Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I apprecitate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this a really interesting read and the characters are quite engaging. it kept me reading until the end. I highly recommend.

“The Transparency of Time” by Leonardo Padura is a beautiful look at modern day Cuba while also providing a glimpse into the past with elements of magic realism. It continues the story of retired detective Mario Conde, Mr. Padura’s protagonist in eight previous mysteries, in what might be his last outing.

Mario Conde approaches his 60th birthday in a country he no longer recognizes, barely making a living by buying and selling books, occasionally performing some work for his business partner, hanging out with his childhood friends, and enjoying his unexplainable relationship with his fiancée, also someone from his childhood. Out of this distant past comes Bobby, an old school friend who has turned himself from someone who was bullied to a flamboyant, out-of-the-closet art dealer, who needs Mario’s help. His (much-younger) boyfriend has robbed him blind, taking everything worth anything. But Bobby is mostly concerned about the loss of a replica of the Virgin de Regla, a black Madonna worshiped throughout Cuba that has been in his family for ages and whom he credits with saving his life when he was diagnosed with cancer. Conde takes the job as much for the link to old times as for the higher-than-average rates Bobby has promised him.

But it turns out the deeper Mario digs, the more he realizes that Bobby hasn’t been telling the whole truth. And everyone in the art and antiquity selling business, a small tight knit community in Cuba, has their own agenda and their own reasons for hiding the truth. When Bobby’s boyfriend turns up dead, the stakes get much higher for Mario and his investigation as he realizes that he’s not the only one searching for the black Madonna.

The mystery is interwoven with the history of Bobby’s statue, protected throughout time by Antoni Barral, who shows up as a Catalan peasant fleeing the Spanish revolution, a squire to a Spanish Lord returning from the crusades, a knight in the holy land rescuing the Madonna from the infidel. The mystical nature of the statue explains why it is such a value item to those who believe, why Bobby wants it back.

We also get a portrait of modern Cuba, of the interplay of the nouveau rich with those who lived through the revolution. As Mario’s friends get older, they’re the only one’s left who still wonder if it was all worth it, all of the deprivation and suffering of communist Cuba, when everyone seems to be out for themselves. When one of his crowd considers moving to Miami like so many others, Mario lashes out and realizes that his world is changing despite his best efforts to keep things the same.

A mystery, a mystical look at history and faith, a perspective on aging, a take on modern Cuba – all of that is woven into a story that captures a culture in the midst of upheaval. A wonderful novel, I now need to go back and read the rest of this series.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Farrar, Straus and Giroux via NetGalley. Thank you!

Conde is a fine protagonist. The Cuba that serves as the background and context for the mystery is fascinating. The mystery itself is bland and overly reminiscent of novels like "The Maltese Falcon". Padura's writing style is sometimes crisp and evocative, but also sometimes self-indulgent and repetitive. So, it's a bit of a slog, but it's often an interesting slog, and it was certainly a fine way to gain an introduction to Cuban popular crime fiction.

I love a good mystery that also serves as an unvarnished introduction to a nation and culture I've never visited. Case in point: Cuba as depicted in Leonardo Padura's Mario Conde novels. Padura has lived his entire life in Cuba. His depictions of Cuban society aren't necessarily flattering, but his love for his homeland is clear nonetheless. Padura's love doesn't delude itself, doesn't airbrush, but still makes clear how deep and deeply justified that love is. The fact that Padura has be able to publish in Cuba for decades now, despite the critical streak in his novels, speaks to how clearly he balances criticism with love.

Padura's detective, Mario Conde, is a former policeman, now making a living as an itinerant buyer and seller of books, scouting out old collections containing titles that have some monetary value. Conde also writes, though never to his own satisfaction. He also takes on the occasional bit of private investigation work.

The Transparency of Time looks to the past and the future with an equally critical and affectionate eye. Conde has been approached by a newly reappeared school friend, Bobby, now a dealer in art and antiques, whose home was stripped by his con man lover. Bobby is particularly concerned about the loss of a statue of the Virgin de Regla, a Black Madonna who is popular in Cuba. Bobby has recently been initiated into Santería, identifies his Madonna with Yemayá, the primary mother figure in Santería, and claims that she has cured him from a near-fatal cancer. Conde takes on the job—the terms Bobby offers are well above Conde's usual pay rate—but Conde gradually finds himself wondering how accurate and how complete Bobby's story actually is. This narrative is accompanied by another that moves back in time, imagining a history for Bobby's Madonna.

Throughout the novel we see Cuba through Conde's (and, I'm assuming, Padura's) eyes. Over the years, too many of his friends have died or left the country. Bobby's arrival seems propitious, given that another of Conde's childhood friends has announced his intention to visit Miami—and possibly remain there. Conde struggles to embrace his friend's decision to leave Cuba, whether temporarily or permanently. Conde also struggles to accept the fact that he will soon be turning sixty, and that he sees his own aging as analogous to the "aging" of revolutionary Cuba, with its increasing disparities in wealth and power.

The Transparency of Time is a novel that rewards on many levels. It fulfills reader expectations for the mystery genre, but is also character-driven, offers a Cuban's view of contemporary Cuba, and has historical sweep folded in due to the missing Madonna.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the published via NetGalley. The opinions are my own.

Having read all the books in the Mario Conte series and this is surely one of the best. Great plot and all of Mario’s amigos are back in force. Interestingly, this novel for the first time really highlights the deterioration of Cuba’s infrastructure and society. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance.

Ooooof! Just could not with this stilted and purple prose. May be an issue of translation, but I did not finish this one.

"The Transparency of Time" is the final novel in Padura's nine-volume Martin Conde Cuban crime fiction series, which begins with the quartet of Havana Blue, Havana Gold, Havana Red, and Havana Black. Adios Hemingway, Havana Fever, Grab A Snake by the Tail, and Heretics round out the series.

The Transparency of Time finds Conde old, retired, and a bit withered, contemplating reaching sixty, but constantly ready to prove his youthfulness with his perpetual fiancé Tamara. The Case that is brought to Conde's attention is one involving the theft of a wooden statue of the Virgin, one of ancient lineage that we later learn was borne away from the Holy land by the Knights of Templar and later recused from Andalusia during the Spanish Civil War. It is a magical totem and it's loss devastates Bobby whose boyfriend took everything while he visited a Miami.

Conde's investigation takes us through a Havana where a criminal class thrives in shantytowns that surrounds the city. Old American cars traverse the streets. There's scarcity everywhere and Miami is the Promised Land.

Interspersed with modern Havana are scenes from the last of the Crusades and the interior of the Spanish peninsula, giving the novel a scope well beyond the confines of a simple crime novel.

Be forewarned though that it is a lengthy read that is perhaps far longer than it needs to be.