“The Cuban Affair: a Novel” (Simon & Schuster), by Nelson DeMille
A charter boat captain in Key West, Florida, gets an offer he can’t refuse in Nelson DeMille’s latest novel, “The Cuban Affair.”
Daniel “Mac” MacCormick has retired. He bought a charter boat and now offers his services to tourists. He’s in desperate need of financial help since the bank loan for his vessel is quite extensive, not to mention living in Key West. Jack, his partner and first officer on various jaunts, is old and quite cranky, so they’re a perfect match to work together.
A lawyer named Carlos wants to hire Mac and his boat for a fishing tournament in Cuba, but there’s more to the story. While in the area, Jack will work the fishing angle while Mac will take a Cuban-American woman named Sara inside the country and uncover a hidden cache of money that only she knows the location. Mac knows something is fishy, but the money would pay off his bills and he could rest easy for the rest of his life — assuming he comes out of Cuba alive. It also doesn’t help matters that he finds Sara very sexy.
“The Cuban Affair” feels authentic and real, and it provides knuckle-white tension mixed in with levity. Jeff Ayers, AP
