Latin American Peoples & Cultures - Fiction & Literature, Religion & Beliefs - Fiction, Caribbean Fiction, Latin American Fiction

Cold Havana Ground

Name: Cold Havana Ground
Author: Arnaldo Correa
ISBN: 9781888451528

by Arnaldo Correa, Marjorie Moore

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Overview

"An incisive mind . . . Correa is a wonderful writer." —Lawrence Block, author of HitList

"I look forward to any book by Arnaldo Correa."—Martin Cruz Smith, author of Havana Bay

A truly riveting mystery based on actual events on the -island-nation of Cuba involving three Afro-Cuban religions: Santería, Palo Monte, and the Abakuá Secret Society. Correa had access to Havana police records for his lengthy research and has crafted a flawless mystery with an intense and authentic look into little-known aspects of Cuban society. When a Chinese cadaver is stolen from a cemetery in Havana, the Cuban police are stumped. Their investigation leads to a priest in the Abakuá Secret Society. The priest stays one step ahead, however, casting a spell to divert the investigation.

Critical acclaim for Correa’s Spy’s Fate:

"A captivating thriller based on the murky U.S.-Cuban spy wars. Correa deftly paints the history of Castro’s Cuban intelligence service and the changing face of the Miami exile community . . . The insightful sociopolitical picture, the nasty maneuverings of both services, and the credible spy plot make this a fascinating read."—Publishers Weekly

"From Cuba with panache, a rare English-language thriller, written with flair, authority, and admirable -detachment, about intelligence operations grown soft . . . Character-driven and consistently entertaining."—Kirkus Reviews (starred)

Arnaldo Correa was born in the Escambray Mountains, Cuba, in 1935. In 1966, he published his first book of short stories, which were praised by Fidel Castro. Correa is considered one of three founders of the Cuban crime-fiction genre. He studied mining engineering at the -University of Alabama, and traveled extensively through the U.S. in the 1950s. He has worked on development projects in Cuba, Vietnam, Angola, and Mozambique. Spy’s Fate (Akashic 2002) was his first novel in English translation. He currently lives in Havana.

Synopsis

The second "Cuban Noir" in English translation from the father of Cuban crime fiction.

The Washington Post

There is a lovely, understated tenderness to Alvaro's life: his suppressed desires, his devotion to his vegetables, his affection for his interfering mother, his final realization of his own passions. —Paul Skenazy

About the Author, Arnaldo Correa

Arnaldo Correa was born in the Escambray Mountains, Cuba, in 1935. Correa is considered one of three founders of the Cuban crime-fiction genre. He has worked on development projects in Cuba, Vietnam, Angola, and Mozambique. Cold Havana Ground (Akashic 2003) was his second novel in English translation, after the original hardcover edition of Spy's Fate. He currently lives in Havana.

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Editorials

The Washington Post

Publishers Weekly

Cuban author Correa offers a tantalizing glimpse into the world of Afro-Cuban religion and folklore in this exhaustively researched crime novel, his second book to be translated into English (after last year's Spy's Fate). Retired policeman Alvaro Antonio Molinet returns to investigate the theft from Havana's Chinese cemetery of the body of Rafael Cuan, the last member of a covert society called "The Seven Dragons," created in Beijing in 1935 to fight China's enemies. Out of the original seven members, only Cuan, known as the Green Dragon, survived and escaped to Cuba. More than 50 years later, the Chinese government sends an envoy to Cuba to exhume his grave and to repatriate the remains for burial in a newly erected monument. Involved in some way with the theft may be one of the area's Afro-Cuban religious groups, which share a special reverence for the dead and believe that the souls of the departed become even more powerful after death. Though a blurb on the galley bills Correa as "the godfather of Cuban noir," some American hard-boiled readers may find the complex plot, which develops organically rather than linearly, slow going. With its detailed ethnographic background, including a glossary of terms for three different African-rooted religious systems, this one is more apt to appeal to fans of such authors as Janwillem Van de Wetering and Eliot Pattison, whose mysteries contain strong spiritual elements. (Nov.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

In Florida, it's almost impossible to cast a stone without hitting a mystery novelist. In Cuba, 90 miles away, the odds of hitting a Cuban-born mystery author are almost nil, unless you aim for Correa. In Spy's Fate and now this second novel to be translated into English, he has plowed his country's rich and fertile soil to good advantage. When the body of Rafael Cuan disappears from a Chinese burial ground in Havana (who knew it had one?), Alvaro, the investigating detective, finds himself suddenly immersed in a shadowy world of competing Afro-Cuban religions. These are portrayed as exotic mixtures of primitive rites and 21st-century technology including, for instance, shattered coconuts, a lion's paw, and integrated circuits. A lengthy glossary is attached, along with an "Author's Warning to the Reader" that advises avoiding the maledictions at all costs. Indeed, the mystery here takes a back seat to the development of atmosphere, and Correa's prose style is certainly not of the page-turning variety. Recommended for fans of literary mysteries set in exotic locations and readers interested in Cuban culture.-Bob Lunn, Kansas City P.L., MO Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.