The Novel Detective

Praise for The Novel Detective

A Junior Library Guild Selection

“Brilliant… an affecting metafictional mystery about enduring female friendship and the ways that time gives you greater clarity on emotionally charged events.”
—Sarah Weinman, The New York Times

“For fans of metafiction mysteries with dual timelines!”
—BookRiot

“A fascinating and impressive mystery.” —Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine
“With lovable characters, a gripping core mystery, and a vividly rendered setting, this bolsters Dovalpage’s reputation as a reliable purveyor of quality crime fiction. Readers will be entertained.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A fascinating look at life in Cuba cleverly intertwined with a series of puzzles.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Fascinating and impressive… [Dovalpage’s] characters are vibrant and alive.”
—Marilyn’s Mystery Reads

“As in her previous Havana mysteries, the details of Cuban life both 40 years ago and in the present are precisely spot-on, arrestingly historical.”
—Taos News

“As a devoted fan of Poirot, Miss Marple, and Sherlock Holmes, I greedily savored every page of Teresa Dovalpage’s The Novel Detective. What could be a greater treat than this literary love letter to the golden age of mystery that is also a stunning portrait of one of the world’s most mesmerizingly tragic capital cities?”
—Anjanette Delgado, Emmy Award winning author of The Heartbreak Pill

“Blending past and present, fact and fiction, The Novel Detective is a clever, twisty metafictional mystery where the author becomes her own detective, the characters refuse to stay on the page, and the truth is buried as deep as the secrets of a changing Cuba. Smart, stylish, and delightfully original, The Novel Detective surprises as much as it entertains.”
—Gustavo Pérez Firmat, Columbia University

“This slow-burn literary mystery is more Elena Ferrante than Anthony Horowitz … The amusing odd-couple amateur detective antics of Teresa and Estrella and Havana-born Dovalpage’s depiction of the city’s evolving personality make it stand apart.”
—Library Journal

Praise for Teresa Dovalpage

“Sharply plotted, highly readable, evocative, and timely … An author at the top of her game, and a must-read for mystery fans who love great locations paired with even better characters. I couldn’t put this book down.”
—Alex Segura, acclaimed author of the Pete Fernandez Miami Mystery series

“Dovalpage wields her considerable authorial skill in this intricately plotted tale of jealousy, revenge, and the dark side of love.”
—Isabella Maldonado, award-winning author of the Veranda Cruz mysteries

“[A] refreshing and elusive Cuban crime novel.”
—Toronto Star

“A highly entertaining mystery set in Havana, there’s an ominous tone, a hint of something repressed beneath the main character’s narration.”
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“A lesser-known Cuba, with the kind of details that make it a home rather than a holiday.”
—Chicago Review of Books

“Amusing, observant … [A] devastating depiction of prejudice in 1980s Cuba.”
—Miami Herald

Teresa Dovalpage is a writer, translator, and college professor. A Cuban transplant, she is now firmly rooted in New Mexico. Dovalpage is the author of three short story collections, four plays, and fourteen novels, including the Havana Mystery series. She lives with her husband, one dog, and too many barn cats.

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