About the Book
Cork, Crime & Coming of Age
Before the mob ruled Miami. Before the whispers turned digital. There was Ybor.
1956. In Tampa’s immigrant quarter, two boys—MatĂas Delgado and Ricky Morelli—navigate the dusty alleys, corner cafĂ©s, and corkball streets of a city built on cigars, sweat, and secrets. But Ybor doesn't stay innocent for long.
Matty wants a quiet life, just enough money to help his mother and stay out of trouble. Ricky has other plans—plans that come wrapped in loyalty, family debt, and a path paved by Florida’s quietest mafia. When a tunnel under the city leads to hidden files, vanished names, and an uncle with blood on his hands, the boys are forced to grow up faster than the law allows.
The Ybor Boys: Cork, Crime & Coming of Age is the gripping first book in J.D. Viento’s noir-inspired saga—a coming-of-age crime story rich with 1950s grit, buried legacies, and the ghosts of a city that never forgets.
Coming Soon from J.D. Viento
The city may sleep... but the truth keeps moving.
The Ybor Boys
is only the beginning.
What starts with a loaf of bread and a hidden reel unravels into a multi-book saga of family, betrayal, and the codes that built — and broke — a city.
Each book digs deeper into the shadows of Florida’s underworld, revealing new alliances, forgotten names, and the cost of remembering. From secret tunnels beneath the bakery to backroom deals in Havana, Matty and Ricky aren’t just trying to survive.
They’re trying to rewrite what legacy means — before someone else buries the truth for good.
