"Cuba" by Stephen Coonts

Though this book was published in 1999, I found it was one I had missed. A succession struggle ignited by the impending death of Fidel Castro is the catalyst for this Stephen Coonts suspense thriller. Rear Admiral Jake Grafton is drawn into the growing Cuban crisis. Jake Grafton, the hero of six other Stephen Coonts bestsellers, from FLIGHT ON THE INTRUDER to THE RED HORSEMAN, is one of the stars of CUBA, but only one - as this was also the first of his books that introduced Tommy Carmellini, the CIA Agent which became one of his best characters in many of his future books. Full of red-hot action, high adventure, and enough suspense to fry nerve endings, it is just another typical Coonts novel - [I gave it 4-1/2 Stars]

DESCRIPTION: As Fidel Castro is in his last days, Havana heats up, the CIA learns that one of the presidential contenders, secret police chief Alejo Vargas, has developed biological weapons and installed them on half-dozen intermediate-range ballistic missiles delivered by the Soviets during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Vargas' plan: foment a crisis with the U.S. and cow the Americans with biological weapons, thereby uniting the Cuban people behind his leadership.Meanwhile, the hijacking of a freighter transporting chemical and biological warheads to the United States from the warehouses of Guantanamo Bay sets off alarms all over the hemisphere. While searching for the stolen warheads, Rear Admiral Jake Grafton is drawn into the growing Cuban crisis. As always, Coonts' tale is full of memorable characters, such as Hector Sedano, the priest who believes Cuba is on the verge of greatness; his sister-in-law Mercedes Sedano, a patriot who risks everything for her country; younger brother El Ocho, the fiery youth who will build a Cuban future; and Carlos Corrado, a drunken fighter pilot who finally finds something worth fighting for.