Jeffrey James Higgins, the author of the Havana Syndrome, is described on his website as, “a retired supervisory special agent who writes suspense and thriller novels, short stories, creative nonfiction, and essays. He has wrestled a suicide bomber, fought the Taliban in combat, and chased terrorists across five continents.” I don’t know, but he seemed awfully relaxed about life when I took his class at this summer’s Cape Cod Writers Center conference. Maybe that’s his cover persona!
The Havana Syndrome is the first book in his Nathan Burke series. Nathan is assigned to investigate the Taliban and the Chinese Triad. He is busily involved in setting up a sting to stop a mysterious terrorist event and traveling to Santo Domingo with his daughter when his wife is struck down by the mysterious affliction dubbed the Havana Syndrome.
The Syndrome was an actual event that occurred in late 2016 when U.S. personnel and intelligence officers stationed in Havana reported strange sounds, pressure, and sudden health issues like dizziness and headaches. Although Nathan’s wife is having an affair with her supervisor in Santo Domingo, Nathan is extremely protective of her and is determined to discover the perpetrators. He essentially goes rogue, but still handles both his Islamic terrorist and the Syndrome investigations, which are not interconnected.
It helps to know that Higgins is an experienced agent because it provides substance to some of Agent Burkes activities. Havana Syndrome impacts did happen, and I have been curious about them. In fact, 60 Minutes did extensive reporting on the subject, making Russian connections and reporting on the discovery of a directed energy weapon in their March 2026 story. This book was published on June 17, 2025. Makes me wonder if Higgins had an inside track!
This is a readable page-turner thriller. There were elements of the story that stretched the credibility of time and distance as Agent Burke hops around the world to solve the crime. But was glad I had the author’s credibility to support my “willing suspension of disbelief,” as Samuel Taylor Coleridge said.