Review - Havana Bay by John Patrick

Hank Mannix is helping Hans manage his new guest house in Havana. Along with former FBI agent Tony Cordero, Hank also poses in scantily clad scenes for a “physique” style magazine, the very soft-core gay porn of the day. He doesn’t want to admit it, but with his thirtieth birthday approaching, Hank’s days as a pin-up boy are numbered. Hank is also wondering why he is so attracted to the cute Cuban gardener he’s seen watching him. Ernesto’s parents think working for the Americans will benefit Ernesto as well as their hopes of expanding their small cigar factory through exports to the United States. Of course, nobody anticipated that the young man would realize he was strongly attracted to one of the men he sees posing almost naked by the pool. Hank and Ernesto come from different worlds. Does a relationship between them even stand a chance?

“Havana Bay” takes place a few years after the events of Turtle Bay. Although the focus is on two different characters, one of whom is new in this book, you probably should read the previous book in the series before this one. This story opens on the eve of Batista’s 1952 coup, overthrowing the democratically elected government of Cuba, an act that ultimately led to the revolution spearheaded by Fidel Castro. As with the other books in the series, the politics of the time form a rich background that provides much of the drama to the story line.

Besides Ernesto, the New Yorkers are joined by quite a few other new characters, which is another reason you probably want to read “Turtle Bay” first. While it can be a challenge remembering who’s who among the large cast, they add a lot of color to the story as well as providing a way to talk about the complex politics of the time in a very natural way. The politics and cultural clash between Americans and Cubans is the very heart of the story. The writing definitely draws you into Ernesto’s world, and you can see why he finds Americans so confusing.

Ernesto lives up to his name. He’s a very earnest young man, always thinking things through. As Hank observes, Ernesto has the habit of over-thinking things. While it’s easy to see why Hank, everyone, is attracted to Ernesto, the young man is not without flaws. He is, in short, believably human.

By contrast, Hank has lived a rather frivolous life. He seems to have mostly gotten by on his looks, although it hasn’t always been easy. Hank and Ernesto have more in common than they think, but it’s the wide cultural gap between them that causes much of the drama.

A pivotal secondary character is Matt. Much is made by the other characters about Matt being the “new Hank,” and there’s some truth in that. However, Matt is a very different personality. He is a young, idealistic student who thinks he can change the world. Matt ends up being at the center of many of the plot twists, or at least being the voice that explains things.

“Havana Bay” is available from Smashwords or see BookBub for additional ebook retailers.