Baptism of Fire — Lucy Floyd

Cuba in the nineteen-fifties is an island of exotic beauty, riddled with corruption and ripe for revolution. As Fidel Castro gathers support for his uprising, Raúl Soler, exiled son of a wealthy landowner, returns from the USA to his homeland, bent on reclaiming his lost inheritance. He has old scores to settle with his domineering bigot of a father and charming, feckless younger brother.


Raúl's quest will expose the many skeletons hidden in the Soler cupboard, enabling him to tear the family apart. But two newcomers undermine his ruthless drive for power and revenge: his downtrodden but passionate stepsister Celia, and her idealistic brother Eduardo, who will uncover Raúl's own dark secrets. Soon all of them will be caught up, willingly or not, in the political turmoil that will change their lives.


Jealousy, hatred and obsessive love converge in a journey of self-destruction and self-redemption, as violent and unstoppable as Cuba's own bid for freedom. 

BAPTISM OF FIRE was originally published by Macmillan and Pan, as was YESTERDAY, by the same author, also recently re-issued as an e-book.


'With her intelligence, insight and acute characterisation, the author demonstrates a talent for writing about the darker areas of people's psyches.' - The Sunday Times.