Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for gifting me a digital ARC of the new historical fiction book by a favorite, Lisa Scottoline, who consistently proves that she can write in any genre! 5 stars!
It's the 1800s in Sicily and Franco Fiorvante is a lemon-grower on the estate of boss Baron Zito. Franco dreams of owning his own lemon grove, but the rigid class system of Sicily thwarts his ambitions. Determined to secure a prosperous future, Franco will do anything to prove his loyalty to the Baron. But when Baron Zito asks him to arrange the kidnapping of a little boy, Franco crosses the point of no return, setting in motion the making of the world’s first Mafia family. Gaetano Catalano is an idealistic young lawyer, whose devotion for justice is a calling. Gaetano is a member of the Beati Paoli, a real-life secret society of aristocrats who investigate crime. For Gaetano, the mission to find the kidnapped boy turns to obsession, and he risks losing everything.
This was an impeccably researched and written historical tale of the beginnings of a Mafia family. We watch how Franco changes - his honest ambition and dreams soon turn his lust for power into a curse. We meet a variety of interesting characters along the way - in the beginning, I wondered how all these individual stories would come together but of course they do spectacularly. Your heart will ache for these people and stories. Plus, it's like stepping back in time to another world, where you can all but smell and taste the food as well as feel the hardships of the people's lives. I didn't want this book to end - highly recommended!
No comments:
Post a Comment