|
by: Stephen Hunter
Amazon.com's Price: $7.99 Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780743457972
ISBN: 0743457978
Label: Pocket
Manufacturer: Pocket
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 480
Publication Date: March 29, 2005
Publisher: Pocket
Sales Rank: 15680
Studio: Pocket
Related Items:
Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Outgunning all others in the arena of razor-edged action and sheer guts, New york Times bestselling author Stephen Hunter plunges Earl Swagger deep into a steamy underworld of power, politics, and blood...
Cuba 1953: The island is on fire.
The Mafia-run casinos are rolling, and it's just a 30-minute flight from Miami to a world of vice, gambling, sex, and drugs. The money is there for anyone who knows how to get it, including the Cuban government and the police, who want to keep their ally Uncle Sam happy. There's only one threat to this corrupt utopia: a silver-tongued, daring young revolutionary named Fidel Castro. With the Cold War underway, the Soviet Union has sent a sophisticated veteran agent to find and support the young upstart. To counter, the CIA has summoned Medal of Honor-winning ex-marine Sergeant Earl Swagger, whose heroic exploits have earned him the reputation of a man who doesn't know how to lose. But he's not just going to find Castro....
He's going to kill him.
Amazon.com Review:
The field of male fantasy fiction receives a generous literary boost with the publication of Havana, Stephen Hunter's third novel (following Hot Springs and Pale Horse Coming) to feature straight-shooting ex-Marine and Arkansas state policeman Earl Swagger.
Reluctantly leaving his wife and hero-worshipping son at home, Swagger flies off to Cuba in 1953 to act as a bodyguard for 'Boss' Harry Etheridge, a rainmaking Southern congressman who proposes investigating the influence of New York gangsters on the Guantanamo Naval Base. Almost as soon as his lungs fill with the humid Caribbean air, Swagger regrets accepting this assignment. Not only must he contend with posturing, backstabbing U.S. intelligence agents, but Boss Harry proves to be both incautiously lustful (forcing Earl to rescue him from a Havana brothel confrontation) and a big target for mobsters who don't want American politicians or anyone else upsetting the profitable criminal equilibrium of Batista-era Cuba. Swagger exacerbates the risk to his longevity by agreeing to help the U.S. government assassinate Cuba's revolutionary darling of the moment, Fidel Castro--a task that will pit this Arkansas lawman against a disenchanted Russian killer who's been charged with protecting and mentoring the 26-year-old agitator.
Given Swagger's well-established weaponry skills, it's hardly surprising that Havana is peppered with tightly choreographed shootouts, both on dusty country roads and in a Zanja Street porno theater full of moaning patrons. That's the male fantasy part; this novel's literary inclination shows in its portrayal of Havana as a richly decadent city full of shiny-fendered Cadillacs, jaded whores, and casinos flushing money onto Florida-bound boats. While Ernest Hemingway and mob boss Meyer Lansky make cameo appearances here, only Castro leaves much of an impression, whether he's bumbling through an attack on a military barracks or defending himself against a father who thinks him lazy, vain, and 'womanly' ('I am between opportunities, but I swear to you, I am a man of destiny'). Although Swagger's climactic gunfight tests the limits of credibility, Havana remains an unusually substantive page-turner, expertly blending hostilities with humor and heart. --J. Kingston Pierce
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Compelling and fast-paced.
I've been a big fan of Hunter and this didn't disappoint. I loved the setting of Cuba in the 50s with Castro a young man just barely getting started in his career. All of the events going on around Swagger and his mission really set the tone for me, was very believable since all of the backdrop events really occurred. Than, of course, having Swagger around just sweetens the cake. I love his mannerisms, attitude, loyalties, everything. Without realizing it, I had the book done in 2 days of casual ... Read More
Rating:  - Havana... a thriller that wasn't.
It's Cuba in the fifties. Castro's just starting out, trying to make a name for himself and the Mafia (among others) doesn't like it. With the Cold War in full swing, the Soviet Union sends out a veteran agent to make sure Castro's revolution succeeds, while the CIA summons their own ex-marine Earl Swagger, to make sure he fails. And thus the games begin.
This wasn't a particularly bad book, but a thriller is expected to contain certain attributes that this one lacked. At no time was I on ... Read More
Rating:  - Discovering Hunter
This is my first Stephen Hunter book, but not my last. He spends a lot of time on character building and location description, but the payback is when the novel builds to conclusion and you are immersed in the hero and the location and can paint a vivid mind picture. Swagger is an interesting protaganist, not a super-hero but obviously tough, with a heart of gold. Easy, quick, fun read.
Rating: - Contrived and disappointing
I was introduced to the works of Stephen Hunter this past summer after watching "Shooter". I liked the movie, but was curious to read the books after reading rave reviews here. I wasn't able to find "Point Of Impact", but picked up "Pale Horse Coming" and was suitably impressed. I've since read most of the books and this is easily my least favorite. The story is incredibly contrived and seems more to be an attempt at thrusting a good character into an imagined retread of historical events which were ... Read More
Rating: - Earl Swagger Hunts Again!
I fell in love with Stephen Hunter's Earl Swagger novels this year. Luckily I discovered the first one at the beginning and listened to them on audiobook in order. There are three of them so far. HOT SPRINGS, PALE HORSE COMING, and HAVANA.
The Swagger name may sound familiar to people. Mark Wahlberg just starred in the movie SHOOTER as Earl's son, Bob Lee Swagger. Stephen Hunter has been intermittently writing novels about father and son over the last few years. Earl's adventures are set ... Read More
|
