I am always interested in reading books set in far away places with complicated recent histories. Cuba is one of them and I just started to develop an interest in novels sharing slices of realities - fictional or not - inspired by the everyday Cuban life.
Last Seen in Havana by Cuban author Teresa Dovalpage is my latest addition to a relatively modest collection of books set in this country, particularly in Havana. The book is the fourth in the ´Havana Mysteries´ series and a standalone, although hopefully soon would love to read the previous three volumes as well.
What I really loved about this book is the good mix between mystery - which I rarely refuse myself the pleasure of discovering - and recent history. In 2019, Mercedes Spivey, recently widowed, travels from Miami to Havana, trying to reconnect with the life she left behind and take care of her ailing grandmother. More than a journey back to her roots, she wants to find out the truth about the disappearance of her mother. But as she is trying to investigate the circumstances of her mother vanishing, obsessive questions are haunting her: what if her mother is actually alive and she has the chance of her life to find her again?
Last Seen in Havana is a moderately emotional book, when we think about how our destinies may be randomly marked by political, social and historical circumstances. How many destinies are broken by such tragic events. It is however also a curious book of mystery and it´s hard not to start making suppositions and guesses, once the story advances.
I liked the idea of the mystery and the characters, as well as the historical back and forth, which adds a complex timeline to the story and allows both the characters and the story to develop.
A recommended read for mystery and history novels lovers, with relatable women characters.
Rating: 4 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own
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