Havana Hangover

Renegade Press

Thirty-year-old Chicago corporate lawyer Tanner Ford leaves behind a painful past and lucrative job for a bucket-list trip to Cuba with Jackson Swift, his estranged best friend from law school. But when they arrive, the oddities start adding up. Jackson evades questions about his wife and kids. Their itinerary keeps changing, and their tour guide might work for a fake company. When Tanner awakes after a rum-soaked night beside Dannel, a local musician with something to hide, and a text from Jackson that reads “HELP ME,” his dream vacation turns into a fight for survival. He is held hostage in an abandoned cigar factory, interrogated by the police, and hunted down by a mysterious “ghost” in the Cuban government. Beset by anxiety and panic attacks, Tanner is hurled unwittingly into an international conspiracy leading right back to Jackson and a friendship that began in betrayal.

Havana Hangover is a story about healing, friendship, love and deceit, set within a lovingly-rendered Cuban cityscape and fueled by rapid twists and turns, eventually landing in the corrupt corners of DC politics. 

Genre: Fiction - Thriller/Suspense

Publish Date: March 18, 2023 Ebook; April 2023 Trade Paperback

Format(s): Trade Paperback, Ebook

Page Count: 273 pages

ISBN: 979-8391765837

Available for purchase: Amazon.com, Books & Books and The Book Cellar


Reviews

Randy Richardson’s edge-of-your-seat suspense novel, ‘Havana Hangover, ‘ is terrifying in its vivid portrayal of contemporary Cuba, with twists and turns that ram the characters through the storyline trajectory like the bullets that fly from chapter to chapter. Parallel to the action are soul-searching questions many of us ask. How far will I go before I sell my soul? The conclusion of ‘Havana Hangover’ is a terrifying treatise to the 2023 political landscape we live in.
— Catherine Lanigan, author of Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile
Randy Richardson delivers a seamless suspense thriller, a crackling read centered around the smokey, sizzling, sensual streets of Havana with all of its political and mysterious undertones. The ghost of Ernest Hemingway, Cuba’s most famous adopted son haunts this story, one that reads like the tension-filled narrative behind the late Warren Zevon’s ‘Lawyers, Guns and Money,’ a song that evokes the shadowy secrets of the Cuban underworld. Gripping from start to finish.
— David W. Berner, author of A Well-Respected Man, and former Writer-in-Residence at the Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Home
In ‘Havana Hangover’ by Randy Richardson, the author combines love, greed, and heartbreak into a page-turning thriller. Two young lawyers whose friendship fell apart during law school reunite under somewhat mysterious circumstances and fly to Havana. Once there, it becomes dangerous for one lawyer to trust the other, especially when the other goes missing. Deftly woven throughout the story is Richardson’s knowledge of Cuba. At times we’re in an upscale night club or watching a beautiful sunset. Other times we’re drawn into the tattered relics of the past. Or haunted by the ghost of Hemingway. If the lure of Cuba calls you and you enjoy a first-rate thriller, don’t miss ‘Havana Hangover.’
— Libby Fischer Hellmann, author of Havana Lost
Randy Richardson’s ‘Havana Hangover’ is an irreverent genre-mashing story of chaos in motion. With elements of action, suspense, romance, mystery, political intrigue, drama, and tongue-in-cheek comedy, this novel is going to be stuck to your palms while you ravenously flip pages from beginning to end. Its take-no-prisoners attitude and rapid-fire dialogue give it a fast-paced race to the finish feel.
— Reader Views
Randy Richardson’s Havana Hangover gave me an emotional response. I cried on two different occasions while reading this novel. The first time was at the beginning when Randy described the setting and history of Cuba, and the second time was when he mentioned the characters were loosely based on friends he had met when he traveled to Cuba. This story is relatable to me because both my parents are Cuban. This novel was full of intense suspense and action around every corner. It also had a little bit of a psychological thriller feel to it. I loved seeing Tanner’s character development; how much he had changed from when he was in college till his experience in Cuba. Amazing story! I loved it. Randy touched my heart by talking about the history of Cuba and the people of this country. I would love to read a second installment of this story to find out where Tanner Ford’s life takes him. I can imagine how great the next book will be since I found this one so intriguing and thought-provoking. Thank you so much, Randy, for a spectacular read!
— Reviewed by Giselle Rivera for Readers' Favorite
Havana Hangover is one of the year’s best spy thrillers.
— BestThrillers.com
This is one nightmare vacation worth taking.
— Publishers Weekly
The vivid prose paints a brilliant picture of Havana, engaging readers in its smokey streets and sensual aura. The infusion of Cuba’s affluent history narrative and culture, integrated with the haunting existence of Ernest Hemingway, puts in an extra layer of profoundness and intrigue to it overall. It is a remarkable proportion of uncertainty, political intrigue, and emotional redemption that will captivate readers from commencing to the end.
— Core of a Critic (@book_socity)
Havana Hangover by Randy Richardson is a literary journey unlike any other, a pulse-pounding thriller that whisks you away to the vibrant streets of Cuba. From the first page, I was utterly entranced.
— @book_briefs01
For those seeking a riveting literary experience rich in substance, “Havana Hangover” is indispensable. It transcends mere suspense, offering a profound exploration of the human condition. Richardson’s storytelling leads you on a journey that will linger in your thoughts long after the final page is turned.
— The Travelling Pages
Havana Hangover is a must-read for anyone seeking a thrilling and emotionally resonant journey. Randy Richardson’s writing captivates the reader, and the combination of an engaging story, rich character development, and a vividly portrayed Cuban setting make this novel a standout in the genre of contemporary fiction.
— BooksMarks Reviews