I’ve always like Lisa Scottloline’s books and was so happy when she decided to deviate from her usual detective stories to historical fiction. I devoured her book, Eternal, so I was excited to get my hands on her latest book, Loyalty. Once again, it’s historical fiction and takes place in Sicily in the 1800’s and deals with the rise of the Mafia. It was obvious throughout the story that the author had done a tremendous amount of research for her book. I highly recommend reading the Author’s Note at the end of the book as it really sheds light on her research and what exactly was in the story was true as opposed to fiction. That being said, while I did enjoy the story, I just didn’t feel as connected to this book as I did to Eternal. There are a number of different characters introduced throughout the book and ultimately their stories are all connected. The author does a masterful job of connecting these stories and adding a bit of intrigue to them as well.
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Che figata! This new release from Lisa Scottoline, set in Sicily in the early 19th century, is a masterpiece. I flew through the pages, totally engrossed in this tale of the birth of the Mafioso. Built on a false loyalty, many confused revenge with justice and lost sight of how to love their fellow man. This story is not without hope. Sprinkled throughout are characters who pursue truth and persist in doing good for others. This book is like a tapestry. Threads of many colors come together in a masterful saga. I loved it and encourage other readers to jump in without too much research in advance. If you loved her last historical fiction title Eternal, I predict you will love this one even more.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loyalty is Lisa Scottoline's second historical fiction novel. I loved her first, Eternal, and was eager to read this one. There are several characters who we get to know throughout the book.
Dante: kidnapped as a child and left in a madhouse
Gaetano: a lawyer obsessed with finding the kidnapped children, including Dante
Franco: one of Baron Zito's men who manages a lemon grove. He aspires to a higher station.
Mafalda: a woman who is run out of her town after her baby is born albino and there is a disaster at sea
Alfredo: a cheesemaker who flees his town after his cheese gets too much notoriety for being charmed

Throughout the book, the chapters shift from character to character, and they are short. For the first half, this felt very disjointed, and it was hard to get to know any one character. The second half began to weave the characters together, and the story actually took shape. I didn't love this book the way I loved Eternal, but it was an interesting story about the rise of the Mafia in 1800s Sicily. 3 stars to the first half, but 4 for the second.

Lisa Scottoline is one of my favorite authors. I read her first book in the Rosato & Associates series soon after it was published and I was hooked! For years, I have gleefully anticipated her next book and her next and her next. I enjoyed all of them! As someone who also enjoys reading historical fiction, I was pleased when she published her first historical fiction novel, Eternal. Since I loved Eternal so much, I was excited to learn that she was publishing another historical fiction novel, Loyalty. However, with Loyalty, I was somewhat disappointed. When I received my copy, I read several chapters and found it did not hold my interest. I put it down and then picked it back up a couple months later, starting at the beginning again. This second time, I was more engaged and I became interested in what was happening in the story. However, Loyalty is definitely my least favorite Scottoline novel.

Loyalty takes place in Sicily in the early 1800’s during the time of the rise of the Mafia. The story contains a lot of tragedy, heartache, injustice, and violence, yet there also is love and kindness. Several plotlines, each focusing on a character or group of characters, are told in alternating chapters: a kidnapped boy, a power-hungry lemon grower, an idealistic lawyer, a woman who gives birth to an albino girl, and a reclusive goatherd who sells cheese. Some of these stories are linked together by a thin thread, while others seemed to stand alone. As I read the book, I kept wondering how all the stories would converge. They did at the end, but it seemed a bit contrived. There are an innumerable amount of characters, however, Scottoline did provide a guide to the major characters. This helped, but I still had trouble distinguishing between many of the minor characters and was frequently confused. Scottoline uses Italian words and phrases throughout the novel. The meanings of some of the words could be figured out through context, but others could not. A glossary of the Italian words and phrases would have been a helpful addition to the book.

Overall, I thought Loyalty was well-written and well-researched. The story did not grab me until I was over halfway through. During the last third of the book, I could not put it down. Historical fiction is a new genre for Scottoline and I do hope she continues to write in this genre. However, my favorites are still her legal thrillers and I hope she continues to write those as well. I love her writing and will always be a fan! I look forward to her next novel – whatever it may be!

I am giving it a 3.5 but will round up to 4 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book took me a while to get invested in. I found at the beginning that there were too many storylines and I just wanted to finish the book. Once the story and characters came together, it was much more interesting for me and I enjoyed the rest of the book.



Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

Historical fiction novel that takes place in Sicily in the early 1800s and follows the beginnings of the Mafia families there. There are also several other stories woven in, with some lovely characters who have love, faith and family at the center of their lives. Scottoline expertly weaves fact with fiction, and good versus evil in a satisfying novel.

This historical fiction novel will captivate you as you travel through Italy and learn about how the Sicilian mafia started. A young boy is kidnapped and the story sets off with intersecting lines that will come together in this story of love, loyalty, and revenge.

If you think you know the origins of the Mafia, think again. In this story that takes place in the 1800s Sicily, the author carefully tells the story of how the Mafia grew from the lemon gardens and the quest for power. The themes of power, loyalty, and family are strong throughout the book. There were several story lines that were creatively woven together to tell the story. One story line was about a lawyer, Gaetano, that made it his life's mission to find kidnapped children and reunite them with family.. Another was the story of the one of the kidnapped children, Dante, and how he coped with his isolation in a 'madhouse' with adults when he was a child. A third story told of a child, Lucia, born as an albino and everyone thought she was cursed and were afraid of her. The fourth story told of Franco and his twin brother, Robert, and Franco's quest for all the power and loyalty. There are a lot of characters and information to take in at the beginning, but the author brings it all together so it makes sense. It is so well researched, you feel like you are walking the streets throughout Sicily, you are smelling the ocean and the lemons, and you feel the longing for loyalty. The author notes at the end explain so much and the author has put plenty of pictures and videos on her website to dive further into the story and background. If you like historical fiction and want a complex story, this is the book for you.

Thank you Putnam Books and Net Galley for an ARC of Loyalty by Lisa Scottoline in exchange for an honest review.

I love historical fiction set in Italy, so I'm definitely the target audience for this book. I also don't know much about the origins of the Mafia, so it was fun to see Lisa Scottoline's interpretation of how the group was formed in nineteenth-century Sicily against the backdrop of its plentiful lemon groves. There are many storylines and characters to keep track of, some of whom are more compelling than others, but their inclusion fleshes out the setting nicely and kept me invested in the book. Don't skip the author's note at the end; it provides some historical context and gives the reader insight into Scottoline's research process, which is compelling.

Lisa Scottoline knocked this one out of the park. Loyalty will be a top read of the year for me, and I just cannot recommend this one highly enough! Thank you to NetGalley and G. P. Putnam's Sons for the advanced e-copy of this book (publish date 3/28).

Set in Sicily starting in 1810, Loyalty follows a singular time line with multiple points of view. But don't let the lengthly list of characters discourage you. Each story line is different enough that it is not hard to keep track of them, and it just works beautifully as they are gradually woven together to create this masterpiece. You learn of the birth of the Sicilian mafia, the importance of Sicilian lemon groves, secret societies, corruption in the police department, the abuses of the mental health facilities, the dangers of the shipping industry, and several other cultural aspects of Sicily at the time. The ending, which includes the blending of story lines and characters, is immensely satisfying including poetic justice for some and redemption for others.

You simply MUST read this book!

Lisa Scottoline offers us an entertaining stand alone story-- historical fiction -- that opens in Palermo, Sicily in 1810. Early on, Franco Fiorivanti, who serves as the manager of a lemon grove for a local Baron, gets involved in a favor for the Baron that sets off a chain of events making up the largest part of this novel. Franco, is ambitious, but he is not in a class or economic position to turn down his employer. He will do just about anything for his boss and this is evidence of that fact: The favor is ensuring that a five year old boy is kidnapped.

Scottoline weaves together Franco's story with others, including some great multidimensional characters, along with some fabulously sketched minor players to add constant color and texture to the story. Among these characters are wives and children, servants, employees and inmates of the local mad house, the owner of a sulphur mine some hours away, an elderly goat cheese maker who believes he is the last practicing Jew in Sicily, a housekeeper who can do anything her employer wants-- for a price, a novitiate in a convent, a resourceful mother raising her child to live off the land and protect itself, a wide array of criminals and more. In the course of all this, we learn about the barbaric treatment of the mentally ill in this period and the beginnings of a reform movement; child labor issues; superstition; faith; what it was like to toil in a sulphur mine (not fun); the lemon grove "industry"; who had the right to own land in early 19th century Italy and much much more.

Gaetano Catalano is a fairly new lawyer working in the office of an established lawyer. He tends to be distracted by a compulsion to perform good works as a member of a secret society, Beati Paoli, made up of members of the aristocracy. Gaetano fervently admires St. Paul. The society identifies and tries to solve crimes that are not getting sufficient police attention. He is so idealistic that his search for the kidnapped child and the kidnapper impacts his work, his marriage and potentially his future.

Mafalda, a young wife in a fishing town, is about to be a first time mother. Something happens that impacts her little family's life in the town, right around the time she gives birth. Superstitious nonsense takes hold and Mafalda must make decisions quickly that lead to a story that evolves throughout the novel.

The entire story is told simply, like a fable pointing us to the consequences of our choices and actions. Scottoline vibrantly brings alive a period in Sicily covering over twenty years. She creates images of where her characters live, what they eat, how they survive day to day and what drives them to make the choices they make at any cost. She does a wonderful job weaving a variety of apparently unrelated stories together, without once making me ask myself, "where is this going?" I was enjoying the journey too much and totally engaged in each of the tales. Scottoline did not let me down, neatly concluding each story that matters.

I really liked this book and can highly recommend it.

I was impressed by the amount of research Scottoline did to write this novel. It is extensive in scope and variety of characters and links to Italian history. There are characters who are portrayed so well: Franco is a memorable villain and Gaetano a dedicated detective. The intersecting stories keep the reader turning the pages.

In this novel, many lives are changed after a young boy is kidnapped in Sicily. This tells his story but also the stories of those around him.

This book wasn't what I was expecting. I thought it would be more suspense and thriller based than it was.

On the island of Sicily in the year 1810, we are introduced to an array of characters that immediately become a part of you! The cast is wide (there's a cheat sheet at the beginning), but the stories of each person are so engrossing that it's easy to stay connected to the book!

The vibe is small, quaint villages where Alfredo makes cheese and brings it to market when he has a batch, but then his rise in popularity due to falsehoods arise. A child is kidnapped at a festival but no one speaks of it. An attorney takes it upon himself to investigate. A woman finally has a much desired baby, to find that she is so different that she fears others to look upon her. Lemon tree groves paint the hilly land that Franco runs but wishes to own, he slowly finds a way as he expects "loyalty" from those around him and the beginning threads of the mafia are formed. These individuals are slowly weaved together in beautiful fashion to tell an immersive story that I had a hard time putting down!

Little snippets of history or Italian names came up and I found myself going to the internet to research the little details which is always the sign of good storytelling. I love when I can learn from a book in a really fun way!

I buddy read this book with a couple of friends and that also really helped this book bloom as we discussed the little details and made guesses as to where it was going.

This book is a mix of history, people behaviors, the Italian land, steeped in mystery with a title that sets the stage!

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the advance e-copy of this book.

Another winner by Lisa Scottoline. Sicily in the 1800's, multiple characters representing, wealth, greed, obsession, religion. Rich descriptions of the people, places and events make this historical fiction/drama a winner. Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.

Lisa Scottoline has been a favorite author of mine for many years. I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction but because of the author, I gave it a chance. Her writing style stayed true with this genre so it was well written with an intriguing plot. I will always read books by her and highly recommend anything she writes!

Loyalty by Lisa Scottoline is a highly recommended historical fiction novel depicting the beginning of the Sicilian Mafia in the 19th-century.

In the opening, five-year-old Dante Michangeli is abducted while at the Festival of St. Rosalia with his mother and left in a madhouse. During this same time Franco Fiorvanti manages and works in the lemon grove on the estate of a baron. Any ambition he has is limited by the rigid class system in Sicily. He and his twin brother Roberto Fiorvanti have a money making idea to protect people traveling to the market with their produce, a protection racket that will provide the power and wealth he desires. Dante was kidnapped by Franco at the bequest of the baron but did not kill him as ordered, which changed the history of Sicily. Fifteen years after the kidnapping, local attorney Gaetano Catalano searches for Dante, now 20-years-old.

This is just a small part of the many plot threads, sub-plots, and multiple characters in this expansive action-packed historical thriller. While it took time, patience, and careful concentration to follow all the sub-plots and keep track of the many characters, which made reading take on a slow pace, everything does come together at the end. A list of characters is found at the beginning of the novel, which is very helpful as more and more are introduced. The characters portrayed are memorable, interesting, and come to life.

Loyalty is an epic tale of good versus evil, love, and justice while bringing historical fiction to life. I'm a huge fan of Scottoline's thrillers but not quite as enamored with historical fiction, however, fans of historical crime fiction who appreciate broad stories with many plot threads will enjoy this novel.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of G.P. Putnam via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, Edelweiss, and Amazon.

Lisa Scottoline is one of my favorite authors! I have loved all of her books so far. This is my first of her historical fiction books. I was blown away at how easy she mastered a new genre! This book was so fascinating and the characters so real you feel like you are actually visiting Sicily history taking place before your very eyes as the first mafia rises and you can almost smell the lemons. So many surprises and twists and turns that only a master storyteller can do! I can't even pick a favorite character because I liked so many of them, especially Dante, Lucia, Alfredo and Gaetano. Love, Hate, Revenge and Suspense....this book has it all. Make sure to read the author's comments at the end for so much extra insight. Locations in the book can also be viewed on videos on her site to give even more depth to the story! Thanks to #NetGalley for this amazing ARC!!! I can't wait to see what this author writes next!!!

My thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Group-Putnam Books for an advanced copy of this e-book. Pub Day 3/28/23.

Early 1800's Sicily. Franco who runs the profitable lemon grove for Baron Zito, wants to own a lemon grove of his own but the class system won't allow this. With some twists and turns he begins what we know as the Mafia, the "mafioso". He gets his twin brother, Roberto, to run it with him, but Franco is clearly "the godfather".

Gaetano, a young idealistic lawyer is led in his spirit by Saint Paul to seek out who kidnapped a young boy in town. Palermo is place no one trusts the police and you don't go to them for help.

There is a terrible tragic fishing accident in a coastal village that kills all the fisherman except one who washes up alive. This is night his wife gives birth. These tragedies and a mob mentality looking for someone to blame brings tragedy to this young couple and their new baby.

An interesting character Alfredo, the cheesemaker, becomes mythic to his local town. Some worshipped him and some wanted him dead.

So many interesting characters in the story that the author, thankfully, gives a character list for the reader. And the Author's Note is a must read to find out how much of this book is actual history. The beginnings of the mafia, the famous lemon groves, the castle, the chapels, the madhouse. A fascinating look at Sicily's history woven with an unputdownable story line. I highly recommend this wonderful book!

Thank you #NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.

I’m an avid reader of Lisa Scottoline’s work. I’ve read her series and her stand alone books. I’ve also read Eternal, which is another piece of her historical fiction. Like Eternal, I’m not as impressed with Loyalty. Hence the three star rating for both. While loyalty might bring me back to Lisa’s work, Loyalty just didn’t keep me interested.

This work, reportedly about one of the first mafias of Sicily, was to my eye, more of a jumble of characters and their own personal accounts. In fact it was broken into short chapters featuring the mafia don, a lawyer, a kidnapped child, an albino female child, etc. As you might imagine, it was difficult it keep up with each of their names, let alone stories. In fact, it was over halfway through the book before I began to see how they might come together. Even the remainder of the book didn’t quite pull it all to a cohesive story for me.

Although this didn’t quite live up to Scottoline’s standard to me, it was clear she’d done a lot of research. Much appreciated!

Like Eternal, I must mention that she used many Italian words and phrases that had me going to my dictionary. Some of which I never found.

Still a L. S. fan. I’ll just choose a bit more carefully.