At the end of WWI, Europe’s prosperous sugar industry lies in ruins, sparking an international sugar shortage and skyrocketing prices. By 1920, sleepy Cuba has become the world’s leading sugar producer. Suddenly, Havana boasts more millionaires than any other city on earth. Speculators flock to Cuba, along with thousands of Americans escaping the enforced sobriety of Prohibition. Every night, the rich gather in Havana’s nightclubs, ballrooms, and glittering new casino, swaying to the island’s infectious music and swilling its famous rum. As the price of sugar peaks and begins its inevitable decline, political and labor unrest shake the island. Equally unsettling are the ritual murders of several beautiful young entertainers. No one seems eager to solve the crimes until law student Eduardo Betancourt and journalist Tomás Fuentes team up to track down the killer—a man with voodoo-haunted dreams. (Level Best Books, 2021)

“Gripping from the start…. The human drama taking place…proves heartrending and thought-provoking. A fantastic read all around.” (5 Stars) —San Francisco Book Review

“Martin navigates thought-provoking themes of racism, political corruption, wealth inequality, and more…. His clear passion for the era and its music pulses through the book…. A striking work of historical fiction and political drama with a murder mystery tying it together.” —Publishers Weekly

“The Cuba of legend before Castro re-emerges in all its glamour, seediness and danger. A classic recreation.” —James Conaway, author of the NYT Best Seller Napa: The Story of an American Eden

“An astonishing read reminiscent of Erik Larson’s work. This sweeping story invites us to experience Cuba in all its lush splendor and corruption during the sugar boom of 1920. A thoughtful and timely novel full of period-perfect details.” —Tina deBellegarde, Agatha-nominated author of Winter Witness, a Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery

“A spellbinding tale of greed, murder, love and loyalty…. It brings Cuba…to life through the fate and shifting fortunes of three friends…. A meticulously researched, engrossing read.” —Mally Becker, author of The Turncoat’s Widow: A Revolutionary War Mystery