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bookslucyking's review against another edition
5.0
Hříchy Havany jsou opravdu povedená detektivka odehrávající se, jak už prozrazuje název, na Kubě. Moc jsem si ji užila. Více v recenzi.
MOJE RECENZE NA BLOGU: http://lucysfinearts.blogspot.cz/2014/11/hrichy-havany-peggy-blair-rc-recenze.html
MOJE RECENZE NA BLOGU: http://lucysfinearts.blogspot.cz/2014/11/hrichy-havany-peggy-blair-rc-recenze.html
myrdyr's review against another edition
4.0
3.75/5 stars. While I enjoyed reading this book, I found the characterization of the country and its people reminded me more of my experience of Mexico than of my trips to Cuba, but I admit I have never been to Havana.
writer_matt's review against another edition
2.0
I was hesitant to even give this book 2 stars, but the propulsive story behind the mystery deserved it. However, the mystery was jus about the only thing I did enjoy about this book. Beyond that, I found it to be a book that was confused as to exactly what it wanted to be: a murder mystery, a love letter to Cuba, a book about the political (and sexual) culture of Cuba, an examination of individual sexuality, or a ghost story.
The dialogue often felt forced and unrealistic - I had a hard time really believing these characters or they way they talked. It was just poorly done. Also, why did Blair write herself into the story as a female mystery writer traveling to Cuba to write mysteries about Cuba...this is a weak and dull trope that authors take up to make their stories more exciting...all it did for me was elicit a moan.
Finally - spoilers ahead - the mystery about Mike Ellis and his incident back home. The science and investigation was so ill conceived and unrealistic that I nearly gave up on the book with less than 10 pages to go...it was just bad story telling...even worse, it was just bad mystery writing. And the final shock that Ellis might be gay - ok, so what? What larger purpose does that have for the story. All I felt at that moment was the characters talking about Ellis were passing judgement on him.
I've heard so many positive things about this book, but in the end it was just a major let down.
The dialogue often felt forced and unrealistic - I had a hard time really believing these characters or they way they talked. It was just poorly done. Also, why did Blair write herself into the story as a female mystery writer traveling to Cuba to write mysteries about Cuba...this is a weak and dull trope that authors take up to make their stories more exciting...all it did for me was elicit a moan.
Finally - spoilers ahead - the mystery about Mike Ellis and his incident back home. The science and investigation was so ill conceived and unrealistic that I nearly gave up on the book with less than 10 pages to go...it was just bad story telling...even worse, it was just bad mystery writing. And the final shock that Ellis might be gay - ok, so what? What larger purpose does that have for the story. All I felt at that moment was the characters talking about Ellis were passing judgement on him.
I've heard so many positive things about this book, but in the end it was just a major let down.
nonna7's review against another edition
4.0
This is a terrific new series with an unlikely setting and protagonist. The setting is modern Cuba. Fidel retired, but nothing has really changed. There are so many highly educated people that they are tripping over one another. Corruption runs rampant. (Did you really expect "socialism" to be any different?) In this debut novel, we meet Inspector Ramirez. Although not that old, he is suffering from hand tremors and delusions. He has been told his grandmother died from a rare form of dementia although she lived well into her 90's. She was able to "see" the dead, but was that part of her illness or did she have that ability? He is now also seeing the dead. He loves his wife and two young children and is terrified of losing them. So he keeps his problems to himself. In the meantime, there are crimes to be solved.
A Canadian couple comes to Havana for the Christmas holidays. Mike and Hilary are having marital problems. Mike is a Canadian police office who is getting over the trauma of his partner and best friend being killed during one of their cases. He is horribly scarred as a result. Hilary recently had a miscarriage. She isn't enjoying the trip, complaining about the constant begging of children and adults. People are in need of everything. There are constant shortages. The American embargo continues to hurt the island. They are tired of the embargo, but have a love/hate relationship with Castro. They appreciate that he got rid of Batista. Now if he would just die......
Then the body of a little boy is found near the water's edge. He has been raped and murdered. Someone reports that a man with a terrible scar was seen talking to the boy.
This book is terrific. It's atmospheric and tense. The writer doesn't whitewash or romanticize Castro's Cuba although she does show the good and bad of the regime. The second one has been published. I'm already looking forward to getting my hands on that one.
A Canadian couple comes to Havana for the Christmas holidays. Mike and Hilary are having marital problems. Mike is a Canadian police office who is getting over the trauma of his partner and best friend being killed during one of their cases. He is horribly scarred as a result. Hilary recently had a miscarriage. She isn't enjoying the trip, complaining about the constant begging of children and adults. People are in need of everything. There are constant shortages. The American embargo continues to hurt the island. They are tired of the embargo, but have a love/hate relationship with Castro. They appreciate that he got rid of Batista. Now if he would just die......
Then the body of a little boy is found near the water's edge. He has been raped and murdered. Someone reports that a man with a terrible scar was seen talking to the boy.
This book is terrific. It's atmospheric and tense. The writer doesn't whitewash or romanticize Castro's Cuba although she does show the good and bad of the regime. The second one has been published. I'm already looking forward to getting my hands on that one.
cordillia's review against another edition
4.0
ספר מתח טוב, לא תמיד סגור על עצמו, אבל מאד מעניין, בעיקר בשל התרחשותו בקובה, שם מערכת המשפט והחוק מושחתת, והעולם הנחשף בפנינו מרתק ממש. גם עלילת המתח מעניינת וכתובה בכישרון. מומלץ.
plantybooklover's review against another edition
3.0
While I only gave the book 3 stars, I probably should admit firstly that I read the entire book in one night, which is pretty rare for me.
What I loved about this book was the complexity of the plot. There was the main story line, but underlying that were the stories of the other characters which were as compelling, as the main story. When the main part of the story concludes, I was sort of puzzled to see a good 100 pages left, which proved to be more interesting than some of the first.
There was perhaps too much crammed into the book which seems to address Cuba, transgendered persons, gay persons, sex trafficking, dementia, santeria, slavery etc... all in about 300 pages. Despite this, it was handled well enough that it held my interest.
The one thing that made the book less "good" was that the author used some terms that made it feel like it was set more in North America. Her descriptions of the effect of the embargo were flat and stereotypical. Her description of the ghost of a child walking carefully to avoid stepping on sidewalk cracks failed to make the child seem more like a child, instead it let me wondering if Cubans follow the same English rhyme (Step on a crack, break your Mother's back).
SO, I think if you want a mystery about Cuba, you might do better with Leonardo Padura's "Havana Fever" or The Mist of Yesterday put out by Bitter Lemon. Even after being translated into English it was quite a bit better. That said, i DID read this entire book in one evening, so I can't fault it too much. I enjoyed it and recommend it, though I did note a few issues with it.
What I loved about this book was the complexity of the plot. There was the main story line, but underlying that were the stories of the other characters which were as compelling, as the main story. When the main part of the story concludes, I was sort of puzzled to see a good 100 pages left, which proved to be more interesting than some of the first.
There was perhaps too much crammed into the book which seems to address Cuba, transgendered persons, gay persons, sex trafficking, dementia, santeria, slavery etc... all in about 300 pages. Despite this, it was handled well enough that it held my interest.
The one thing that made the book less "good" was that the author used some terms that made it feel like it was set more in North America. Her descriptions of the effect of the embargo were flat and stereotypical. Her description of the ghost of a child walking carefully to avoid stepping on sidewalk cracks failed to make the child seem more like a child, instead it let me wondering if Cubans follow the same English rhyme (Step on a crack, break your Mother's back).
SO, I think if you want a mystery about Cuba, you might do better with Leonardo Padura's "Havana Fever" or The Mist of Yesterday put out by Bitter Lemon. Even after being translated into English it was quite a bit better. That said, i DID read this entire book in one evening, so I can't fault it too much. I enjoyed it and recommend it, though I did note a few issues with it.
eviebookish's review against another edition
5.0
*** Originally posted to: Bookish Book Blog
Real, captivating and ultimately moving, The Beggar's Opera by Peggy Blair is a significant addition to the murder mystery genre. It's a poignant and brutally honest story that paints a truly harrowing picture of poverty, abuse, corruption and abominable living conditions in Hemingway's Havana. It's dark, disturbing, thought-provoking, and heart-poundingly thrilling. Not by any means an easy-to-digest book, but one absolutely worth reading nevertheless.
Inspector Ricardo Ramirez is called in to investigate when the body of a little Cuban boy is discovered floating in the ocean in the Caleta de San Lazaro. Drugged, brutally raped and killed with a blow to the head, the boy had last been seen accepting money from a Canadian tourist, Mike Ellis. Witnesses saw Ellis giving the child money, and later on someone made an anonymous phone call to the police station stating that they witnessed a man with his description approaching young boys for sex in Parque Ciudad. A pair of men's briefs had been found in his room - the underwear had the boy's blood on it. Not to mention the polaroid photographs recovered from under the mattress in his hotel room - they were pictures documenting every step of the brutal rape. Mike Ellis has no memory of the previous evening - after the fight with his wife, he spent the night getting drunk at a local bar. It seems Inspector Ramirez has all the evidence he needs to convict the murderer and close the case, but is the case really as obvious as it appears? Or is there more to the story? Is Mike Ellis a cold blooded, vicious murderer, or is someone trying to frame him? With only seventy-two hours to solve the murder case, the race against time begins. Will justice be served?
The first book in the Inspector Ramirez Series is a taut and atmospheric thrill ride that keeps you guessing until the very last page. It's an exceptionally well-written murder mystery, set against a vividly depicted political and cultural background of Cuba. Blair writes with real understanding of Cuban harsh reality, compelling the reader with insights into the troubled society. Her knowledge about forensics, police procedures and related protocols is apparent on every page. The amount of detail is simply mind blowing. Disturbing at times, but mostly very impressive and fascinating. It's a gorgeously suspenseful mindbender, a great example of how the right approach to storytelling - scattering pieces of information throughout the novel, beautifully braiding together the convoluted threads, and diabolically building the tension and mystery - can elevate the book and turn it into a heart-stopping literary puzzle.
Blair did a remarkable job fleshing out the main character, Inspector Ramirez, making him one of the most unique and unforgettable narrative voices in recent fiction. I found him different from all the other detectives/inspectors in popular murder mysteries. Haunted by the ghosts of victims of his unsolved murder cases, dying of a rare (and incurable) type of dementia, struggling to keep his life from falling apart, he was a very convincing and easy-to-connect-with character. And as much as I loved the intelligent and provocative plot line, I think the whole thing wouldn't turn out nearly as good without the well-drawn, complex MC. His presence in the book added a lot of character and flavor, creating a memorable, eerie atmosphere, and turning a solid whodunit story into an absolute masterpiece.
The Beggar's Opera by Peggy Blair is a stunning debut novel and a very promising beginning to a great new mystery series. I'm looking forward to seeing what the author has in store for Inspector Ramirez in the next book.
Real, captivating and ultimately moving, The Beggar's Opera by Peggy Blair is a significant addition to the murder mystery genre. It's a poignant and brutally honest story that paints a truly harrowing picture of poverty, abuse, corruption and abominable living conditions in Hemingway's Havana. It's dark, disturbing, thought-provoking, and heart-poundingly thrilling. Not by any means an easy-to-digest book, but one absolutely worth reading nevertheless.
Inspector Ricardo Ramirez is called in to investigate when the body of a little Cuban boy is discovered floating in the ocean in the Caleta de San Lazaro. Drugged, brutally raped and killed with a blow to the head, the boy had last been seen accepting money from a Canadian tourist, Mike Ellis. Witnesses saw Ellis giving the child money, and later on someone made an anonymous phone call to the police station stating that they witnessed a man with his description approaching young boys for sex in Parque Ciudad. A pair of men's briefs had been found in his room - the underwear had the boy's blood on it. Not to mention the polaroid photographs recovered from under the mattress in his hotel room - they were pictures documenting every step of the brutal rape. Mike Ellis has no memory of the previous evening - after the fight with his wife, he spent the night getting drunk at a local bar. It seems Inspector Ramirez has all the evidence he needs to convict the murderer and close the case, but is the case really as obvious as it appears? Or is there more to the story? Is Mike Ellis a cold blooded, vicious murderer, or is someone trying to frame him? With only seventy-two hours to solve the murder case, the race against time begins. Will justice be served?
The first book in the Inspector Ramirez Series is a taut and atmospheric thrill ride that keeps you guessing until the very last page. It's an exceptionally well-written murder mystery, set against a vividly depicted political and cultural background of Cuba. Blair writes with real understanding of Cuban harsh reality, compelling the reader with insights into the troubled society. Her knowledge about forensics, police procedures and related protocols is apparent on every page. The amount of detail is simply mind blowing. Disturbing at times, but mostly very impressive and fascinating. It's a gorgeously suspenseful mindbender, a great example of how the right approach to storytelling - scattering pieces of information throughout the novel, beautifully braiding together the convoluted threads, and diabolically building the tension and mystery - can elevate the book and turn it into a heart-stopping literary puzzle.
Blair did a remarkable job fleshing out the main character, Inspector Ramirez, making him one of the most unique and unforgettable narrative voices in recent fiction. I found him different from all the other detectives/inspectors in popular murder mysteries. Haunted by the ghosts of victims of his unsolved murder cases, dying of a rare (and incurable) type of dementia, struggling to keep his life from falling apart, he was a very convincing and easy-to-connect-with character. And as much as I loved the intelligent and provocative plot line, I think the whole thing wouldn't turn out nearly as good without the well-drawn, complex MC. His presence in the book added a lot of character and flavor, creating a memorable, eerie atmosphere, and turning a solid whodunit story into an absolute masterpiece.
The Beggar's Opera by Peggy Blair is a stunning debut novel and a very promising beginning to a great new mystery series. I'm looking forward to seeing what the author has in store for Inspector Ramirez in the next book.
linneak's review against another edition
3.0
Considering that I chose to read this book based on the kind recommendation of an ad on the subway, I'm pleasantly surprised. Crime fiction can sometimes be a little cheesy and cliché for me, but Blair has written a really interesting story that has the reader playing a sort of "connect the dots" to solve the crime and to navigate the twists and turns. Towards the end the pace was quite fast, and it seemed as if she tied up all the loose ends that she needed to for closure's sake. I can't complain too much about this fact seeing as it was good and interesting closure, but I also can't help feeling that it was a little contrived. I also really enjoyed Blair's writing style- usually I'm more the whimsical and romantic imagery type, but I thought her legally sound and well-researched voice was an excellent tool for reeling in the reader. She developed some great characters as well, and being as it is that 'The Beggar's Opera' is the first volume of a series, I'm looking forward to following these characters and hopefully some just as interesting new ones in the novels to follow.
skonyo's review against another edition
4.0
3.9 3/4 great book - but when the first twist hits at the last quarter it goes downhill with cheap psychology and over tying the knots. too clean and too easy and it's a shame cause it had a nice rhythm until then and the writer could avoid the cheap thrills and the Coben like twist this could be a 5 star book.
It was nice to see the writer character in chapter 46 ( i think ) - it was as if walk accidently into her den.
With all that still a good suspense read with exotic twist.
It was nice to see the writer character in chapter 46 ( i think ) - it was as if walk accidently into her den.
With all that still a good suspense read with exotic twist.