What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

I don't remember much beyond what's in the title. I read this book in the 1990's. Thank you.

A Good Day to Die: A Novel of Cuba After Castro by James Coltrane (Stewart O´Nan)?

Thank you. This sounds ridiculous, looking at this book, but I don't actually think this is it. I will track down a copy and look at it, but I really don't think this is the one. But again, thank you very much.

When in the '90s did you read it? Could it have been as late as '99?

I think it was earlier, but 1999 is possible

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Cuba by Stephen Coonts?

"Fidel Castro is dying of cancer just as the United States decides to move its cache of chemical weapons from its Cuban base. On the way to Norfolk, the freighter carrying the warheads disappears. When the navy discovers it aground on a Cuban island, the weapons and the crew are gone. Rear Admiral Jake Grafton is given the job of figuring out what happened. In the course of the investigation, he finds that Cuba has missiles left over from the Soviet Union's involvement with Castro, and the Cuban government is manufacturing a new strain of polio for which there is no cure. Coonts has perfected the art of the high-tech adventure story. He juggles a multivoiced narrative with action taking place in a number of different locations but seldom loses sight of the direction of the story. This tale of what could happen when Castro dies grips the imagination from first to last."

Havana Strike by Jim DeFelice?

"When Fidel Castro dies, his children fight for supreme reign but are deterred by guerilla rebels and the U.S. military, which offers technologically advanced tools to restore stability, until it is discovered that Castro left behind a secret that could start a war and ultimately destroy the world."


Seems unlikely:

Crisis by Alexander M. Grace?

Embrace The Serpent by Marilyn Tucker Quayle?

Yes, that Marilyn Quayle (wife of the Vice President).

"Fidel Castro has keeled over dead, unleashing a power struggle within and outside the island nation. Castro's minister of communication is proclaimed president by the Cuban council of ministers. The president of the U.S. feels this man is someone who can be trusted to bring democratic reform to Cuba; the junior senator from Georgia, on the other hand, believes the U.S. should instead be supporting the leader of La Causa, a Cuban resistance movement. The senator ultimately has his way when information comes to light--by his hand, of course--that the newly proclaimed successor to Castro, the former communications minister, is the patsy of not only the Russians (in their desperate attempt to salvage some international influence after the break-up of the Soviet Union) but also an Arab-sponsored terrorist organization. "

Live Shot by Charles Jaco?

"The Gulf Stream heats up for reporter Peter Dees as Castro sinks into physical decline, and Cuba is thrown into turmoil--a great story, yes, but the denouement could be a nuclear blast just ninety miles from American shores."

First, thank you so much for the time and effort.

Cuba - Steven Coonts - No, it wasn't from that well-known an author, and this appears to be the seventh book in a series. This book was standalone.


Havana Strike - Jim DeFelice - I am 99% sure this isn't it. The description talks about Castro's heirs fighting it out. This book was clear that Raul Castro would take over, and I remember that because it's how I learned who Raul Castro is. I will look for it to confirm.

Embrace the Serpent - Marilyn Quayle - Just none of that sounds familiar. I also read a long review on it's homepage, and no, that's not it.

Live Shot - Charles Jacobs - This also doesn't sound familiar at all. I'm sure this isn't it.

Thanks again for looking

Killing Castro by Lee Duncan (Lawrence Block)? It was first published as Fidel Castro Assassinated in 1961.

No, this was clearly written much later than that, with Castro having been in power a long time. Thank you for looking.

One of the things that stands out in my mind is that the struggle for power/revolution would be bloody, in that due to all their service in African wars during the 1960s - 1980s, Cuba had the highest proportion of combat veterans to population in the world. None of that would have happened by 1961.

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You know what? This is completely on me. I didn't even see the suggestion back in December, but now that I have, I tracked down a copy on OpenLibrary, and Crisis by Alexander Grace is actually the book I'm looking for. I was misremembering a lot of details, but this is most definitely it. I'm sorry about that, and Lobstergirl, thanks for the help!

For more detail on the book: https://www.amazon.com/Crisis-Alexand...

Great! Glad you found your book, Patnel. Thanks for the update.