The Cigar Maker

Bronze Medal, Historical Fiction: 2011 Independent Publisher Book Awards

Finalist - 2011 National Indie Excellence Book Awards, Historical Fiction

Finalist: 2010 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards, Historical Fiction

Winner: General Fiction Honorable Mention, London Book Festival

Winner: General Fiction Honorable Mention, New England Book Festival

"McGinty creates a vibrant, hectic and exciting atmosphere as he describes the bolita games, cock fighting and the constant struggle between immigrant workers and the 'Captains' of the cigar industry." --The Tampa Examiner

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. Based on true events.