The Cuban Gambit by Jay Perin continues the intriguing world of a senator-turned president and the three powerful families that create an impact on world trade. In the course of the series, Lilah has grown well enough to get a good grasp of realpolitik. She has become the ruler of an oil empire that she never wanted, while President Temple is trying to consolidate control of both domestic and international affairs. The three families, the Kingsleys, the Sheppards, and the Barrons have united under Lilah, who is now a thorn in Temple’s side, and he intends to do anything within his power to stop her. The ruthless Sanders is gone, replaced by Lilah. While this replacement possesses every quality Temple looks for in a future leader, Lilah refuses to be guided by the ones who got her to where she is right now.

Jay Perin may well have the touch of an artist. His page-turning plots are so engaging to the point that you do not want to stop reading even if takes you hours. The Cuban Gambit is the type of novel that can translate to an epic movie when adapted. With its diverse cast of intriguing characters, it suits its tagline as the Game of Thrones in the Twentieth-Century United States. The Cuban Gambit is a good illustration of how an epic tale of politics and intrigue should be written. Perin sustains these two elements by a sense of skillful continuity. While this book may read as a stand-alone, you cannot help but be drawn to reading the entire series once you get a taste of reading one of them in the One Hundred Years War Series. So potent are the motivations that drive the characters that reading a Jay Perin novel is something that you will never easily forget.

The Cuban Gambit by Jay Perin is the third book in the One Hundred Years of War series. Now President of the US, Temple has his hands full. The nation is in an uproar, and the people are restless. A nuclear explosion goes off in Russia, AIDS is sweeping the world, and Western Europe's political climate has significantly shifted. It's 1986, and Temple's battles are about to get tougher. His three allies, the Barrons, Shepherds, and Kingsleys, are united with a new leader - a woman Temple once saw as his daughter. Between her and her childhood sweetheart, a Navy SEAL, they have control of the oil sector and will not let go. No matter what Temple thinks of her, he cannot let his emotions get in the way. He is the President, and she must die. He must deploy his most powerful weapon. Can Temple succeed and what is this powerful weapon he is willing to deploy, no matter the cost?

The Cuban Gambit by Jay Perin continues a thoroughly enjoyable series about greed, obsession, and madness, subjects close to home in the world right now. As with the other books, it is packed with action and full of twists and turns. The topics covered are very real and well researched, while the story is written in a way that makes you want to keep reading. It's a descriptive story that leaves you in no doubt about what is happening, drawing you neatly into the story as you read. You'll want to know what happens to the main characters as each is developed in a way that invests you in their story. This is more than just a historical novel; this is a multi-faceted political thriller that will leave you breathless as you follow it to its conclusion. Don't try reading this as a standalone - it really should be read in conjunction with the rest of the series to get the full benefit.