If it is realistic Sicilian Mafia drama set in New York City that you're seeking, you couldn't go far wrong with picking up Sal Ardisi, Karen Nordahl & Rob Colouri's new novel, The Beginning - Alliance, a book that traces the history and descendants of one famous mob boss, "Sally Balls".
When Salvatore DePriate leaves his Sicilian homeland to seek his fortune, a mistake sees him board a ship for the United States, instead of the planned Rome. Unfazed, Salvatore quickly settles into his life in the new world and became a leading figure in the underworld of New York. Desperate for an heir to his empire, Sally Balls was disappointed with his son's disinterest in his business. Sally's hope for someone to work with him transferred to his two grandsons, Tommy and Frankie.
Tommy, Frankie and their best friend Anthony were inseparable growing up, although their lives would take a different direction as they grew older. Tommy would drift into his Grandfather's crime business, while Frankie and Anthony would both choose the opposite side of the fence, opting to join the Police Force.
This story is well-written, easy to read and feels very true-to-life. Three authors is unusual, to say the least, but in this case it seems to work well. The authors did extremely well to create and nourish the obvious conflict that arose between the boys' duty to Law and Order and Tommy's clear flouting of all the laws and his expectations that he could get away with it, just as his Grandfather had been successfully doing for so long. Of the three main characters, I perhaps felt the most affinity for Frankie, whose search for stability and happiness had left behind a broken marriage, a lot of empty bottles and ultimately true tragedy.
The Beginning - Alliance, it appears, is the first in a planned series of books and as such, it sets up the next episode extremely well. Everything is not always as it seems, would appear to be the most likeliest motto I could take from this book. I enjoyed the characters, the action and the lifestyle depictions and look forward to the next offering from this author team. This book is an excellent start to what promises to be an exciting series.
When Salvatore DePriate leaves his Sicilian homeland to seek his fortune, a mistake sees him board a ship for the United States, instead of the planned Rome. Unfazed, Salvatore quickly settles into his life in the new world and became a leading figure in the underworld of New York. Desperate for an heir to his empire, Sally Balls was disappointed with his son's disinterest in his business. Sally's hope for someone to work with him transferred to his two grandsons, Tommy and Frankie.
Tommy, Frankie and their best friend Anthony were inseparable growing up, although their lives would take a different direction as they grew older. Tommy would drift into his Grandfather's crime business, while Frankie and Anthony would both choose the opposite side of the fence, opting to join the Police Force.
This story is well-written, easy to read and feels very true-to-life. Three authors is unusual, to say the least, but in this case it seems to work well. The authors did extremely well to create and nourish the obvious conflict that arose between the boys' duty to Law and Order and Tommy's clear flouting of all the laws and his expectations that he could get away with it, just as his Grandfather had been successfully doing for so long. Of the three main characters, I perhaps felt the most affinity for Frankie, whose search for stability and happiness had left behind a broken marriage, a lot of empty bottles and ultimately true tragedy.
The Beginning - Alliance, it appears, is the first in a planned series of books and as such, it sets up the next episode extremely well. Everything is not always as it seems, would appear to be the most likeliest motto I could take from this book. I enjoyed the characters, the action and the lifestyle depictions and look forward to the next offering from this author team. This book is an excellent start to what promises to be an exciting series.
You can find The Beginning - Alliance by Sal Ardisi, Karen Nordahl and Rob Calouri, here on Amazon:
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