Set in 1963 after the Cuban Missile Crisis, Castro and his army use weapons left behind by the Russians to seize the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay and then plan missile strikes against the U.S. From the corridors of power -- with John F. Kennedy trying desperately to retain his leadership and keep the war from escalating -- to soldiers and civilians both American and Cuban, this high-voltage novel follows the bloody fighting and struggles on the ground while never losing sight of how war can transform people and set in motion some highly unexpected consequences.words : 131226