Havana: Killing Castro

Title: Havana: Killing Castro
Author: David Pereda
Publisher: Eternal Press
ISBN: 9781770650381
Pages: 322, Paperback
Genre: Thriller/Suspense

Reviewed by: Gary Sorkin, Pacific Book Review

 

Book Review

Sitting back, reading David Pereda’s novel, Havana: Killing Castro brought the imaginary aroma of a Cohiba Siglo VI cigar to my olfactory sense along with the cerebral stimulation burst of a Cubano con Lache coffee. The book, from literally the very first page, draws you into a fast paced plot of intriguingly wicked characters with power, influence and epic historical importance. David Pereda’s candidly honest writing style illuminates the thoughts of his characters down to their deepest carnal motivations. This technique is awesomely exploited throughout the novel, bringing a sensuous undercurrent of sexuality to the actions of his characters. This is dramatically illustrated by Marcela, a seductively attractive female assassin possessing hypnotizing beauty and a quick stiletto bite, sensually aroused by the sweet scent of her victim’s dying breath.

His dialog throughout is laced with foreign vernacular and terse subtleties. His characters have survival instincts sharp as a caffeinated cricket in an iguana cage. The only way out is to solve a mystery before they become the prey. The realism of his descriptions make you feel the humidity, the heat, along with the temperate breeze over the 90 mile stretch of ocean separating Cuba from Florida’s Keys and Miami. The work is indeed a masterpiece of entertainment, in the caliber of genius. Something Robert Ludlum, Tom Clancy or Michael Crichton would raise an eyebrow in admiration.

David Pereda’s “2009 Reader’s Favorite” award winning novel, just over 300 pages, is covered in a photographic portrait montage of its main characters along with the Cuban flag and a subliminal image of Fidel Castro. A perfect book for screenplay adaptation and a blockbuster movie, of which I believe plans may be in the making. Inside, the scores of short chapters play out a fast paced “mental storyboard” of scenes seemingly at first disassociated but brilliantly laced together. David Pereda develops suspense with the timing of a virtuoso. He allows for the reader’s mind to skip along his words while venturing into imagination and back like a rock skimming along the surface of water once flicked. In full control of the reader’s knowledge base, he foreshadows and illuminates events satisfying one’s curiosity while always respecting the intelligence of his audience.

Whether you’re a seasoned suspense novel enthusiast, or just an evening “cup of tea” story fanatic, this is food for thought. For me, I couldn’t wait to pick up and finish Havana: Killing Castro – and my first thought when done, “Wow.”