Although Lisa Scottoline is known for her legal thrillers, her novel Loyalty is historical fiction based on the origins of the Mafia. This book is about loyalty and how it can be good or bad.
Sicily is the background for this novel, and its lemon groves play a prominent role. There are several plotlines, and Scottoline does an excellent job of tying them all together. Franco wants to be a big man in agriculture and when his boss asks him to kidnap a young boy, he doesn’t hesitate. Gaetano is a lawyer and belongs to a secret society that tries to stop the crimes occurring in their neighborhood. He wants to find the kidnapped boy. Malfalda is a new mother with a daughter with albino coloring. Her village has just had a tragedy for which she is blamed. Alfredo is a goatherd who is hiding the fact that he is a Jew. How these characters navigate their lives and intersect with each other makes for a riveting story.
The Mafia plotline in this book is concerned with the social impact of criminal actions. Scottoline portrays the way that justice is often shortchanged because of the way people use it for their own needs. The book is exciting, and you will be turning pages as quickly as you can to find out how everything ties together.
A well-written historical novel, Loyalty will introduce you to the origins of the Mafia, the culture of Sicily, and a cast of unforgettable characters. Check it out today!
