Twenty years after fleeing Cuba in 1994, Juan Chiong returns to his homeland for the first time. He wants to see his abuela, who has dementia; to make amends with college friend Victor Perez Diaz; and to catch up with girlfriends Elsa, the love of his youth, and Rosita, who had pursued him. But his quest is complicated when Victor, who had cared for Juan's late father before transitioning to Victoria Sunrise, is found dead on the day of a planned lunch at which Juan and Elsa could meet. Juan also learns that he left both Elsa, now a rich businesswoman, and Rosita, a mortician, impregnated when he made his traumatic escape from Cuba on a raft. Investigating Victoria's death which turns out to be the first of several are Havana Police Lieutenant Marlene Martinez and retired detective turned Santeria priest, Padrino, introduced in Dovalpage's first mystery, Death Comes in through the Kitchen (2018). As in that book, 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.--Michele Leber Copyright 2019 Booklist

Cuba's distinctive culture and cuisine again serve as the backdrop for Dovalpage's enticing second Havana mystery (after 2018's Death Comes in Through the Kitchen). Twenty years after Cuban Juan Chiong barely survived a raft trip to Miami, Fla., his life has certainly improved: he has a stable, well-paying job as a contractor in New Mexico and is married to wealthy real estate agent Sharon. Juan now plans to return to Havana, though Sharon senses he'd rather do so alone. Concerned about Cuba's political instability and her husband's vague plans, Sharon accompanies him to the island nation. Juan, who's determined to find his lost love, Elsa, is oblivious to the danger of delving into the past that still haunts him. Even after a childhood friend's murder, he continues to dig, putting everyone around him at risk. Dovalpage skillfully evokes the lights and shadows of life in Cuba as the forlorn, reckless Juan contends with the women who try to control him. Vibrant supporting characters such as Padrino, a Santería priest, and Lt. Marlene Martínez, a police detective, lend color. This moving tale of love, loss, greed, and betrayal will also appeal to non-mystery readers. (Nov.)

Award-winning author Dovalpage brings back Padrino, a Cuban police detective-turned-Santería priest, from her triumphant crime-fiction debut, Death Comes In Through the Kitchen. Here, he returns to investigative mode when goddaughter Rosita, who works at the cemetery, shivers in recognition at a corpse on her embalming table. Meanwhile, Rosita's old boyfriend returns with his American wife after 20 years, setting the scene for a Cuba-then, Cuba-now narrative split.