From the author of Afterburn, a major new thriller about a down-and-out lawyer who takes on a case that proves deadly. The Havana Room is the tale of a man who falls from the heights of power and wealth in New York, and finds himself in a dangerous and potentially lethal state of affairs. Bill Wyeth is a successful real estate attorney in his late thirties with a wife and son, who, by the merest chance, loses everything: family, job, status. Unmoored and alone, Wyeth drifts toward the city's darker corners. Restoration seems unlikely, redemption impossible. Wyeth finds himself in an old-time Manhattan steakhouse and is intrigued by the manager, Allison Sparks—sexy, complicated, and independent in all ways. She also controls access to a private bar. This is the Havana Room, and what goes on in there, he's told, is secret. Wyeth agrees to help Alison's friend, Jay Rainey, in concluding a last-minute midnight real estate transaction. As soon as he sees the players and the paperwork, he knows something is wrong. Within hours, Wyeth finds himself tangled in Rainey's peculiar obsessions, which involve a Chilean businessman who feels he's been swindled, an old farmer frozen dead to a bulldozer, an outrageous black owner of a downtown hiphop club, and a fourteen-year-old English girl. Only Rainey knows the connections among these people, which are revealed when Wyeth is finally admitted to the Havana Room—where the survival of its inhabitants is most uncertain.
Download and start listening now!
"I really started to get into this book as the first third of the book captures the reader's attention a bit in the style of some of Tom Wolfe's books. A Man in Full comes to mind. The pace slows down, however, so I agree with those who found this as its weakness. Slips into some incredulous scenes in the last third of the book. Since there are no 3 1/2 stars, I gave it a 4, but it was a real tossup."
— Ed (4 out of 5 stars)
“A gripping thriller by a master storyteller, tautly written, and ingeniously plotted. The Havana Room has the raw, scathing commentary of The Bonfire of the Vanities and the pacing of The Firm all rolled into one terrific read. This is Colin Harrison's best book yet.
— Vince Flynn, author of Executive PowerThe Havana Room demonstrates that Colin Harrison is a wonderful storyteller.
— Audio FileHenry Leyva captures Wyeth's emotions beautifully, particularly the despair he feels when, at one point, he finds himself virtually homeless. Leyva is especially effective with the various ethnic voices that populate the book.
— Audio File" I had a really hard time getting into this book. It also took me much longer to read than most books. By the end of the book I felt that this was just an "okay" read. "
— Laurie, 1/5/2014" interesting story, lots of unknown facts "
— Lori, 11/24/2013" Horrible, boring, not worth the time. "
— Marianne, 10/31/2013" Much better on second read! "
— Tulsi, 9/1/2013" The author only loses points for the portrayal of African Americans in his book--I found them racist and stereotypical. It actually bothered me quite a lot. "
— snb, 8/30/2013" Interesting. Have not read a book with such a different premise and plot. You may imagine more, but the facts are not there. "
— Kay, 7/3/2013" This was a very strange book, but I got into it almost immediately and couldn't stop reading it. Kip liked it too. "
— Betsy, 8/23/2012" Harrison writes page-turners that are well written "
— Rod, 3/6/2012" Would have been better if the author hadn't chosen to add unnecessary explicit sexual descriptions. "
— Scott, 1/14/2012" Too literary but well done. "
— Tim, 9/16/2011" A regular guy suffers a horrendous loss accidentally, but is redeemed by his good deed. Not exactly kharma, but he is basically good guy. Pretty good mystery. . "
— Gary, 4/19/2011" ...not set in havana...but fun none the less... "
— Tim, 3/3/2011" Smart writing. Enjoyed learning more about Manhattan and New York real estate--but the plot asks too much of me in terms of credulity. I did not suspend disbelief. "
— Sharon, 1/7/2011" Horrible, boring, not worth the time. "
— Marianne, 9/24/2010" The first chapter is one of the most gripping and startling pieces of writing I’ve ever read. I'd rate the first chapter a 5+. <br/> <br/>There are places where this book bogs down and gets tedious, but overall it's worth the time. "
— Dianne, 9/24/2009" Harrison writes page-turners that are well written "
— Rod, 9/9/2009" A regular guy suffers a horrendous loss accidentally, but is redeemed by his good deed. Not exactly kharma, but he is basically good guy. Pretty good mystery. . "
— Gary, 8/12/2008" Interesting. Have not read a book with such a different premise and plot. You may imagine more, but the facts are not there. "
— Kay, 6/20/2008Colin Harrison is the author of several novels, including Manhattan Nocturne and Break and Enter. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, writer Kathryn Harrison, and their three children.
Henry Leyva, an Earphones Award-winning narrator, is a classically trained actor with extensive work in theater, television, film, and radio. He has appeared off Broadway and in regional theaters across the country in many plays, including Romeo and Juliet, Taming of the Shrew, and Street Car Named Desire. He has also performed in audio dramas for the Syfy Channel and National Public Radio