[2012] Havana Lost
by Libby Fischer Hellmann
On the eve of the Cuban Revolution, headstrong 18-year-old Francesca Pacelli flees from her ruthless Mafia-boss father in Havana to the arms of her lover, a rebel fighting with Fidel Castro. Her father, desperate to send her to safety in the US, resorts to torture and blackmail as he searches the island for her.
So begins the first part of a spellbinding saga that spans three generations of the same family. Decades later, the family is lured back to Cuba by the promise of untold riches. But pursuing those riches brings danger as well as opportunity, and ultimately, Francesca’s family must confront the lethal consequences of their choices. From the troubled streets of Havana to the mean streets of Chicago, HAVANA LOST reveals the true cost of chasing power instead of love.
HAVANA LOST is award-winning author Libby Fischer Hellmann’s tenth novel and third thriller that explores how strife and revolution affect the human spirit. The novel is a testament to Hellmann’s gift for authentic historical detail as well as her talent for writing compulsively readable thrillers.
**From Publishers Weekly
In Cuba, on the eve of the revolution, 18-year-old Francesca Pacelli's mobster father runs a casino. While Francesca is supposed to marry another man, she falls in love with Cuban revolutionary Luis and becomes pregnant. But Francesca's father kidnaps her, and she is taken to the U.S. Luis never finds her again. Year later, Francesca's son, Michael, is sent to Cuba on dangerous family business—and the trip changes his life and that of his family. This sprawling tale takes readers from Cuba to Angola and Chicago and back again. While the story of the Cuban revolution, as well as the Cuban military efforts in Angola, is fascinating, readers will find their credulity strained by plot holes and the author's reliance on coincidences. The story's twists and turns become frustrating and it's difficult to be fully invested in the characters.
From Booklist
The Cuban Revolution is the rich backdrop for this riveting historical thriller. In the days just prior to the revolution, life in Cuba is difficult. Spies are everywhere. Poverty and hunger are rampant. But for American Francesca Pacelli, life is easy. Her Mafia-boss father owns a luxury hotel and casino in Havana, where they live. When Francesca meets Luis Perez, a rebel fighter, she falls in love fast and runs away with him. Her father tracks her down and sends her back to the States, where the brokenhearted and pregnant Francesca is pushed into an arranged marriage. All their lives are changed by these events, and the story follows these characters from 1950s Cuba to present-day Chicago, where Francesca is now head of the family and is as ruthless as she needs to be. Meanwhile, Luis ends up in South Africa, where he stumbles upon a crew mining coltan, a rare mineral necessary in the production of computers, and finds himself in serious danger: blood diamonds aren’t the only export causing brutal violence in South Africa. This multigenerational page-turner is packed with intrigue and shocking plot twists. --Stacy Alesi
So begins the first part of a spellbinding saga that spans three generations of the same family. Decades later, the family is lured back to Cuba by the promise of untold riches. But pursuing those riches brings danger as well as opportunity, and ultimately, Francesca’s family must confront the lethal consequences of their choices. From the troubled streets of Havana to the mean streets of Chicago, HAVANA LOST reveals the true cost of chasing power instead of love.
HAVANA LOST is award-winning author Libby Fischer Hellmann’s tenth novel and third thriller that explores how strife and revolution affect the human spirit. The novel is a testament to Hellmann’s gift for authentic historical detail as well as her talent for writing compulsively readable thrillers.
**From Publishers Weekly
In Cuba, on the eve of the revolution, 18-year-old Francesca Pacelli's mobster father runs a casino. While Francesca is supposed to marry another man, she falls in love with Cuban revolutionary Luis and becomes pregnant. But Francesca's father kidnaps her, and she is taken to the U.S. Luis never finds her again. Year later, Francesca's son, Michael, is sent to Cuba on dangerous family business—and the trip changes his life and that of his family. This sprawling tale takes readers from Cuba to Angola and Chicago and back again. While the story of the Cuban revolution, as well as the Cuban military efforts in Angola, is fascinating, readers will find their credulity strained by plot holes and the author's reliance on coincidences. The story's twists and turns become frustrating and it's difficult to be fully invested in the characters.
From Booklist
The Cuban Revolution is the rich backdrop for this riveting historical thriller. In the days just prior to the revolution, life in Cuba is difficult. Spies are everywhere. Poverty and hunger are rampant. But for American Francesca Pacelli, life is easy. Her Mafia-boss father owns a luxury hotel and casino in Havana, where they live. When Francesca meets Luis Perez, a rebel fighter, she falls in love fast and runs away with him. Her father tracks her down and sends her back to the States, where the brokenhearted and pregnant Francesca is pushed into an arranged marriage. All their lives are changed by these events, and the story follows these characters from 1950s Cuba to present-day Chicago, where Francesca is now head of the family and is as ruthless as she needs to be. Meanwhile, Luis ends up in South Africa, where he stumbles upon a crew mining coltan, a rare mineral necessary in the production of computers, and finds himself in serious danger: blood diamonds aren’t the only export causing brutal violence in South Africa. This multigenerational page-turner is packed with intrigue and shocking plot twists. --Stacy Alesi