Havana World Series by José Latour, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Havana World Series is José Latour's eighth novel, and his third to be written in English.

Havana World Series is a crime caper. The reader knows at all times the motivations of the characters, who is doing what to whom and, usually, why. The appeal of this book, and it is a very good book, is the setting and locale (late 1950's Havana), and the author's ability to construct a plausible and interesting story using a large cast of characters.

There are no "good guys" in Havana World Series. The principal characters are thieves, gangsters, or corrupt government officials. But Latour doesn't portray them as "bad guys" either. The thieves are generally family men, the gangsters are businessmen looking to make a semi-legitimate profit, and the government officials see themselves as less corrupt than men higher up in their own organizations.

Despite the rogue cast of characters, violence is minimal with emphasis instead placed on a complex plot and character development. Havana World Series, which concludes in a satisfactory, if somewhat unexpected, manner, is an entertaining novel.

Acknowledgment: Grove/Atlantic provided an ARC of Havana World Series for this review.