The Havana Game

Starred review from February 15, 2019
Thomas Laker works for the covert Gray Outfit. When a terrorist bombing in Estonia is linked to America, Laker draws the assignment to sort it out. The danger for agents working for the Gray Outfit is that they are essentially on their own. If trouble erupts, the Outfit won't help, and trouble erupts with a second terrorist attack linked to explosives stolen by an American from a NATO military base. As Laker begins the arduous journey home across Russia, he learns of a freighter with dangerous cargo apparently heading toward the Americas. Meanwhile, Laker's lover, Ava, an NSA operative, investigates a resort project near Havana, whose dredging of a nearby bay, ostensibly to accommodate large cruise ships, has had disastrous environmental consequences. Ava learns the venue is a scam, so why expand the depth of the bay? Lutz has collected virtually every award in the mystery field, and deservedly so. Here, the parallel plots fuse in an unexpected, pulse-pounding conclusion; the dialogue sizzles; and the secondary characters are richly and carefully drawn. The primary villain is a Florida dealmaker who specializes in resorts; he's lent his name to the Havana project because he has more than greed on his mind. This is a top-notch thriller from a genre master.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)