Death on the Menu takes place in Key West, but the main event is a joint conference between the city of Key West and Havana, Cuba. Much of the action takes place at the Harry S. Truman Little White House, and Hayley‘s mother Janet has been tapped as the caterer. So naturally Hayley is pressed into service along with fan favorite, Miss Gloria. Things get off to a bad start when Hemingway’s Nobel prize gold medal (which belongs to Cuba and is on display for this weekend only) disappears. And they only get worse when a murderer strikes.
Does some of the action take place in Cuba? I didn’t think I could pull off setting a book in Cuba. For one thing I don’t know the country that well. And I certainly don’t know how the police would operate – I was afraid to tumble into a black plot hole that I would never climb out of! I am happy with the compromise, because I was able to talk about Cuba and have Cuban accents in the food and the politics, without running into insurmountable plot problems.
How does the Cuban Coffee Queen coffee shop/restaurant figure in the story?
As you know, Hayley’s favorite coffee shop is the Cuban Coffee Queen. (Actually there are two of them now in town. And it’s my favorite too!) But in addition to visiting for her caffeine fix, in this book, one of the workers at the CCQ is also on the catering crew for the conference. And it turns out her family has deep Cuban roots, and gets deeply involved in the murder.
Have you been to Cuba?
My husband and I were lucky enough to make the trip to Cuba in 2014, right before President Obama opened up relations between the two countries. Since Key West is only ninety miles from Havana, we hear a lot about the island and many Key Westers have an intense curiosity about Cuba and what life might be like for its inhabitants. In fact, frequently we heard news stories about Cubans who attempted to reach the US in a variety of homemade, unseaworthy vessels— even windsurfers—with some disastrous results. I wove some of that backstory and conflict into Death on the Menu.
1 comment:
It was so much fun to see you in Key West. Thanks for hosting me this week!
Post a Comment