CUBA LIBRE

CUBA LIBRE Elmore Leonard (Delacorte, $23.95) When American horse breaker Ben Tyler is hired to run guns to Cuba on the eve of the Spanish-American War in 1898, he knows it's a dicey proposition. Once there, he's surrounded by the Guardia Civil, Cuban revolutionaries, and, of course, a beautiful love interest, none of whose allegiances are clear. On a wild quest to secure a $40,000 ransom for a staged kidnapping, Tyler encounters a series of double crosses and a goodly amount of bloodshed. Leonard fans may be surprised by the locale and time frame of this novel -- his 34th -- but they won't be disappointed. His spare, precise descriptions and masterful comic touches still grace each page. A- -- Katherine Hazelwood

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