’s father who forewarns her about future dangers. Yet, even with this unsettled final scene, "Hidden in Havana" satisfies.
Merged review:
In Cuba, nothing is quite as it appears on the surface. Whether it’s a police investigation or just a nice place to eat dinner, life is fraught with deceit and paranoia. In "Hidden in Havana" by author Jose Latour, what begins as a Canadian jogger suffering the effects of the Havana heat will turn into murder and the hunt for a treasure hidden since the 1950s.
The story begins when Elena Miranda (daughter of an imprisoned former Batista loyalist) answers the door to a Canadian couple who appear on her doorstep unexpectedly, the husband apparently suffering from heat exhaustion. They ask for a glass of water, and thus begins the journey that will lead to death, deception, and, ultimately, a new life for Elena.
Nothing in this story is as it first appears, a theme that meshes well with the strongest suit of the book, a look inside Cuba and just how the ordinary citizen, be they a police inspector or a special needs teacher, copes with everyday life in the country. In a country where salaries are low and goods scarce, Elena’s brother has become part of the underground economy of Cuba. Elena’s father is in prison for pre-Castro events, and her mother is living in the countryside. When two strangers enter her life, Elena will have no notion of the changes they will bring to her life.
After the Canadians leave, her brother is murdered, and Elena and the police discover that he was involved in a series of unsavory activities. Police begin investigating the unusual death, the Canadians return on a mission to locate treasure that’s been hidden for years that Elena can help them uncover. This will result in more death and destruction, including a wild chase across the country, and more.
Author Jose Latour offers up a thriller that will give readers not only a great mystery with an edge-of-the-seat flair, but keen insight into Cuban life, and the ways in which the average Cuban copes with the Communist bureaucracy. From the Cuban investigator to the neighborhood snoop, Latour presents engaging characters, and readers will root for Elena to the last page. With reference to a pre-Castro past, Latour does end the book with an enigmatic finish, leaving readers to wonder if there is more to come to the story, particularly as relates to Elena’s father who forewarns her about future dangers. Yet, even with this unsettled final scene, "Hidden in Havana" satisfies the mystery reader completely.
February 17, 2017
A very interesting mystery with lots of twists and turns and a nice peek into Havana in the 2000s.
October 28, 2015
Jose Latour, a Cuban author who moved to Toronto in 2002, is well known in the world of Spanish literature for his mystery novels. This is the first English novel he has released and it is a very nice, well written and delightfully plotted crime story involving some ex-pat Cubans, Americans pretending to be Canadians and some embezzled diamonds. In the course of trying to recover the diamonds the reader gets some very nice, intriguing detail about Cuban society and why Cubans might be torn about change down the road. The Cuban heroes are some truly layered cops and the interaction among all the characters over the course of the book is believable and entertaining. It is described as a version of Noir and I see that but it is less than and more than your typical Noir outing. I liked this book and will seek out more Latour novels.
January 11, 2015
As this story wound around the streets of Havana, with characters whose fathers had been on Batista's side and so they fled to the US, we see the trees and the buildings and restaurants of the city--what a fascinating glimpse. The plot sure is well done--we can believe every shred of it and the unraveling is easy to follow and timely, nothing rushed or quickly passed over. What a satisfying read, a mini-vacation, awful as much of it is because of poverty and the requisite violence. I'd read another José Latour book!
May 7, 2011
Tasty glimpse into modern life in Cuba, yet without damning the place. Latour is a Cuban ex-pat living in Toronto who appears to have fond yet critical memories of his former home, unlike the strident and extremist voices often heard coming out of the Cuban community in Florida. The story itself unfolds as expected, not terribly exciting or compelling, even though it seems to have all the elements of a good thriller. Perhaps the slow pace is due to the prominent place given to life in Cuba.
January 15, 2009
I picked this up and then forgot about it for two months; once you learn what's actually happening (around page 100 or so) it's a real page-turner. Intriguing heist caper story, with the added bonus of taking place in Cuba (meaning the policey bits are pretty novel), though the dialogue is atrocious.
December 31, 2012
Another excellent story from the talented ex-pat Cuban writer, Jose Latour. Latour weaves his story against the backdrop of a Havana that may soon disappear, providing a glimpse into life in one of the last communist regimes remaining, and the conflicting passions of the people living under this regime: towards each other and towards their country and its politics.
July 27, 2011
Titre original : Havana Best Friends.
C'est fascinant de lire un polar où l'on voit la vie quotidienne des Cubains, l'eau qui est pompée dans les citernes sur les toits, mais aussi les enseignants en éducation spécialisée qui vont donner des cours aux élèves chez eux...
C'est fascinant de lire un polar où l'on voit la vie quotidienne des Cubains, l'eau qui est pompée dans les citernes sur les toits, mais aussi les enseignants en éducation spécialisée qui vont donner des cours aux élèves chez eux...
July 1, 2012
I actually give this book 4.5 stars.
The story is intriguing with characters that the reader will feel empathy for. I found the story of the Havana we Americans never hear about to be fascinating
I will read more of this fairly recent Cuban emigrant.
The story is intriguing with characters that the reader will feel empathy for. I found the story of the Havana we Americans never hear about to be fascinating
I will read more of this fairly recent Cuban emigrant.
Read
November 10, 2010odd mystery set in Havana
August 2, 2011
Not nearly as good as Outcast. This is a pretty basic heist story and I couldn't feel anything for the characters.
July 12, 2012
My rating: 7
November 28, 2013
Suspense doesn't deliver.
July 28, 2016
Exciting! I love the fact the story was held in Cuba. Love love love the feel of this story
November 4, 2020
I guess murder-mysteries are not my jam anymore. Nothing particularly wrong with this book, but it did not rekindle any long-lost love within me.
Read
June 25, 2018Found this book and as soon as I read the first page I was hooked. What a great suspense filled crime story, it is set in Havana Cuba and is sell well written I feel as if I should have a sun burn after spending so many hours in the Cuba sun! It is the perfect robbery, not much could go wrong right? You too will be hooked by this books as it takes you into the underworld of Havana, you see how things "really" work in Cuba!
YES, I recommend this product.
YES, I recommend this product.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews