As Lupe mulls over the wisdom of a clandestine visit to Havana, sleazy art dealer Angel Estrada tries to hire Lupe to also go to Cuba to smuggle out paintings by his sister. Finally, her former lover attorney Tommy McDonald wants Lupe to look into the ownership of an apparently stolen painting. When murder enters the fray, Lupe realizes Havana may be her only chance of not becoming the next victim.

HAVANA HEAT, the fifth Lupe Solano mystery, is an exciting tale that provides focus on the Cuban-American population. The story line includes three cases that keep Lupe hopping non-stop. Lupe retains her freshness and the support cast propels the tale forward, provides humor to the plot and adds insight into the lead character. Carolina Garcia-Aguilera has written another strong ethnic mystery that showcases her ability to provide the audience with an engaging novel.

Harriet Klausner

13 of 17 found the following review helpful:

Enough Already  Oct 20, 2001

I continue to read this series since I live in Miami and love reading novels that take place here. However, each time I read one of this author's Lupe Solano books, I find myself asking why.

OK, we get that Lupe is Cuban. But why does every book have to revolve so totally around this fact? I don't recall any other mystery series where the main character's background or heritage is so prominently featured in every single story. There are plenty of other aspects to Miami which could be incorporated into these books...every breath Lupe draws, every step she takes, every time she goes to the bathroom, does *not* have to revolve around Cuba, or the history of Cuba, or thoughts of Cuba, for the book to be worth reading. Maybe the author should take a few hints from Edna Buchanan or Barbara Parker, who manage to instill a Cuban flavor in their Miami novels while not making you feel you're having it shoved down your throat with every page you turn.

I've been around Cuban "society" for many years, and the author goes overboard with it, making her characters come across as snooty, stuffy and unbearable...and not at all real. The Mercedes, the Hattaras, the Armani suits, the ostentatious house...enough already. Lupe is well-off, we get that. We don't need to be hit over the head with it in every paragraph.

I feel that Ms. Aguilera-Garcia uses these books as a springboard for her own political agendas and personal feelings on Cuba and being Cuban. If that's what she wishes to do, that's fine. But these books should be promoted that way, rather than as mysteries. Because in reality, that's all they really are -- a chance for the author to hop up on her Cuban bandwagon and sing a very repetitious tune.

5 of 6 found the following review helpful:

A detective thriller with Cuban-American spice  Jul 30, 2003
By Michael J. Mazza
"Havana Heat," by Carolina Garcia-Aguilera, is a detective thriller featuring Miami-based private investigator Lupe Solano. She is a Cuban-American woman in her 30s. She's tough, resourceful, daring, and sometimes a little lusty. The author bio inside the back cover notes that Garcia-Aguilera was born in Cuba, and like her heroine worked as a licensed private detective in Miami.

In this story Lupe becomes involved in two cases involving valuable works of art. Along the way she faces personal danger, deceit and murder. This is a fast-moving, colorful, and sometimes funny tale. The international intrigue and adventure often give the book a sort of James Bond feel--in fact, I could imagine agent 007 finding a worthy partner in Lupe if one of his assignments ever brought him to Miami.

The author does a particularly effective job in illuminating the practical, nuts-and-bolts aspects of Lupe's detective technique. The book is not only an exciting detective thriller--it also is very much about Cuban-American history, politics, and identity. As an "ethnic" American detective, Lupe could be seen as sort of a soul sister to Harry Kemelman's Rabbi Small. But whether you look at this book as a straightforward mystery or as part of the tradition of ethnic American literature, I think that "Havana Heat" is a winner.

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:

Sassy Cubana PI Lupe Solano Seeks Stolen Art!  Dec 14, 2003
By Jana L. Perskie "ceruleana"
Sassy, sexy Cubana PI, Lupe Solano, firmly believes she should have been born a man. Lupe says she thinks like a man, acts like one and lives her life like one. She is, however, speaking about sexual politics and roles in the world she knows best - Miami's Little Havana, and her point of view is that of an upper-class Cuban-American woman. Although she may be very different from other women in her community, she is certainly all female - an independent and feisty one. Carolina Garcia-Aguilera brings her protagonist and supporting cast to life with much wit and an insider's cultural and political take on the Miami community. Lupe is one of the most interesting women private investigators around today - earthy but sophisticated, packs a pistol and paints her nails - a gumshoe who wears Manolo Blahnicks.

Lupe and her "latest love interest" attend her niece Marianna's wedding to a very wealthy scion of the old Cuban aristocracy, where she is approached by the groom's Aunt Lucia. A family heirloom, a lost tapestry given to an ancestor by Christopher Columbus in 1502, is hidden in Havana and the family has been unable to retrieve it for 40+ years. Very few people know that the antique masterpiece exists. Lucia wants to hire our gal PI to travel to Cuba and bring it back. Before Lupe can even pack her suitcase, a shady business acquaintance turns up dead - strangled with a pair of pantyhose. Then a second murder occurs and Lupe begins to suspect that the killings and her quest for the priceless tapestry could be connected.

"Havana Heat" is an enthralling mystery filled with international intrigue, suspense, murder, details of the Cuban art world, and an insider's close-up portrait of a little-known community. Ms. Garcia-Aguilera writes from experience as she was born in Cuba, raised in Little Havana and worked as a licensed PI in Miami for over ten years. Her research is impeccable and her humor adds much to the narrative. I thoroughly enjoyed this one!
JANA

3 of 4 found the following review helpful:

Another Blockbuster Book About Miami PI Lupe Solano  Dec 20, 2003
By Imperial Topaz
Wow! Hang on to your seat again in this continuing series of Miami woman private investigator Lupe Solano, as she brings stolen art treasures out of Havana. As usual in all of Garcia-Aguilera's books, be prepared for a surprise twist and BLOCKBUSTER ENDING! I literally could not put this book down as I gripped the arms of my chair reading it. Plenty of good food and drink, men in her life, and all-around excitement. The fact that the author sometimes goes a bit overboard on aristocratic Cuban-American society only makes the books more humorous and interesting. I really enjoy that, and the way she is able to constantly turn a clever phrase. The author knows well what she is talking about, being a Cuban-American herself, and having spend 10 years as a Miami woman PI before becoming an investigator. I really appreciate learning a lot from her books about the Cuban subculture.

If you have the chance to read Bitter Sugar first, the first book in this series, by all means do so. But if you are not able to, this book stands well on its own.

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