Novel Detective: A Detective Novel
Novel Detective: A Detective Novel
Novel Detective: A Detective Novel
Description
Description
A twisty, genre-bending metafictional mystery set in Cuba past and present about a writer returning to her long-lost hometown to seek the buried truth about two suspicious deaths at her Havana high school, perfect for fans of Chanel Cleeton and Jean Hanff Korelitz 2020: Teresa, a Cuban-born mystery writer now living in America, gets an unexpected call from her childhood best friend, Estrella, inviting her to Havana. Estrella is determined to get answers about a case that has haunted them both for decades: the purported dual suicides of a teacher and student at their high school. Though Teresa doesn't quite understand why Estrella is taking the story so personally, she's along for the ride--as she always wanted to write a novel about this case. 1980: Fourteen-year-old Teresita, bespectacled, awkward and mystery novel-obsessed, is "nosy, but not a tattletale." She knows who's been skimming off the top of the amphetamine stash in her mother's pharmacy, which teacher keeps cyanide in his cabinet at school and that their classmate Yoyi is sleeping with their English teacher. Over the course of one fateful day, Teresita gets closer than ever to learning the "Truth of Life"--her catchall term for the intricacies of adult existence--even if it means coming face to face with death. Drawing upon the tradition of Latin American magical realism and directly inspired by the author's own childhood in Cuba and adult life in the United States, this resonant tale is at once personal and universal, full of nostalgia, candor and danger.
About the Author
About the Author
Writer, translator and college professor Teresa Dovalpage is a Cuban transplant firmly rooted in New Mexico. She is the author of three short story collections, four plays and fourteen novels--including the Havana Mystery series. She lives with her husband, one dog and too many barn cats.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
Praise for The Novel Detective A Junior Library Guild Selection "With lovable characters, a gripping core mystery, and a vividly rendered setting, this bolsters Dovalpage's reputation as a reliable purveyor of quality crime fiction. Readers will be entertained."
--Publishers Weekly "A fascinating look at life in Cuba cleverly intertwined with a series of puzzles."
--Kirkus Reviews "Blending past and present, fact and fiction, The Novel Detective is a clever, twisty metafictional mystery where the author becomes her own detective, the characters refuse to stay on the page, and the truth is buried as deep as the secrets of a changing Cuba. Smart, stylish, and delightfully original, The Novel Detective surprises as much as it entertains."
--Gustavo Pérez Firmat, Columbia University "This slow-burn literary mystery is more Elena Ferrante than Anthony Horowitz . . . The amusing odd-couple amateur detective antics of Teresa and Estrella and Havana-born Dovalpage's depiction of the city's evolving personality make it stand apart."
--Library Journal Praise for Teresa Dovalpage "Sharply plotted, highly readable, evocative, and timely . . . An author at the top of her game, and a must-read for mystery fans who love great locations paired with even better characters. I couldn't put this book down."
--Alex Segura, acclaimed author of the Pete Fernandez Miami Mystery series "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 "[A] refreshing and elusive Cuban crime novel."
--Toronto Star "A highly entertaining mystery set in Havana, there's an ominous tone, a hint of something repressed beneath the main character's narration."
--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "A lesser-known Cuba, with the kind of details that make it a home rather than a holiday."
--Chicago Review of Books
"Amusing, observant . . . [A] devastating depiction of prejudice in 1980s Cuba."
--Miami Herald
--Publishers Weekly "A fascinating look at life in Cuba cleverly intertwined with a series of puzzles."
--Kirkus Reviews "Blending past and present, fact and fiction, The Novel Detective is a clever, twisty metafictional mystery where the author becomes her own detective, the characters refuse to stay on the page, and the truth is buried as deep as the secrets of a changing Cuba. Smart, stylish, and delightfully original, The Novel Detective surprises as much as it entertains."
--Gustavo Pérez Firmat, Columbia University "This slow-burn literary mystery is more Elena Ferrante than Anthony Horowitz . . . The amusing odd-couple amateur detective antics of Teresa and Estrella and Havana-born Dovalpage's depiction of the city's evolving personality make it stand apart."
--Library Journal Praise for Teresa Dovalpage "Sharply plotted, highly readable, evocative, and timely . . . An author at the top of her game, and a must-read for mystery fans who love great locations paired with even better characters. I couldn't put this book down."
--Alex Segura, acclaimed author of the Pete Fernandez Miami Mystery series "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 "[A] refreshing and elusive Cuban crime novel."
--Toronto Star "A highly entertaining mystery set in Havana, there's an ominous tone, a hint of something repressed beneath the main character's narration."
--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "A lesser-known Cuba, with the kind of details that make it a home rather than a holiday."
--Chicago Review of Books
"Amusing, observant . . . [A] devastating depiction of prejudice in 1980s Cuba."
--Miami Herald
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Soho Crime
Pub date:
2026-07-14
Length:
304 pages
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