This story had a very interesting plot, but the writing style was so verbose that it detracted from the story.

I read many books in the series by this author that began with Everywhere that Mary Went. Over the years, Scottoline began to explore other kinds of fiction and wrote a number of standalones. This is an historical fiction title and one worth reading.

The author has penned a rather complicated story that involves kidnapping, hospitalization in a psychiatric facility, the beginnings of the Mafia, a Jewish character trying to stay alive, loyalty and relationships in many forms. Quite a lot to take on but Scottoline handles all of this very well while also bringing Sicily in the 1800s to life.

Historical fiction fans may well want to give this one a look.

Many thanks to Penguin Group and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.

I normally really enjoy Lisa Scottoline's books, but this one just wasn't for me. I didn't care for any of the characters and the story just did not hold my attention.

Fast pace- multiple narrators- about the early history of Sicily and the Mafia.
Writing was fine but not great.
And a few too many sub plots and characters to keep track of.

Thanks to Net Galley and Putnam for an early copy.

Epic in every sense! Following an impressive number of characters with nuanced and dynamic relationships over a significant length of time, Scottoline nevertheless keeps the narrative and emotional throughlines clear. This is one to get immersed in.

I couldn't even finish it. I tried for months -- I couldn't keep the characters straight and it didn't hold my interest enough to keep trying. I have never not finished a book before.

The book was great!! I love a good saga, and this one gripped me from the beginning. It's written in 4 parts and it had a mafia vibe. It was kind of about the birth of the Sicilian mafia and all of the Dons fighting to be top dog. The lengths they'd go to, who they'd hurt, the crimes they'd commit and how they'd justify it. It posits the question of whether family is only blood or also chosen. This is historical fiction but Lisa Scottoline definitely her research prepping for this and you can tell. I had visuals in my mind the entire book, of the scenery and the characters... by the time it got to part 4, I was desperate to know how it would all shake out. It was unpredictable and so good! Would definitely recommend!!

An amazing story that establishes the beginnings of the mafia originating out of the workers in the olive groves in Italy. A young boy is kidnapped and a determined lawyer Gaetano risks his career and his life to find the boy and return him to his parents. From this kidnapping the first mafia family rises.
The book has so many twists and turns, the reader is kept in suspense. This historical period is so interesting and Scottoline brings to life the characters and the times.
Recommended for all readers, especially those who love historical fiction.

Another great book by Lisa Scottoline! A great historical fiction novel about Sicily! Very engaging characters that are followed expanding years until the conclusion is revealed!

Where to begin? So many plots and sub-plots. While I love Scottoline’s legal thrillers, it took me a bit to get into this piece of historical fiction. It was an epic tale of good and evil and there was lots of evil, misery and cruelty. I did enjoy the book and the sweeping saga.

3.5*
It's 1810 Sicily and there are multiple threads at play in the novel. First, the book starts with an unsettling account of a little boy kidnapped and sent to a mental institution. Meanwhile, the farms are owned by the elite while the workers toil for little recompense. Franco and his twin Roberto are tired of never being allowed to own property or run their own business. They decide to take things into their own hands and band together with some loyal friends to change the status quo. They set up an organization that uses intimidation and violence to force others to comply with their mandates.

Gaetano is an earnest lawyer who is part of a secret organization that investigates crimes that the authorities overlook. He offers to spearhead an effort to locate the little boy who’s missing. But his efforts are complicated by the unwillingness of anyone to talk about the child, his name, his family, or the circumstances of the disappearance. Gaetano’s commitment to locating the child results in his own arrest and a prison sentence.

Two other sympathetic characters are key elements in the plot. There’s Lucia who was ostracized, along with her mother, shortly after her birth. She is albino and when she was born a tragedy occurred and the superstitious townsfolk blamed the disaster on the strange child. The second character is Alfredo, the last Jewish man left in Sicily. He keeps to himself and makes cheese from his goats who he refers to as his “daughters”. Despite telling everyone the cheese is not magical, people proclaim it to have healing powers and it leads to problems for Alfredo.

The plot jumps 15 years into the future and we find the abducted Dante (no longer a young child) has met Lucia and she would like to help him. Gaetano has been released from prison and continues his pursuit of the truth about the kidnapping case. Franco’s growing empire of thugs has become a mafia organization and his brother Roberto is beginning to tire of playing second fiddle. Tensions rise within the family.

Scottoline has written a riveting story of the beginnings of the mafia in Sicily. What starts out as brothers wanting a fair shot, devolves into an organization marked by brutality and coercion. In contrast to them, is the genuine goodness of Gaetano, Dante, Lucia and Alfredo. The author has tried to incorporate a number of elements into her complex plot. Each of the storylines could stand on its own. Perhaps mixing them together was too ambitious, making the book too complicated and broad.

I am normally a huge fan of Lisa Scottoline but did not like this book. There were so many disjointed stories going on and she brought them together at the end but for me it was hard to follow. Franco Fiorvanti is a lemon grower toiling on the estate of a baron. He is determined to secure a better future and will do anything to prove his loyalty to the baron. But when the baron asks him to kidnap a little boy named Dante, Franco makes a decision that will change his life forever.
Gaetano Catalano is a young lawyer who is a member of the Beati Paoli, a real-life secret society of men who investigate crime in Palermo. Gaetano sets out to find the boy who has been kidnapped, but his mission leads him to a darker place than he had ever imagined.
Mafalda Pancari is a new mother rejoicing at the birth of her daughter, Lucia, when disaster strikes. Alfredo D’Antonio is a reclusive goatherd under constant threat of being discovered as a Jew. At the end all of these lives come together to describe early Sicily. It was just very hard to follow.

I'm catching up on my backlogged TBR pile and I recently picked up Loyalty by Lisa Scottoline. It is a bit different than the other Scottoline books I've read. It is historical fiction set in Sicily. There is a bit of the suspense that Scottoline is known for.

I can't say that this is my favorite Scottoline book but it definitely had its interesting moments. I think it was more the time period that I didn't like rather than the actual story. I don't think an actual time frame is given but I would think that it is the early 1800s.

This was a really corrupt and unenlightened period of time. The period's corruption, poverty, and lawlessness were a poignant backdrop for the story.

The story begins with the kidnapping of a young boy who is then "hidden" away at an insane asylum (or madhouse as it is referred to). The doctor just goes through the motions of diagnosing the boy with madness and has him locked up. There is no medical treatment for the people here. They are just locked up and forgotten about. It's really sad and depressing especially since this was true of the time period.

What I found most interesting was the storyline involving the rise of the first mafia family. I had heard the term "self-made men" in relation to crime families in the U.S. And seeing how this mafia formed really underscored this term. At first, these men were hired to protect the lemon groves and the product when it went to market. Through their scheming, they made themselves into wealthy landowners in their own right.

The storylines merge together but not in ways you will expect.

I like when authors provide insight into the historical record that they based their books on. Scottoline provides a number of resources both in terms of a reading list at the end of the book as well as other materials on her website. This is great because the story did pique my interest in the time period and the region.

My review is published at Girl Who Reads - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2023/05/loyalty-by-lisa-scottoline-review.html

Lisa Scottoline's gripping second historical novel begins in Sicily in 1810 with the kidnapping of a little boy, Dante, which leads to the beginnings of the Mafia fifteen years later.

The rich narrative beautifully captures Sicily particularly its culture and food. There's multiple characters and subplots, but the author successfully manages to tie them together leading to not one, but two spectacular final chapters.

Loyalty is as scrumptious and tasty as ful-coarse Italian meal.

I love this author and pick up any book of hers to read without even reading the back cover because I know I’m going to like it. Loyalty was surprisingly NOT one of those books. It was hard to follow and not at all what this author typically writes. It is more of an historical fiction genre and not at all what I would have expected, or wanted to read, from this author. I did not even finish this book and would not recommend to others. Just not my type of book.

Scottoline has written a historical fiction suspense book. It is Sicily and the Mafia is just forming. Two brothers have the ambition of owning their own property but wit that dream comes some hard decisions. None of the dons want to give that privilege up - after all they have been born to it. A page turner that does not disappoint.

This was a total different kind of writing style for Lisa Scottoline and I just wasn’t a fan. I prefer her other works. But I understand they can’t or don’t want to always stick to the same style. I’ll still always read what she writes. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

I am a big fan of Scottoline. Her latest work was a bit different from her previous ones. While her writing is always skillful, this latest foray wasn't as satisfying as her previous ones.
It is obvious that she, as always, does extensive research and background on her themes. This one deftly examined the beginnings of the Mafia in Sicily. The story she wove was fascinating but there were so many concurrent storylines that it was hard to keep track of all the happenings. It was also tricky to keep track of the various characters and their interwoven relationships, although a character tree was provided at the outset of the story. The inherent violence was ever-present which was written in what seemed the way it was. Yet, the storylines seemed too neatly concluded by the end.
I especially liked the follow-up at the book's conclusion providing additional information on research. Even though this wasn't my favorite, I look forward to her next book.

*Many thanks to Penguin Group / Putnam Sons and NetGalley for my gifted eARC*

I am a huge Lisa Scottoline fan, so I requested this book without even reading the synopsis. This is a different take then her previous novels, and this one was not my favorite.

A young boy is kidnapped and he grows up in a mad house...okay doesn't sound bad, right? There are just way to many characters I was confused the whole time. Sadly because there were so many characters I just didn't connect with any of them and I basically skimmed a lot of parts. I will definitely read Scottoline's next book, this one just was not for me unfortunately

Its a lot of stories to keep track of and back and forth in time. So while it was a good story it took tine to get invested. It wasn't one that made me want to keep reading unlike her other books ive read.