Queen of Bones: A Havana Mystery #2 - Tapa dura

Praise for Queen of Bones

"Dovalpage wields her considerable authorial skill in this intricately plotted tale of jealousy, revenge, and the dark side of love."
--Isabella Maldonado, award-winning author of the Veranda Cruz mysteries

"Queen of Bones is a fast-paced, richly layered tour de force. The twists, turns, and santería rituals that abound in this complex noir will please crime readers and armchair travelers alike. Bravo, Teresa Dovalpage! Encore!"
--Lucha Corpi, author of the Gloria Damasco mysteries

"Cuban-born New Mexico resident Dovalpage adeptly draws on her heritage, intertwining her native country's tumultuous history with the contemporary experiences of the Cuban diaspora. While the collision of past and present produces fatal results, the ensuing labyrinthine journey provides readers with plenty of compelling diversions along the way."
--Shelf Awareness

"A story that blends intricate legwork in the name of investigating with a meditation on the meaning of family, nation, and home."
--Crime Reads

"Cuba shines here, as Havana native Dovalpage contrasts its politics and society over a generation, making this a good bet for armchair travelers as well as mystery buffs."
--Booklist

"Deftly unfolding details within the action, she reveals Cuba and its people as rich with fascination and depth . . . Dovalpage's writing hints at the possibility that she will be to Cuba what Donna Leon has become for Venice."
--New York Journal of Books

Praise for Teresa Dovalpage

"Amusing, observant . . . [A] devastating depiction of prejudice in 1980s Cuba."
--The Miami Herald

"Dovalpage's first crime novel is a well-cooked stew of culture and cuisine . . . [A] stunningly unexpected conclusion."
--The Taos News

"A rich and perceptive portrayal of daily life in Cuba."
--Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

"[A] dazzling culinary mystery . . . Those expecting a traditional food cozy will be happily surprised."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Set between Cubas twenty years apart, Havana native Teresa Dovalpage&;s new murder mystery explores lingering grudges between old friends and lovers separated by Castro's final sanctioned raft exodus.
 
Juan, a Cuban construction worker who has settled in Albuquerque, returns to Havana for the first time since fleeing Cuba by raft twenty years ago. He is traveling with his American wife, Sharon, and hopes to reconnect with Victor, his best friend from college&;and, unbeknownst to Sharon, he also hopes to discover what has become of two ex-girlfriends, Elsa and Rosita.
 
Juan is surprised to learn that Victor has become Victoria and runs a popular drag show at the local hot spot Café Arabia. Elsa has married a wealthy foreigner, and Rosita, still single, works at the Havana cemetery. When one of these women turns up dead, it will cost Padrino, a Santería priest and former detective on the Havana police force, more than he expects to untangle the group&;s lies and hunt down the killer.