false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173881493m/339233.jpg 339233 15 The field of male fantasy fiction receives a generous literary boost with the publication of <I>Havana</I>, Stephen Hunter's third novel (following <I>Hot Springs</I> and <I>Pale Horse Coming</I>) 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 <I>Havana</I> 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, <I>Havana</I> remains an unusually substantive page-turner, expertly blending hostilities with humor and heart. <I>--J. Kingston Pierce</I> 1238130 2003 Havana (Earl Swagger, #3) total:210|5:33|4:73|3:78|2:21|1:5| 210 738 286 18 339233 0743457978 9780743457972 201 14 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173881493m/339233.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/339233.Havana 2 1 false Tue Sep 30 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 26 04:05:21 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 01 03:12:15 -0700 2008 1
The basic story was kind of interesting; Cuba before Castro took...more...]]> 339233 0743457978 9780743457972 201 14 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173881493m/339233.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/339233.Havana 3 0 false Tue Mar 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Mar 20 07:57:42 -0700 2008 Thu Mar 20 08:04:20 -0700 2008
In 1953, Swagger is brought to Cuba for the purpose of killing a young upstart revolutionary...more...]]> 339233 0743457978 9780743457972 201 14 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173881493m/339233.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/339233.Havana 3 0 false Tue Dec 30 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 03 22:14:15 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 03 22:24:32 -0800 2009 more...]]> 339233 0743457978 9780743457972 201 14 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173881493m/339233.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/339233.Havana 3 0 false Sat Mar 21 17:36:16 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 21 17:42:23 -0700 2009 785400 0743238087 9780743238083 6 4 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178328830m/785400.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/785400.Havana 4 0 false Thu Aug 28 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Aug 29 04:47:31 -0700 2008 Fri Aug 29 04:53:06 -0700 2008
This one was a good read and largely because it focused on so many of the supporting characters. The old Russian spy, Fren...more...]]> 339233 0743457978 9780743457972 201 14 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173881493m/339233.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/339233.Havana 4 0 false Sun Jun 22 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Nov 19 21:43:50 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 19 21:47:19 -0800 2008 339233 0743457978 9780743457972 201 14 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173881493m/339233.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/339233.Havana 4 0 false Tue Dec 01 17:31:16 -0800 2009 Tue Dec 01 17:32:13 -0800 2009 785400 0743238087 9780743238083 6 4 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178328830m/785400.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/785400.Havana 5 0 false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Thu Jul 23 04:39:33 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 23 04:40:23 -0700 2009 339233 0743457978 9780743457972 201 14 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173881493m/339233.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/339233.Havana 1 0 false Fri Feb 13 16:45:22 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 13 16:46:11 -0800 2009 339233 0743457978 9780743457972 201 14 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173881493m/339233.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/339233.Havana 1 0 false Thu Jan 08 10:47:51 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 21 15:00:08 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 08 10:47:51 -0800 2009
I'm hoping The 47th Samurai will prove more intere...more...]]> 339233 0743457978 9780743457972 201 14 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173881493m/339233.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/339233.Havana 5 0 false Sat Jan 05 11:57:53 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 05 12:13:59 -0800 2008 339233 0743457978 9780743457972 201 14 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173881493m/339233.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/339233.Havana 0 0 false Tue Sep 11 14:45:03 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 11 14:45:03 -0700 2007 339233 0743457978 9780743457972 201 14 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173881493m/339233.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/339233.Havana 3 0 false Sat May 31 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Feb 02 10:51:43 -0800 2008 Mon Jun 02 07:14:52 -0700 2008 339233 0743457978 9780743457972 201 14 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173881493m/339233.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/339233.Havana 4 0 false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Jan 19 08:42:44 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 19 08:46:22 -0800 2008 339233 0743457978 9780743457972 201 14 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173881493m/339233.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/339233.Havana 5 0 false Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Jun 05 14:01:20 -0700 2007 Tue Jun 05 14:02:31 -0700 2007 339233 0743457978 9780743457972 201 14 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173881493m/339233.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/339233.Havana 3 0 false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Feb 17 08:28:07 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 18 01:52:55 -0800 2008 785400 0743238087 9780743238083 6 4 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178328830m/785400.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/785400.Havana 2 0 false Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002 Sat Oct 20 10:24:41 -0700 2007 Sat Oct 20 10:24:41 -0700 2007 785400 0743238087 9780743238083 6 4 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178328830m/785400.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/785400.Havana 1 0 false Tue May 22 05:31:05 -0700 2007 Thu Jul 05 11:40:58 -0700 2007 339233 0743457978 9780743457972 201 14 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173881493m/339233.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/339233.Havana 2 0 false Mon Dec 14 14:08:21 -0800 2009 Mon Dec 14 14:08:21 -0800 2009 1328135 0099471442 9780099471448 0 0 3.51 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182783395m/1328135.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1328135.Havana 0 0 false Fri Dec 11 18:11:11 -0800 2009 Fri Dec 11 18:11:11 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=339233