Loyalty - Lisa Scottoline

 Loyalty - Lisa Scottoline

Publication Date:  March 28, 2023

She read

I was a fan of Scottoline’s Rosato and Associates series, but I don’t think there has been a new one in about 5 years.  Lately, the author has branched out into writing other genres, including this piece of historical fiction.

Featuring a wide cast of characters, Scottoline presents a fictional account based on the real story behind the rise of the Mafia in Sicily.  Among them, there is Franco who will never be accepted by the upper class, but will do anything at their bidding until he develops his own army to “protect” the lemon growing industry on the island. He is ruthless in becoming capo di tuti capi.” Dante is one of a number of boys kidnapped from their families in Palermo; Gaetano an attorney who risks all to try to find the missing children; Lucia the Albino child whose rare condition results in  her mother being cast out from her home.  There is also a man hiding his Jewish roots because Jews have been expelled from Sicily; townspeople attribute magical properties to the cheese he makes and claim he is a wizard!

Initially, I felt the plot to be all over the place and the dialog a bit simplistic.  In time, though, the storylines did come together, revolving around themes of justice, revenge, loyalty.  While I wasn’t enamored of the writing, I did enjoy the fast pace, the suspense and learning the historical basis for the Mafia (and the meaning of the term, mafiosi).

Be sure to read the author notes at the conclusion of the book.

Thanks to #netgalley and #penguinbooks #gpputnamssons for the ARC.

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