Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Lately some of my favorite authors have been changing direction in their writing. They have all perfected a particular formula that works for them and is demanded by their readers. Unfortunately -- or fortunately -- either the authors have gotten tired of writing the "same old, same old", have run out of story lines, or perhaps are motivated by declining book sales. In any event, Mr. DeMille has introduced us to two new main characters. Front and center is Mac MacCormick, a former infantry officer who survived five years of being shot at in Afghanistan. Mac has sought out a more peaceful lifestyle in Key West, Florida, chartering out to fishermen and tourists on various excursions. He is ably assisted by his first mate, Jack Colby, a 70 year old Vietnam Veteran whose main skill seems to be his ability to hold up his end of the numerous verbal insults hailed back and forth between the two men. The second main character we're introduced to is named Cuba. She is a mistress with many suitors, a peacock of many colors, a hard person to get to know, and she doesn't suffer fools. Mr. DeMille visited her during the recent detente involving cultural exchanges and came away with a good understanding of what makes her tick. Of course Mr. DeMille also did his normally exhaustive research so that he could paint a realistic (and accurate) picture of who she is. Remember the pictures of classic (pre-1959) American cars used as taxis? They may appear (good from afar but far from good) to be beautifully restored relics of the past but inside they resemble Cuba herself. Anything and everything of any value is scavenged and used efficiently. That beautiful 1957 Chevy you saw a picture of may be propelled by a marine engine with a Hyundai transmission. It looks good from the outside but inside she isn't anything like what she appears to be. And so goes Cuba. There are genuinely beautiful places to see in Cuba but they are surrounded by rotting old buildings that have suffered from time and disrepair. Take off her makeup and all you see is squalor. I could go on and on about what I learned about Cuba from reading "The Cuban Affair" but I can sum it up by saying that I have no desire to visit. However Mr. DeMille makes good use of her many drawbacks and few attributes to craft an interesting story about Cuban expats engaging Mac and crew (that would be Jack) to return to Cuba under one pretense but to accomplish a far different goal. You know the old saying "all plans are great until the first shot is fired"? When Mac and company meet Cuba it has all the charm of a good first date, but once they got to know each other, the relationship deteriorates rapidly and divorce became the only way out. It was either that or they would end up killing each other. Nelson DeMille writes in his typical engaging style that hardly lets a paragraph go by without injecting some appropriate humor. He is sarcastic, cynical, and yet realistic in dealing with characters who have been christened under fire. The only problem I had was that at the end I felt a bit unfulfilled. But perhaps that was Mr. DeMille's strategy -- this book may be the beginning chapter in a new series. Bring it on!