Cuando los restos óseos de un hombre abatido a tiros salen a la superficie en la finca de Ernest Hemingway en La Habana, el escritor, bebedor y ex policía Mario Conte acepta a regañadientes que lo reintegren para investigar el crimen de cuarenta años. A medida que la verdad de la noche del 3 de octubre de 1958 se revela lentamente, Conte debe aceptar su recuerdo idealista de Papa Hemingway en los muelles bañados por el sol de Cuba, cuando Conde era un niño que acompañaba a su abuelo". Padura Fuentes entrelaza el mundo de Conte con el de la Cuba de Hemingway cuatro décadas antes, un período que marca el comienzo del declive de Hemingway. En la neblina de calor y ron, las eras y los personajes comienzan a fusionarse.

Easy read, easy review. Adios Hemingway is a quick, light, but still entertaining read. If you're not offended by some occasional crude language or, somewhat typical for the genre, sexism, this is a great read. The plot is not overheated and the treatment of Hemingway provides a nice backdrop. Fuentes' detective, Mario Conde, is human, thoughtful, and likable. Not high literature nor a fast-paced thriller but a very enjoyable and interesting read. ( )

Regalo de Carme Piña.Septiembre 2020

Padura struggles with his feelings toward Hemingway as he writes a mystery with his conscience-in-chief, ex-cop detective Conde, struggling with his feelings about Mr. H. A good back and forth (the book alternates between the past with H doing his Papa and Conde doing his detecting (and wearing Ava Gardner's tired old panties on his head at one point--is this a spoiler?) while rum drinking with another ode to his friendships with his long term comrades. ( )

This book is definitely a neat twist on the classical murder mystery. The inner turmoil of the main character and his love-hate relationship with Hemingway provides a great opportunity to cast Hemingway in a new light. The dark tones, the heat, the delving into a past long gone give the story a noir quality which I thoroughly enjoyed. I stumbled on this book and was glad to have read it. ( )