Mario Conde has retired from the police force of Havana.
In 2003 he is making money working within the antique book trade.
Modern Cuba it would seem is far from being the utopia dreamed of by the revolutionaries of the past and crime and corruption are rife.
Life for ordinary Cubans is characterised by perpetual food shortages and many of the inhabitants of Havana including Conde himself live in a virtually perpetual state of hunger. When Conde discovers an incredible library of valuable books in the former home of a rich Cuban who left the country to live in America when Batista's regime was overthrown it seems that he has found the pot of gold he has been searching for at the end of the proverbial rainbow. Whilst searching through the books he discovers by chance an article regarding a singer of bolero's from the 1950's who vanished in strange circumstances called Violeta del Rio.
However, events take a turn for the worse when one of the guardians of the library is suddenly murdered and Conde finds himself cast in the unfamiliar role of suspect. In order to clear his name he must unravel a complex and tortured story that offers author Leonardo Padura the opportunity to explore the history and culture of Cuba and some of the darker aspects of life there after the revolution. The character of Mario Conde featured in Padura's Havana Quartet and it is interesting to follow his life in the city after leaving the police force. In many ways Havana Fever is the most mature and epic in scale of the series highlighting both the vitality and glamour of Havana whilst contrasting it with the poverty and privations that its population has also suffered particularly after the collapse of the former Soviet Union.
Padura's Cuban noir manages to combine atmosphere, crime and dirt with an engaging and affecting overview of the history of Cuban publishing, surely an unusual achievement within the genre of crime fiction. Bawdy, colourful and moving Havana Fever comes highly recommended. Viva Havana.
Giles Morgan
Havana Fever
Leonardo Padura
Bitter Lemon Press, £8.99, 9781904738367
