Havana Red (Mario Conde Investigates)

Although this book is over 20 years old, and has been available in English for around half that time, not too many of the other reviews understand it, so I am posting this to help any potential new reader who may, in light of the potential renaissance of American connections to Cuba, be considering its purchase. You should read this book if you are interested in Cuba. If Padura ever wins the Nobel, more attention will be paid to his novel about the murder of Trotsky ("El hombre que amaba a los perros" / "The Man Who Loved Dogs"), but I think the prize will be based on this book as much as that one.It will help to understand this book (and my review) that the title of this book in the author's native language is "Ma'scaras" (or "Masks" in English), and the book is all about masks/disguises: masks worn by the oppressed; masks worn by the bulk of citizens to avoid incurring the wrath of the state; masks worn by senior government officials that are too powerful to be held accountable; masks worn by spies and moles in the police department. The book is an obviously allegorical account of living under the repressive Cuban regime, and a passionate expression of disgust with that regime, for creating a society in which everyone wears a mask to distort the truth of the society's repression, corruption and failure. As you go through the book, keep a highlighter or pencil nearby and mark each instance you see a reference to a mask, a disguise, a dual identity, a fear of being identified, and you will see what I mean about this book.The narrative starts off with the discovery of the murder of a young male cross-dresser who is identified as the son of a high government official. Detective Mario Conde, the protagonist (the Count), interviews acquaintances of the victim, which provide insights into the existence, and life under repression, of LGBT residents in Havana. One of the victim's acquaintances in particular, the cross-dressing man with whom he lived, serves as the Detective's guide to the LGBT community, and his life story, more than the victim's, fills the pages of the book. His nickname is "the Marquess" so that you will not miss the point that he is the Detective's gay doppelganger. Meanwhile, in a subplot (from a narrative and not thematic point of view), the detective's department is under one of its periodic investigations and the Detective must watch his back constantly while investigating this sensational crime.That is the narrative, but it becomes clear that the victim, and the man with whom he lived, and the LGBT community as a whole, are all serving as representatives of all the victims of the Cuban state's repression, political, cultural, etc. I will not spoil the suspense of reading by disclosing who the murderer is, but suffice it to say, that fact too is a symbolic choice of the author, as are the surprising details of the murder, which can be understood as a political statement about the effect of repression. All the clues in the book are symbolic in nature - a medal found on the body is of "the Universal Man"; he has ripped out a page of the Gospel describing Christ's Transfiguration, etc. There is a fantastic passage beginning at page 99 and running through 106 in which the Marquess explains how he was marginalized by the regime that is the heart of the book to me. This was a very daring book and it is still amazing that it was allowed to be published, as blatant an indictment of the society as it is.While grateful to the British publisher for having had the chance to read this book, I have to note that the translation is painfully British, with many British colloquialisms that are just grating to an American ear: for example, I cannot imagine Cubans saying "mate", "bollocks", "pansy". And I don't believe the spanish verb, regalar, which means to make a gift of something, is properly translated as "regaled"( as in "the long resplendent Montecristo with which Faustino Arayan had regaled him" (p. 112). In my dictionary, "regale" means to entertain, to lavish, to feast; and not to give a small token. And of course, the publisher's decision to re-title the book has probably contributed to many of its readers missing its entire point. But, hopefully, readers of this review will be able to overcome the publisher's unfortunate and ironic "masking". of the author's theme.

While it's sometimes hard to read a book that's been translated and still get the nuances, I found this book less than what it was touted to be--Conde is certainly no "tropical Marlowe." Do we place some of the blame on the translator? Or maybe on the language--as Latin languages are often hard to translate without losing, if not the essence, the subtleties and fine distinctions? Or, is the author simply not what I hoped and expected? Does every other sentence begin with the "F" word in Cuba or just in this novel?It was labeled "scorching" but the only really scorching part to me was the heat of a Cuban summer, not the novel. Maybe I'm disappointed because this was so unlike an American or English "whodunit" that it derailed me a bit. I think this isn't the real reason though, as I've read other mysteries in other languages that have been translated and I've been riveted by the writing or at least the translation. No, I'm going to have to say, this book was somewhat of a let down to me. I did force myself to finish it and I did enjoy the interplay between the various characters/comrades that Conde constantly interacts with, but there was not enough of a mystery and there was too much extraneous verbiage that did not contribute to the overall theme. Padura does have a good eye and ear for detail about Havana, heat, sensuality, sex, and friendship, but for pure "thriller", it goes lacking. And, some of the sexual detail was unnecessarily explicit. There was more detail in this regard than about the body of the murdered. And, where was the use of forensics, certainly they were using more than just bloodtype when this book was written?Padura does a good job drawing most of his characters in a manner that we come to care about them, and he can be sardonic at the right times, but I failed to follow how he truly solved the mystery of the strangulation of a one-time transvestite; his deductive reasoning did not measure up to a good criminal investigative pursuit. The book seemed to be rife with other issues and the crime incidental to the novel as a whole. I kept wondering why it was classified as a mystery? Also, I was left with a question? Who really was the "Other Boy?" He seemed so central throughout the story but we're never really given his identity and even though I think I have good powers of deductive and reductive reasoning, I could not conclusively decide who he was and it seemed to be an important detail? Why leave it to the minds of the reader if it was so universal to the storyline? It was frustrating and with no real purpose? Was it in someway related to Fatman Contrersas? And, why did Fatman play a role that was never fully delineated yet dropped on us as though it was of grave importance--as was the entire internal investigation--with no clearly detailed purpose other than to bring back Conde from a desk job? Loose ends.....What I did find of great interest was the way in which homosexuals were treated in Cuba in "days gone by" and was a piece of history that I did not know. I still do not know if Alberto Marquess' writing will go down in infamy (symbolically, of course) but I did like the idea that even though writers were repressed in Cuba, the repression could not stop them from thinking and writing, only publishing their works--for a time. And, after understanding the juxtaposition of the Paris storyline, I did enjoy the use of the parallel stories as a way to extricate the past lives of some of the major characters and thereby understand their role in the overall "mystery."So, while I learned some important things about Cuba and about Spanish writers of whom I had never heard, during a time when much was being repressed by the totalitarian government and its renowned dictator, I still feel dissatisfied with the novel. But, then, we all wear masks, as Batman said, so maybe, Padura's mask will be lifted as he begins to be translated and I may grow to enjoy his work. While only giving this 3 stars, which I consider a gift, I will read him again to see if there is an improved relationship between his writing and my liking.

Got halfway through a very gritty and explicit story and felt it had nothing left to give so it's being recycled. It's one thing claiming it evokes "crumbling architecture, peeling paintwork and pulsating, searing sensuality beneath the tropical sun." but we got that full on in the opening chapter and it just went on and on very tediously.

I was looking for something to read on a recent holiday in Cuba and this fitted the bill perfectly. The first of a series of detective stories by an acclaimed Cuban author, Havana Red was full of atmosphere and compulsively readable. I felt I was living the plot as I walked the streets of old Havana, and look forward to reading the rest of the series.

goods as described and delivered promptly. Strange book - takes a bit of getting used to, but an OK read - I wouldn't exactly recommend it to get a flavour of Cuba. More a flavour of the writers style

I came to Padura having heard a radio adaptation on the BBC. I enjoyed the Latin American style of his writing which makes this stand out from the standard American crime thriller. Padura creates a real feeling of life in communist cuba. The characters are well developed and the story compelling.

Written by a Cuban living in Cuba, this is an old-fashioned detective story that I hated. The translation is British "Do you fancy a beer?) but the problem is worse. I found myself disliking the protagonist, a Havana detective out to find the killer of a homosexual. To ask whether anyone cares would make me sound like pig, but, then again, maybe I am. The book is too wordy, too much rambling about the art of writing, and a fare bit about life in Havana today, which also sound unappealing. Having read "The Man Who Loved Dogs," I was wanted to try another work by the same author. Sorry I did that.