Havana Nocturne

Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the Revolution by T. J. English is a vivid, deeply reported account of how American organized crime turned Havana into a glittering empire of casinos, gambling, prostitution, and corruption in the 1940s and 1950s. English traces the key players from mob bosses to Batista cronies, exposing the violence, bribery, and political collusion that sustained the rackets while eroding Cuban society. Drawing on archival research and eyewitness testimony, the book shows how the moral and political entanglement of the mob and the regime helped spark the popular revolt that expelled them and transformed Cuba.