Spy's Fate - Paperback

by Arnaldo Correa (Author)

"A captivating thriller based on the murky US-Cuban spy wars. Correa deftly paints the history of Castro's Cuban intelligence service and the changing face of the Miami exile community . . . A fascinating read." --Publishers Weekly

"From Cuba with panache, written with flair, authority, and admirable detachment . . ." --Kirkus, Starred Review

Spy's Fate is a smart, scandalous portrayal of the inept misadventures of post-Cold War US and Cuban intelligence operations. At the center of the novel is Carlos Manuel (alias Roberto), who for two decades has built his reputation--and guarded his anonymity--as a Cuban special services agent in Africa and Latin America. When his wife dies, he returns to Havana to discover his country's economy in disarray, along with its intelligence infrastructure. Widowed and jobless, he finds himself completely alienated from his children and from the country he has served.

After his kids embark on a disastrous raft ride to the US, Carlos Manuel steals a yacht and sails after them into the stormy Atlantic. A last-minute decision saves his children, but leaves him stranded in Miami--just one step ahead of the CIA, for whom he is a murder suspect, and Cuban Intelligence, who mistakenly believe he has defected. Complicating matters is Sidney King, a maniacally vindictive CIA bureaucrat. The hunter becomes the hunted as Carlos finally encounters his old nemesis--and the ravaging violence of his former life.

Author Biography

Arnaldo Correa was born in the Escambray Mountains, Cuba, in 1935. Correa is considered one of three founders of the Cuban crime-fiction genre. He has worked on development projects in Cuba, Vietnam, Angola, and Mozambique. Cold Havana Ground (Akashic 2003) was his second novel in English translation, after the original hardcover edition of Spy's Fate. He currently lives in Havana.