H.L. Guerra (Humberto López y Guerra) is a Swedish novelist and film director born in Cuba. He has directed more than 20 documentaries and television series.
2012 he published El traidor de Praga (The Traitor from Prague). The novel was among the ten most sold novels that year according to The Miami Herald (Spanish edition) whose critics described it as “a milestone in the genre of espionage in Spanish language literature”. In 2016, H.L. Guerra presented with great success his new novel Triángulo de espías (Spy Triangle), at The Miami Book Fair. Librotea, the Spanish newspaper El País book blog recommends Tríangulo de espías (Spy triangle), as one of the top 10 new spy novels about North Korea and ISIS.
In 2025, H. L. Guerra’s new novel The Other Spy was distinguished by the independent Cuban newspaper 14yMedio, which selected it as one of the fourteen most important Cuban books of the year.
Den andra spionen (The other spy)
On October 28, H.L. Guerra’s new novel Den andra spionen (The other spy) was unveiled at the Påfågel Theatre in Stockholm, where a large invited audience attended the event, which began with a video introduction to the book.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended the presentation of my new novel The Other Spy at Påfågelteatern in Stockholm. It was a truly warm and joyful gathering. I’m deeply grateful for all the flowers, bottles, gifts—and the lemons!
H.L. Guerra
H.L. Guerra books
The Other Spy
Havana, 1942.
A vibrant, volatile city pulsing with mystery.
In the midst of World War II, Havana becomes a crossroads of espionage, where Nazi spies, FBI operatives, and MI6 agents move through a shadow play in which nothing is what it seems.
The Other Spy, H.L. Guerra’s compelling new novel, masterfully reconstructs the story of Heinz August Lüning—the only German spy ever executed in Latin America. But this is not a biography, nor a conventional historical chronicle. It is a gripping, revelatory narrative inspired by real events.
With figures like Ernest Hemingway, Meyer Lansky, and Ambassador Spruille Braden woven into the plot, the novel transports us to a Havana transformed into a cauldron of intrigue, where the hunt for spies has become a national obsession.
Who was Heinz Lüning, really?
And what secrets lay buried beneath his sentence?
RESEÑAS / RECENSIONER / REVIEWS
Extracto:
‘El otro espía’, de H.L. Guerra, una historia novelada basada en hechos reales
Por Manuel C. Díaz Especial/El Nuevo Herald 9 de noviembre
El otro espía se basa en un evento histórico específico, pero por la minuciosidad con la que está escrita, es abarcadora en contenido y significado. Hay tantos detalles en los escenarios descritos que uno puede imaginar, no solo la profunda investigación que el autor debió realizar, sino también el esfuerzo que debió emplear para, utilizando las técnicas de la ficción, llenar los vacíos históricos de la trama y enriquecer literariamente su narrativa.
Utdrag:
”El otro espía” (Den andra spionen), en roman av H.L. Guerra baserad på verkliga händelser
Av Manuel C. Díaz, Especial / El Nuevo Herald, 9 november
Den andra spionen bygger på en specifik historisk händelse, men tack vare den noggrannhet med vilken den är skriven blir den omfattande både till innehåll och betydelse. De beskrivna scenarierna är så detaljerade att man inte bara kan föreställa sig den djupgående research som författaren måste ha gjort, utan även den ansträngning han lagt ner för att, med hjälp av fiktionstekniker, fylla de historiska luckorna i handlingen och berika berättelsen litterärt.
Extract:
“El otro espía” (The Other Spy), a fictional story by H.L. Guerra based on real events
By Manuel C. Díaz Special/El Nuevo Herald November 9
The Other Spy is based on a specific historical event, but thanks to the accuracy with which it is written, it is comprehensive in both content and meaning. There are so many details in the scenes described that one can imagine not only the in-depth research the author must have done, but also the effort he must have put into using fictional techniques to fill in the historical gaps in the plot and enrich his story literarily.
https://www.elnuevoherald.com/vivir-mejor/artes-letras/article312755127.htmlReview of El otro espía (The Other Spy) in Barbarito’s Cuban Library
Dear readers,
Here we are again with the second installment of the week—a gripping fictionalized tale rooted in real events, featuring characters inspired by true figures. It comes from one of our most distinguished masters of the espionage genre, Humberto López y Guerra, already familiar to our library through his outstanding works El traidor de Praga (The Traitor of Prague) and Triángulo de espías (Triangle of Spies).
Today, he surprises us once more with a vibrant and compelling plot—a veritable treatise on espionage and counter-espionage. Agents from both sides weave through the shadowy corridors of Havana, Hamburg, Berlin, New York, Barcelona, and Tangier, engaging in dense, high-stakes adventures that keep us riveted until the final page.
I wholeheartedly recommend it. Don’t miss out—come and read it!
https://labibliotecacubanadebarbarito.blogspot.com/…
MENCIONES / SPECIAL MENTIONS
The free and independent Cuban newspaper 14yMedio selected El otro espía (The Other Spy) as one of the fourteen most important Cuban books of 2025.
Reason: “For its part, the political thriller found solid expression in El otro espía, by Humberto López Guerra, a novel that uses espionage as a metaphor to explore loyalties, betrayals, and the exercise of power. Its narrative effectiveness and historical background made it one of the most talked‑about reads of the year.”
El diario cubano libre e independiente 14yMedio escogió al “El otro espía” entre los 14 libros cubanos más importantes en 2025.
Motivación: “Por su parte, el thriller político encontró una expresión sólida en El otro espía, de Humberto López Guerra, una novela que utiliza el espionaje como metáfora para explorar lealtades, traiciones y el ejercicio del poder. Su eficacia narrativa y su trasfondo histórico la convirtieron en una de las lecturas más comentadas del año.”
Enlace a 14yMedio