The Cuban Heiress
(Libby/OverDrive eAudiobook)

September 1934. The glamorous SS Morro Castle cruise ship is on its final, fateful trip between New York and Havana. Cubana Elena Reyes is boarding, anxious that her phony papers may not pass muster since she is officially dead. Faux heiress Catherine narrates her own boarding process as she is accompanied by her fiancé, Raymond, his daughter, and her nanny. Nothing is what it seems in Cleeton's latest gripping historical novel, following Our Last Days in Barcelona (2022). As she weaves together Elena and Catherine's stories, told in alternating chapters, she also brings to life their fascinating, volatile time. Handsome con men, clever thieves, desperate rebels, and our valiant heroines all convene on this elegant but doomed ocean liner. As the women walk a high wire, working to wrest justice from a society in which all the odds are stacked against them, they face a tragic fate in the fire and foam of the impending shipwreck. Cleeton includes vivid details about the mysterious final voyage of the Morro Castle and provides further reading about this historic disaster.

A woman fears exposure of her secrets in the captivating latest from Cleeton (Our Last Days in Barcelona). In 1934, Catherine Dohan, who claims to be an heiress, is traveling by luxury cruise ship from New York City to Havana with her wealthy fiancé, Raymond. On board, a man tries to kill her. During their struggle, she ends up shooting and killing her assailant with his own gun. Harry, a mysterious, handsome stranger who witnessed the altercation, helps by tossing the man's body into the sea. Afterward, Harry and Catherine continue running into each other on the ship, and as their attraction grows, he tells her Raymond is not the wealthy man she believes him to be. Elena Palacio, another woman with secrets, is also on the ship, eager to reach Havana to reunite with the aunt who raised her after her parents died. Before the ship leaves port in Havana to return to New York with Catherine, Harry, and Raymond on board, Elena helps smuggle some Cuban children aboard to protect them from president Fulgencio Batista's government, and the truth comes out about why Catherine was targeted as more tragic misadventures ensue on the high seas. Cleeton adds intriguing secrets and strong character work to the dramatic plot. Historical fiction fans will be riveted. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Apr.)

September 1934. The glamorous SS Morro Castle cruise ship is on its final, fateful trip between New York and Havana. Cubana Elena Reyes is boarding, anxious that her phony papers may not pass muster since she is officially dead. Faux heiress Catherine narrates her own boarding process as she is accompanied by her fiancé, Raymond, his daughter, and her nanny. Nothing is what it seems in Cleeton's latest gripping historical novel, following Our Last Days in Barcelona (2022). As she weaves together Elena and Catherine's stories, told in alternating chapters, she also brings to life their fascinating, volatile time. Handsome con men, clever thieves, desperate rebels, and our valiant heroines all convene on this elegant but doomed ocean liner. As the women walk a high wire, working to wrest justice from a society in which all the odds are stacked against them, they face a tragic fate in the fire and foam of the impending shipwreck. Cleeton includes vivid details about the mysterious final voyage of the Morro Castle and provides further reading about this historic disaster. Copyright 2023 Booklist Reviews.

A woman fears exposure of her secrets in the captivating latest from Cleeton (Our Last Days in Barcelona). In 1934, Catherine Dohan, who claims to be an heiress, is traveling by luxury cruise ship from New York City to Havana with her wealthy fiancé, Raymond. On board, a man tries to kill her. During their struggle, she ends up shooting and killing her assailant with his own gun. Harry, a mysterious, handsome stranger who witnessed the altercation, helps by tossing the man's body into the sea. Afterward, Harry and Catherine continue running into each other on the ship, and as their attraction grows, he tells her Raymond is not the wealthy man she believes him to be. Elena Palacio, another woman with secrets, is also on the ship, eager to reach Havana to reunite with the aunt who raised her after her parents died. Before the ship leaves port in Havana to return to New York with Catherine, Harry, and Raymond on board, Elena helps smuggle some Cuban children aboard to protect them from president Fulgencio Batista's government, and the truth comes out about why Catherine was targeted as more tragic misadventures ensue on the high seas. Cleeton adds intriguing secrets and strong character work to the dramatic plot. Historical fiction fans will be riveted. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Apr.)