April 2023

In LOYALTY, Lisa Scottoline takes us to Sicily in the 1800s where the Mafia was born. The Mafia was originally organized to offer protection from those who were trying to hijack lemon crops on their way to market. But this quickly became more criminal and radical, as the “price” to protect crops spilled into other businesses. And the idea of “the family” was born. Lisa brings us inside Sicily at this time, sharing a story through the eyes of four characters. One will be the head of “the family”; another will be cast from her village; a shepherd, who is a Jew, will lose his flock, and a lawyer will look for justice for a boy who was kidnapped. Once you start reading, you will wonder how these disparate characters will come together.

Lisa not only will get you there, but along the way she will deliver the smells, the tastes and the scenery of Sicily to you. And when these very different storylines converge, you will see how brilliantly this book was plotted and developed. Lisa traveled to Sicily for her research, and the characters came to her while she was there. Her pre-travel research gave her the basics about the setting, but being there infused the ideas for the story as she pictured what would have happened in each part of Sicily. She also conveys the vastness of the landscape and what is unique to Sicily. This is her second work of historical fiction, following ETERNAL. I really look forward to seeing what she does next! Book groups, note that there is a lot to talk about here.