The Cuban Affair: A Novel

Nelson DeMille

Sep 2017 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

Nelson DeMille’s #1 New York Times bestseller, “an action-packed, relentlessly paced thriller” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), featuring DeMille’s newest character—U.S. Army combat veteran Daniel “Mac” MacCormick, a charter boat captain setting sail on his most dangerous cruise yet.

Daniel Graham MacCormick—Mac for short—seems to have a pretty good life. At age thirty-five he’s living in Key West, owner of a forty-two-foot charter fishing boat, The Maine. Mac served five years in the Army as an infantry officer with two tours in Afghanistan. He returned with the Silver Star, two Purple Hearts, scars that don’t tan, and a boat with a big bank loan. Truth be told, Mac’s finances are more than a little shaky.

One day, Mac is sitting in the famous Green Parrot Bar in Key West, contemplating his life, and waiting for Carlos, a hotshot Miami lawyer heavily involved with anti-Castro groups. Carlos wants to hire Mac for a ten-day fishing tournament to Cuba at the standard rate, but Mac suspects there is more to this and turns it down. The price then goes up to two million dollars, and Mac agrees to hear the deal, and meet Carlos’ clients—a beautiful Cuban-American woman named Sara Ortega, and a mysterious older Cuban exile, Eduardo Valazquez.

Mac learns that there is sixty million American dollars hidden in Cuba by Sara’s grandfather when he fled Castro’s revolution. With the “Cuban Thaw” underway between Havana and Washington, Carlos, Eduardo, and Sara know it’s only a matter of time before someone finds the stash—by accident or on purpose. And Mac knows if he accepts this job, he’ll walk away rich…or not at all.

The Cuban Affair “is a timely stay-up-all-night, nail-biting page-turner featuring Nelson DeMille’s iconic tongue-in-cheek, articulate, rhythmic narrative. His affably irreverent protagonist, fantastic believable supporting characters, and tense, realistic Cuba-set scenes including some jaw-dropping revelations make this a must read” (Library Journal, starred review).

“Genuinely gripping” (Newsday), told with “incredible wit” (Tampa Bay Times), “The Cuban Affair feels authentic and real, and it provides knuckle-white tension mixed in with levity” (Associated Press).

Ratings and reviews

I found the writing unremarkable and repetitive, the characters shallow, and the whole portrayal of Cuba so simplistic and one-sided that I found myself enjoying it less and less as the story progressed.

LOVED this book! In this new series, the author introduces us to Mac, a military veteran who now owns and captains a boat that can be hired for fishing trips, etc. He's a bit world weary and full of sarcastic humor that made me laugh, even while the circumstances wouldn't have normally been funny. Mac is hired/coerced into taking a job in Cuba by joining an "educational tour" organized for Yale alumni. While he's on the tour, his employee will be captaining the boat while it participates in a fishing tournament in Cuban waters. However, this is all a front so that Mac, and his new partner, can get retrieve important treasures from Cuba and return them to their rightful owners. With his boat as their ride home, what could go wrong? Of course, the answer is just about everything. I loved how the author made Cuba feel real and illustrated just what it means to be in a police state. Cuba was so well described that it almost seemed to become a character of its own. Even though visiting a police state requires an entirely different set of rules and is a serious undertaking, the author still found a way to add humor while making it feel real. Mac is a great new character and I can't wait to read what his next adventures are in future book.s Fans of the genre will love this book - and if you're not a fan, this just might change your mind. The author is on my must read authors' list.

I am totally enjoying this story. I most like the Captain he is the type you meet in Key West. Rough on the outside stronger Veteran as well as laid back. A must read the best book by Nelson DeMille so far.

About the author

Nelson DeMille was the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-three novels, seven of which were #1 New York Times bestsellers. His novels include The Maze, The Deserter (written with Alex DeMille), The Cuban Affair, Word of Honor, Plum Island, The Charm School, The Gold Coast, and The General’s Daughter, which was made into a major motion picture, starring John Travolta and Madeleine Stowe. He has written short stories, book reviews, and articles for magazines and newspapers. Nelson DeMille was a combat-decorated US Army veteran, a member of Mensa, Poets & Writers, and the Authors Guild, and past president of the Mystery Writers of America. He was also a member of the International Thriller Writers, who honored him as 2015 ThrillerMaster of the Year. Nelson DeMille passed away in 2024.