It is about The Cigar City. The year is 1898. Young Cuban rebel Salvador Ortiz and his family have escaped the hardship of war-torn Cuba, but the union halls, cigar factories, and dark alleys of Tampa are filled with violence and vendetta. Salvador must defy constant labor strife and deadly corruption in a one-industry town known for backroom cockfights, street thugs, late-night abductions and mass production of the world’s best hand-rolled stogies. An ideological battle for control of the cigar industry tests Salvador’s self-respect and love of hard work as he fights to abandon his rambunctious, outlaw past and lead his proud Cuban family into a colorful immigrant society. His wish for a peaceful life as a husband, a father, and a man of dignity is threatened by a lawless underworld and a cultural conflict with a dangerous, bloody history.
Midwest Book Review gave it 5 stars and said it was "highly recommended." The Cigar Inspector said "I had a hard time putting it down."
Written in the style of Mario Puzo, painstakingly researched and lovingly
crafted, Mark McGinty’s The Cigar Maker blends fact and fiction and tells a
little known tale of American history. Already reaching #1 on Amazon’s cigar
best-sellers, this is Les Misérables meets the Buena Vista Social Club.
