Last Seen in Havana by Teresa Dovalpage Published by Soho Crime on February 6, 2024
Genres: Heist Thrillers
Pages: 352
Format: eBook
Source: NetGalley, Publisher, Rachel's Random Resources
Buy on Amazon/Barnes & Noble/Bookshop.org
A Cuban American woman searches for her long-lost mother in this moving, immersive new mystery, perfect for fans of Of Women and Salt .
In 2019, newly widowed baker Mercedes Spivey flies from Miami to her native Cuba to care after her ailing paternal grandmother. Mercedesās life has been shaped by loss, beginning with the mysterious unsolved disappearance of her mother when Mercedes was a little girl. Returning to Cuba revives Mercedesās hopes of finding her mother as she attempts to piece together the few scraps of information she has. Could her mother still be alive?
Thirty-three years earlier, an American college student with endless political optimism falls deliriously in love with a handsome Cuban soldier while on a spontaneous visit to the island. She decides to stay permanently, but soon discovers that nothing is as it seems in Havana.
The two womenās stories proceed in parallel as Mercedes gets closer to discovering the truth about her mother, uncovering shocking family secrets in the process . . .
My Thoughts
This book is a captivating story of mystery, romance, and history. It tells the tales of two women and their love for Cuba, each with a different story from another time. The author skillfully weaves these stories, revealing a family’s hidden secrets. The characters are well-developed, and the plot is thrilling. The book provides vivid descriptions of Cuba, making the reader feel like they are a part of the story.
Thank you to Rachelās Random Resources, NetGalley, and the author for allowing me to read and review this book.
About Teresa Dovalpage
Teresa Dovalpage is a Cuban writer. She was born in Havana but left in 1996 for the United States where she has been living ever since. She obtained her doctorate in Latin American literature from the University of New Mexico. She has published eight novels till date. Her third novel Muerte de un murciano en La Habana (Death of a Murcian in Havana, Anagrama, 2006) was runner-up for the Premio Herralde. Her next novel El difunto Fidel (The Late Fidel) won the Rincon de la Victoria Award in Spain in 2009. She has also published several plays and short story collections.
Dovalpage lives in Taos, New Mexico and teaches at UNM Taos.
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