The Cuban Connection

Set in New York and Havana during 1960, The Cuban Connection introduces ace reporter Katherine O’Connor, who has a nose for news and an inclination to use it in very dangerous places. Working undercover in Castro’s Cuba, she gets a little too up-close-and-personal with Castro’s thugs, a priest who may be working for the CIA, and a little boy whose survival is mysteriously linked to the welfare of Katherine’s own mother—not to mention falling for a man who may be a Soviet spy. The Cuban Connection incorporates actual historical events into a page-turning tale that is by turns riveting, poignant, and hilarious—not unlike Katherine O’Connor herself. M.L. Malcolm is the author of two previous novels, Heart of Lies and Heart of Deception, both published by Harper Collins.

M.L. Malcolm began her professional career as an attorney in Atlanta after graduating from Harvard Law School. However, after practicing law for five years, she determined that "she and the law were not meant for each other," and is now a self-described "recovering attorney." As part of her recovery strategy M.L. yielded to her entrepreneurial inclinations and took over a struggling travel agency. She ran the business successfully for several years, tripling revenues before selling it to a larger company. She then retired from the labor force in order to spend more time with her children, and to concentrate on her writing, working as a novelist and free-lance journalist. Over the years she's collected an impressive number of hats (some might say an excessive number) and yes, she does wear them. M.L. has won several awards for her fiction, including special recognition in the prestigious Lorian Hemingway International Short Story Competition, and a silver medal from ForeWord Magazine for Best Historical Fiction Book of the Year. Her first novel, Heart of Lies, was selected as both a "Next Great Read" and a "Recommended Book Club Read" by the American Booksellers Association. She was also chosen as an "Author to Watch" by Target Stores' "Emerging Author" program. M.L. Malcolm has also spoken to over one hundred private groups and book clubs in fifteen states. Her media credits include interviews on over thirty radio shows, and articles in Ocean Scene Magazine, the Harvard Crimson, Emory Magazine, Washington Woman, Washington Independent Writer, The Palisadian Post, and The Historical Novels Review, among others. Her publications include two historical thrillers, Heart of Lies, (Harper Collins, 2010), and Heart of Deception (Harper Collins, 2011), "The Chameleon in Berlin," The Strand Mystery Magazine (2012), along with numerous articles in The Common Denominator (Washington, DC) and The Sacramento Union (Sacramento, CA). M.L. has lived in New York, Florida, Boston, Atlanta, France, and Los Angeles. She currently resides in Washington, D.C.