The story of Berlin in the 20th century
Grab a Snake by the Tail
Location(s): Havana
Genre(s): Fiction
Era(s): 1980s
Inspector Mario Conde investigates a murder in the Barrio Chino, the rundown Chinatown of Havana. Not his usual beat, but when he’s asked to take the case by the beautiful Police Lieutenant Patricia Chion, he cant resist.
Pedro Cuang is found hanging naked from a beam in the ceiling of his dingy room. One of his fingers has been cut off, and the outline of two arrows was carved on his chest. Was this a ritual Santeria killing or a just a sordid settling of accounts among drug traffickers beginning to infiltrate Cuba in the 1980s? The Barrio Chino was once one of the largest Chinatowns in the West. Now it feels like a ghetto of uprooted families, with its derelict cemetery and boarded-up shops.
The story is soaked in atmosphere: African spells cast by babalao sorcerers, deliciously smoke-filled bars, deep friendships, and beautiful women – Lieutenant Chion among them.
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