Chanel Cleeton's sixth historical novel, The Cuban Heiress, weaves the stories of two women seeking revenge on a 1934 luxury cruise aboard the SS Morro Castle. Cleeton (Our Last Days in Barcelona; When We Left Cuba; Next Year in Havana) takes readers aboard the elegant ship and into the streets of Depression-era Havana as her protagonists, Elena and Catherine, plot to bring down the men who have wronged them. Cuban-born Elena (the titular heiress) has been presumed dead since a fire at her New York City mansion. Catherine, who is really an Irish American maid known as Katie, poses as an heiress, presumably to marry a wealthy financier. But a handsome jewel thief who seems to see right through her (not to mention her fake baubles) rattles Katie's composure, and a series of unsettling events aboard the ship threatens Elena's carefully laid plans. As the ship (possibly carrying contraband weapons along with its wealthy clientele) makes its way from New York to Havana and back again, both women must adapt to quickly shifting circumstances to score their vengeance and escape with their lives.
Cleeton's gift for lush historical detail, including gowns, weaponry, and architecture, is on display here, though her characters feel a little thin. Nevertheless, the page-turning plot and tangled relationships are more than enough to engage readers. The ship's eventual fate, while tied to that of both women, also makes for interesting further reading. Fans of Cleeton's series about the Perez sisters will find much to enjoy in this captivating standalone. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams