• Havana Nocturne

  • How the Mob Owned Cuba...and Then Lost It to the Revolution
  • By: T. J. English
  • Narrated by: Mel Foster
  • Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (1,312 ratings)

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Havana Nocturne  By  cover art

Havana Nocturne

By: T. J. English
Narrated by: Mel Foster
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Publisher's summary

In Havana Nocturne, T. J. English offers a riveting, multifaceted true tale of organized crime, political corruption, roaring nightlife, revolution, and international conflict that interweaves the dual stories of the mob in Havana and the event that would overshadow it: the Cuban Revolution.

Bringing together long-buried historical information and English's own research in Havana - including interviews with the era's key survivors - Havana Nocturne takes listeners back to Cuba in the years when it was a veritable devil's playground for mob leaders Meyer Lansky and Charles "Lucky" Luciano. Thanks to strong ties with the island's brutal dictator, President Batista, the mob soon owned the biggest luxury hotels and casinos and launched an unprecedented tourist boom.

But their dreams collided with those of Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and others who would lead the country's disenfranchised to overthrow their corrupt government and its foreign partners - an epic cultural battle that English captures in all its sexy, decadent, ugly glory.

©2008 T. J. English (P)2008 Tantor

Critic reviews

"English's engaging narrative reads with the gripping quality of fiction: the dark underworld of Havana comes to life....Highly recommended." ( Library Journal)
"Crime writer English...unfolds a story whose main outline will be familiar to any fan of The Godfather: Part II, but whose twists and turns no screenplay could keep up with." ( Kirkus Reviews)

What listeners say about Havana Nocturne

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Fabulous

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I couldn't wait ti get back in the car to listen! T.J. English takes a lot of information and ties it in perfectly. I hope the movie is half as good!

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2 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

How did this turn out SO bad?

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I found this book very disappointing. The old time mafia has always fascinated me and I have read numerous excellent (and some not so excellent) books about it. When English sticks to the mafia he does a nice job, but he ruins what could have been a fantastic and fascinating story with his constant and lengthy quotations from Fidel Castro's manifestos, showing us (just ask Fidel if you don't believe it) what a great change for Cuba he would be. T.J. loses ALL credibility with this nonsense, and his brief mention at the end that Castro didn't live up to expectations doesn't begin to atone for the waste of time it was to listen to it all. I realize you can't write a book about Cuba without talking about Fidel, but English certainly sounds as if he is in sympathy with this brutal tyrant. I can't help but wonder if the author didn't do his 'research' in Havana while sharing a cigar with the dictator. Even though Mel Foster does a nice job of narration I can't recommend this one at all. It's offensive.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

fun read

Contrary to the bizarre assertions of one reviewer, who claimed this book suffered from some kind of pro-Castro bias, it actually makes one pine for the pre-revolutionary, hedonistic debauched party town that was havana in the 50's.
In fact, Castro is portrayed as a zealous, buffoonish ideologue.
As I read it, the most sympathetic character in the book was Meyer Lansky, who is portrayed as a wily entrepreneur, and mostly detached from the sleazy dealings of his mobster contemporaries.
Havana in the 50's was a hotbed of dance and musical innovation and the passages which describe the sorts of musical entertainment one could find at the great clubs of the era made me feel that the accompanying vices of gambling, prostitution, as well as the political corruption and oppression were worth it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Lansky and the Cuban Mob bosses

I knew something about Cuban history but was brilliantly surprised to discover the intimate relationships shared by Myer Lansky and the US gangsters of the 40's and 50's with the US back Cuban dictator, Fulgencio Batista. If you liked the Godfather 1 and 2 you will absolutely love this book. Excellent narration!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

An excellent history lesson

Offers a fascinating look into an interesting and important period, and provides a real challenge to those who think Castro is evil.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Fascinating history of corruption

We are mostly familiar with the "evil" dictatorship of Fidel Castro but not so much the reasons that brought him to power. The man who ruled before Castro has been mostly forgotten. But this book tells of Batista's rise to power and the influence of organized crime in his regime. It traces the history of the mob bosses in the United States and their move to create a national government in Cuba that they could control. Through research and personal interviews the author weaves the tale and keeps it highly iteresting.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Understanding the Mob

This is an excellent chronicle of the Mob in Havanna as I've never read before. If you're fascinated with mobsters and their connections to Hollywood and the political stage, this book tells the story like a Baldacci novel. I have a new understanding of Castro and am intrigued to find out more.

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So that's where my uncles went on vacation

Fishing my ass uncle Danny you went to Havana for this. Aunt Millie never knew...
Nor did any of us guess how incredibly convoluted the mystery was. I never thought that a dollar could stretch so far as to be in the pocket of six mobsters and a president at the same time. Since I grew up on the east coast when this all was happening and the names are all familiar memories this tale of the corruption in Cuba is even more relevant now that we are trying to normalize the last 50 yrs of idiocy. More than adequate narration as well...

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Socialism beats the mob

A good example of how greed, sleaze and criminality can defeated but not in the USA. No lessons were learned.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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history book

It read like a history book. I felt like I was back in High School. Falling asleep in history class. I never finished it.

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