Rough Riders

Finished October 27 

Rough Riders: Theodore Roosevelt, His Cowboy Regiment and the Immortal Charge Up San Juan Hill by Mark Lee Gardner

This was a part of history that I didn't know much about before I read this book. The events in this book mostly took place in 1898, but there is also followup on some of the players lives following the events in Cuba. 

Congress authorized the President to recruit a volunteer army to go to Cuba to drive out the Spaniards, and assist the Cuban rebels in their fight for independence. Roosevelt had many contacts, from the president himself to newspapermen to businessmen that helped him get the impetus to put together a mounted regiment. He drew mainly from his colleagues in the West for men, but his regiment also included men of the Ivy leagues and the men's clubs. Many were friends, or friends of friends. 

The attacks on the Spanish in Cuba were very disorganized, with most of the career military lacking good plans and logistics.

There are many instances here of supplies not reaching the men at the front, and of the lack of medical support and good communication lines. This was a war where many of the leaders, such as Roosevelt, were with their men in battle, often very visible to the enemy, and many were killed, similar to what happened in the U.S. Civil War. Roosevelt himself definitely took chances, but his luck held. 

The author here is a respected historian that drew on many first-hand accounts in addition to articles of the time, letters, and diaries. We get a glimpse of many of the individual men and their motivation and character. 

There is also an interesting relationship that the Rough Riders and Roosevelt had with another contingent of men involved in the Cuban battles, the Buffalo Soldiers, and they fought side by side with them more than once. 

I also enjoying learning more history and this book tells of this episode in a very approachable narrative. 

The Poisoned Pawn

Finished April 18
The Poisoned Pawn by Peggy Blair

This mystery novel's plot moves back and forth between Ottawa and Cuba, but the series is around Inspector Ramirez, a Cuban policeman. Definitely page-turning, I read this book in one sitting.
A Canadian woman whose has made a pivotal decision in her life falls fatally ill on the flight returning from her Cuban vacation. Her husband, a Canadian policeman, is held up in Cuba, and doesn't make it home until after her death.
Back in Cuba, a body is found that has Inspector Ramirez curious. Some of the circumstances seem to indicate a tie to Santeria, but it takes some time to identify the victim and lead the team in the right direction. Ramirez has the ability, or the misfortune, to see ghosts. Ever since he began working homicide, the ghosts of his victims follow him, giving clues to their fate until he uncovers the truth. One of his good friends is the plastic surgeon and pathologist Hector Apiro, a dwarf with insight and intellectual abilities that often help point Ramirez in the right direction on a case.
Now, Ramirez is pulled away from this case and given unprecedented permission to travel to Canada to bring back a priest who is suspected of ties to child sexual abuse. After he leaves, leaving the young detective Espinoza in charge of the case and headway is made. But also back in Cuba two more women die in suspicious circumstances and with one of them also being Canadian, the Canadian government is considering a travel advisory. Can Ramirez and his team bring enough information together to prevent this from happening?
There are lots of things going on in this mystery, from the larger issue of Catholic Church involvement in sanctioned pedophelia to domestic strife. We see the realities of life for ordinary Cuban people just trying to live in a simple healthy way, and the temptations of the underground economy and corruption. Ramirez is an interesting man, thoughtful and observant, ethical and yet also pragmatic. A man who cares about his family, his friends, and his country. I look forward to learning more about him.

The Four Corners of the Sky

Finished June 3
The Four Corners of the Sky by Michael Malone

This novel tells the story of Annie Peregrine Goode, a young woman driven to fly. Annie was left at the home of her aunt in North Carolina by her con artists father when she was seven. He promised to come back, but only showed up a couple of times briefly in later years. Annie was raised by her aunt Sam and her housemate and friend Clark Goode, a pediatrician. But her father Jack had always told her she was a flyer, and from her first foray into the sky at the age of nine, she knew it was true. She took flying lessons and was accepted at Annapolis and became a pilot for the navy. This much we learn early in the novel as Annie is returning to the family home for her 26th birthday, trying to make it before a storm hits.
But this birthday has much more in store for her, setting Annie off on the journey of her life, on the trail of her father, and his latest escapade which involves danger, federal agents, a persistent Miami vice cop, and Cuban history. Annie only wants to know one thing, who was her mother, the one piece of information her father has consistently withheld from her. But the truth brings so much more for Annie, and changes the course of her life forever.
A story that will bring tears to your eyes, make you laugh out loud, and heave a sigh as the story closes. A story that has romance, thrill, and mystery. A story to thoroughly enjoy.