{"title":"Leonardo Padura","description":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to our Leonardo Padura collection, where intrigue meets literary brilliance. Leonardo Padura is a renowned Cuban author celebrated for his masterful storytelling and deeply engrossing crime and thriller novels. His works deftly intertwine rich cultural insights with gripping narratives, making them a must-read for fans of the genre.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDelve into the world of Mario Conde, Padura's iconic detective, in \u003cem\u003eGrab a Snake by the Tail\u003c\/em\u003e, where a murder investigation unravels amidst Havana's vibrant yet complex backdrop. The book offers an evocative portrayal of Cuban life, seamlessly blending suspense with social commentary.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHeretics\u003c\/em\u003e invites readers on a historical quest, exploring themes of identity and faith as it traces the journey of a Rembrandt masterpiece. This compelling tale is both a thrilling mystery and a profound exploration of human beliefs across generations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe Transparency of Time\u003c\/em\u003e, Padura continues to captivate with a narrative that spans history and myth. Follow Mario Conde once again as he uncovers long-buried secrets in a daring and thought-provoking adventure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLeonardo Padura's novels are celebrated for their atmospheric settings, complex characters, and philosophical depth. Whether you're a seasoned reader of crime and thrillers or new to the genre, Padura's books promise an unforgettable reading experience filled with intrigue and cultural richness.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"grab-a-snake-by-the-tail-by-leonardo-padura-9781912242177","title":"Grab a Snake by the Tail","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eLonglisted for the CWA Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger Award 2020\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMario Conde investigates a murder in the Barrio Chino, the rundown Chinatown of Havana. It's not his usual beat, but when Conde is asked to take the case by the sultry, perfectly proportioned Police Lieutenant Patricia Chion, a frequent object of his nightly fantasies, he can't resist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePedro Cuang is found hanging naked from a beam in the ceiling of his dingy room. One of his fingers has been cut off, and the outline of two arrows is carved on his chest. Was this a ritual Santera killing or just a sordid settling of accounts among drug traffickers beginning to infiltrate Cuba in the 1980s?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Barrio Chino was once one of the largest Chinatowns in the West. Now it feels like a ghetto of uprooted families, with its derelict cemetery and boarded-up shops. The story is soaked in atmosphere: African spells cast by \u003cem\u003ebabalao\u003c\/em\u003e sorcerers, deliciously smoke-filled bars, deep friendships, and beautiful women, especially Patricia Chion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Cuba's greatest living writer' - \u003cem\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47072544850156,"sku":"9781912242177","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/23176053482868.jpg?v=1765116390"},{"product_id":"heretics-by-leonardo-padura-9781908524782","title":"Heretics","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1939, the Saint Louis sails from Hamburg into Havana's port with hundreds of Jewish refugees. From the docks, nine-year-old Daniel Kaminsky watches as the passengers, including his parents, become embroiled in a fiasco of Cuban corruption. But the Kaminskys have a treasure that they hope will save them: a Rembrandt portrait of Christ. Yet six days later, the vessel is forced to leave the harbour with the family, bound for the horrors of Europe. The Kaminskys, along with their priceless heirloom, disappear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSeven decades later, the Rembrandt reappears in a London auction house, prompting Daniel's son to travel to Cuba to track down the story of the lost masterpiece. He hires Mario Conde, and together they navigate a web of deception and violence in the morally complex city of Havana.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eHeretics\u003c\/em\u003e, Leonardo Padura takes us from the tenements and beaches of Cuba to Rembrandt's gloomy studio in seventeenth-century Amsterdam. A grand detective story and a moving historical drama, Padura's novel is as compelling, mysterious, and enduring as the painting at its centre.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLeonardo Padura talks about his novel \u003cem\u003eHeretics\u003c\/em\u003e, and about baseball, music, and Cuba.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47072563233004,"sku":"9781908524782","price":32.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/14087893482867.jpg?v=1765116996"},{"product_id":"the-transparency-of-time-by-leonardo-padura-9781913394578","title":"The Transparency of Time","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMario Conde is facing down his sixtieth birthday. What does he have to show for his decades on the planet? A failing body, a slower mind, and a decrepit country, in which both the ideals and failures of the Cuban Revolution are being swept away in favour of a new and newly cosmopolitan worship of money.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRescue comes in the form of a new case: an old Marxist turned flamboyant practitioner of Santería appears on the scene to engage Conde to track down a stolen statue of the \u003ci\u003eVirgen de Regla\u003c\/i\u003e—a black Madonna. This sets Conde on a quest that spans twenty-first century Havana as well as the distant past, as he delves as far back as the Crusades in an attempt to uncover the true provenance of the statue.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThrough vignettes from the life of a Catalan peasant named Antoni Barral, who appears throughout history in different guises—as a shepherd during the Spanish Civil War, as vassal to a feudal lord—we trace the Madonna to present-day Cuba. With Barral serving as Conde's alter ego, unstuck in time, and Conde serving as the author's, we are treated to a panorama of history, and reminded of the impossibility of ever remaining on its sidelines, no matter how obscure we may think our places in the action.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEqual parts \u003ci\u003eThe Name of the Rose\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Maltese Falcon\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Transparency of Time\u003c\/i\u003e cements Leonardo Padura's position as the preeminent literary crime writer of our time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47072919453932,"sku":"9781913394578","price":34.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/6614273482869.jpg?v=1765132857"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/leonardo-padura.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}