WOW! I can hardly believe it, I have been reading Nelson DeMille’s books for almost 30 years. In all that time there have only been a few that failed for me, I really liked the rest. (Hey, I guess everyone is entitled to an oopsie once in a while.) But A Cuban Affair is classic, smart, DeMille at his best.
Mac, a highly decorated veteran retires to sunny Key West, Florida to operate his charter fishing boat, ‘Tea SUBWAYhigher. Mac wants to be as far away from war as possible. The problem is that scars that people can’t see haunt you more than those that can. Relaxing at the infamous Green Parrot Bar, he is approached by a lawyer named Carlos who wants to rent The Maine for a trip to Cuba. With thoughts of his boat loan dancing in his head, he reluctantly agrees to meet the client, Eduardo, who works with anti-Castro groups, and a beautiful and sassy Cuban-American lady named Sara, with whom he instantly fell in love. Sara wants to recover a trunk hidden in a cave by her grandfather during the 1959 revolution. She is said to have sixty million dollars and land documents that prove true ownership of properties illegally confiscated under the Castro regime that are worth even more. . He agree.
The plan is for Mac and Sara to mingle on an educational tour of the island. Then escape unseen, head to the cave, find the trunk, and then slide down the beach and travel home to The Maine. Simple truth? Not in today’s environment and not with Nelson DeMille holding the pen.
Expertly researched and set just as the Cold War-era relationship was beginning to soften, DeMille has provided an authentic portrait of Cuban-American relations and life on the island. The characters are sharp, deeply drawn, and well thought out. There are no dolls here! I feel like I know these people. I wanted to meet them and I was concerned about what was going on in their lives. The pace was fast, with a lot of smart and strategically placed action. (Don’t overdo it, blow everything up for no reason.) The plot developed layer by layer, building the excitement and tension like the slow rattle of an uphill roller coaster. (I found myself holding my breath more than once).
Fast-paced, grab your seat action sequences, clever dialogue, and DeMille’s unique humor – what more could a reader ask for? It is beautiful, moving, exciting, and most of all entertaining. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading a well-written story.
Happy reading!
