Too often, the tension in a mystery flows from the same source as in a horror movie: As the character walks alone toward the empty, sinister house at night (of course), the audience collectively wrings its hands and groans, "Don't go in there." One can't help but wish that she or he were endowed with a little more common sense. Carry a flashlight, call for backup--something, for God's sake.

Fortunately, Havana Twist offers an antidote to that cliche in Willa Jansson, a no-nonsense Santa Cruz lawyer whose good judgement is matched only by her wry sense of humor--though sometimes neither is enough to keep her out of trouble. And this time, it's her own mother who has put her there.

When Jansson's political-activist mom doesn't return from Cuba with her group of "Jewish mothers of politics, ready to chicken-soup the whole third world," Willa must travel to the Communist island in search of her "Superlefty" mother. Jansson keeps a low profile as she searches Havana's dilapidated neighborhoods, trusting few with the fact of her mother's disappearance--and with good reason. The city's ubiquitous hotel room bugs, vanishing informants, and tight-lipped locals create a shifty atmosphere in which the unspoken can be as revealing as the spoken.

While smartly pursuing her mother's whereabouts and trying to stay out of jail, Willa manages to find a little time for a romance of sorts, although she's not unaware of the irony in her attraction to the police detective who was once almost fired because of her mother's police protest.

Matera adeptly adds unforeseen twists and turns to the plot, though she leaves it up to the reader to ponder which clues are bona fide and which are dead-ends. Matera has a knack for characterization and dialogue, and her contrast between Cuba's bleak economy, Mexico City's gaudy commercialism, and the U.S.'s comparative wealth adds a little sociopolitical weight to the story. Smart, sensible Willa Jansson is a pleasure to accompany on her search for that grey-haired brigadista she calls Mom. --Kris Law

From Publishers Weekly
Willa Jansson, Matera's plucky sleuthing lawyer (Star Witness, 1997), deserves a Daughter of the Year award for the latest adventure. This time, her mother, an unrepentant social activist, goes international, failing to return with her gray-haired group of brigadistas after their goodwill tour of Havana. Doubting that her mom, even with her "dances with revolutionaries" fervor, would abandon her family without a word, Willa goes to Havana, where she falls in with two suspiciously helpful journalists who offer to help but lead Willa to some unexpected stops along the way. These include visits to Lidia Gomez, an internationally acclaimed poet placed under house arrest for "leafletting," and an American woman, Myra Wilson, being held in prison for drug smuggling. With Havana's bubbling mix of journalists, possible CIA agents and heroes of the revolution, it's no wonder Willa comes to feel that nothing is as it seems in the nightmarishly deteriorating place. Matera uses the complexities of the Cuban revolution and modern skullduggery to build her tale, which is slightly hobbled by a few contrived plot turns and staple characters. But the appealing Willa is fun to watch as she reacts with healthy doses of common sense, fear, humble confusion and wit to her various troubles. Her mother did a good job of raising her?but readers may be less willing than the well-grounded Willa to forgive her mother this madcap escapade. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Willa Janson's political activist mother goes missing during a trip to Havana, so Janson tries to find her. During her first Cuban sojourn, she visits an imprisoned American writer and a Cuban poet under house arrest?both with some possible connection to each other and to her mother. Back in California, murder stalks Janson and a Mexican friend as they follow up on "stolen" passports, mistaken identities, and possible CIA involvement. A riveting plot, realistic Havana settings, reawakened romance, and flavorful characters declare this latest from Matera (Star Witness, LJ 6/1/97) a winner.Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
In Lia Matera's latest mystery, attorney Willa Jansson embarks on a political adventure as she searches for her mother in communist Havana. Susan Anspach offers listeners a quirky vocal range as the energetic Jansson. Sultry sometimes and nearly squeaky other times, she provides a naturalness and depth to Jansson's character. Also unobtrusive is the introductory music. It lends an appropriate feel to the writing, underscoring most of the first chapter without being in the way. Havana Twist seems like perfect beach listening or a welcome distraction from the onslaught of winter! R.A.P. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Kirkus Reviews
When only 14 of the 15 right-minded, blue-haired brigadistas of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) return from Fidel Castro's workers' paradise to California, and when the missing do-gooder is her own mother June, attorney Willa Jansson (Star Witness, 1997, etc.) swings into action. Within 48 hours she's asking questions on the streets of Havana, and within six months. . . . Well, that long span of timeduring which Willa, thrown out of Cuba, rings key doorbells in Mexico City and also back home in Santa Cruz, tracing June's links to the CIA, to an imprisoned drug smuggler, and to half a dozen suspicious characters whose identities seem to change with the tidethat long span indicates the odd combination of urgency and weightlessness that over and over and over marks the proceedings as (in Willa's terms) ``My worst nightmare had come true.'' As well-meaning as the WILPF, but this time not much more effective. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review
Booklist (starred review) Willa Jansson does another star turn in Matera's latest installment in this excellent series....Matera weaves a compelling and scary story....