My thanks to both NetGalley and the the publisher Penguin Group- Putnam for an advanced copy of this epic saga of historical fiction set in Sicily during the early part of the nineteenth century.

The best advice an author can get in starting a writing career is write what you know. This way as you learn the skill of fiction, how to craft a story, make characters a reader cares about, and how to sustain a narrative involving numerous storylines, one always can be sure of having control over one aspect. If a writer knows about plants, write about plants, give the character an interest in plants, and there is something to develope a traits that can make a character someone readers care about. If one knows the law, start with a legal thriller and learn from each book, gaining in ability and confidence, until moving up to big generational sagas set in different countries, with sprawling stories and numerous characters. Like Lisa Scottoline has done. Scottoline's Loyalty is set in Sicily during the rise of the Mafia in a time when certain people would do anything to rise up, and others would do anything for justice, and for love.

Franco Fiorvanti is a young man with lots of dreams and aspirations but living in Sicily during the 1820's and 1830's is caught in a class system that keeps people down, except for the rich and powerful. Franco is a lemon grower, tending a a large grove for Baron Zito who can smell the ambition and drive in the young man, an ambition that the Baron can use, and control. Slowly Franco begins to do favors for the Baron, favors that slowly turn darker and darker, until he asked to eliminate a young boy. Franco kidnaps the boy, Dante, placing him in a sanitarium where he grows up lost and confused. However others are looking for the boy, and these forces will all meet and change the history of Sicily.

A sweeping story with lots of characters, historical events, subplots and written in a style that is almost James Michener- like in scope, but better in the writing. Or should I say Mario Puzo- like as this is a story about the Sicilian mob and the island, groups and people that crafted them. This is much more than just a crime story, filled with lots of characters, who live, love, and readers will get come to care about, or boo them, depending on the characters actions. Scottoline has really progressed as a writer, starting with legal thrillers which were okay when reading but hardly memorable to being a writer of very rich, strong historical fiction epics. The plots are well told, the narrative is quite clear and never does the reader lose the plot nor feel bored. A very enthralling read.

Recommended for readers who miss those big novels, with lots of plot and characters that take one to exotic locales, and really tell a story. A book that is too good to wait for the beach. Lisa Scottoline has been on a real roll recently in her writing I look forward to what Scottoline has planned next.

This is not a normal Lisa Scottoline book. That was one of the reasons I knew I had to read it. I wanted to see how she wrote something different. This was a really good read. Some parts of the book got a little slower then I'm used to when reading her books but that didn't make me put it down. The characters were written so beautifully. I highly recommend this book and every other book Lisa Scottoline has written.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for allowing me to read this ARC in advance.

Dark, twisty, and superbly researched, Lisa Scottoline’s latest historical, Loyalty, is a fascinating read about the origin of the mafia and explores myriad themes, including family, love, faith, revenge, prejudice, justice, and, of course, loyalty. Scottoline brings 19th century Sicily to life and made me crave lemons and add Sicily to my list of potential vacation destinations. And while I’ve seen other reviews complaining about the complexity of the tale and the number of characters featured, I thought this book was brilliantly constructed. I love historical fiction that educates me and keeps my brain engaged. Also on the topic of expanding my knowledge base, Scottoline’s interesting and well crafted author’s note at the end of the book was very helpful in clarifying the lines between fact and fiction in her story. Highly recommended to fans of smart historical thrillers.

Many thanks to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for a complimentary ARC. Opinions are my own.

Amazing amazing amazing!!! Just when you think Lisa Scottoline can not possibly write a better book than Eternal here comes Loyalty. Italian mafia meets kidnapped little boys meets Mother on the run equals a book that I could not put down!!! Thank you so much for the ARC of this book to read and review!!!

RUN out to read this exceptional new historical fiction by Scottoline, who steps again outside of her usual legal thrillers, to craft a powerful, evocative novel set in early 1800’s Sicily and the birth of the mafia among the lemon groves.

The novel opens in with a smalltown festival, where 5-year-old Dante gets kidnapped and locked away in a horrible insane asylum. His parents stay silent, wary of involving the police as prior kidnappings for ransom ended in children never being returned. The kidnapping has been set up by Franco, an ambitious lemon grove manager who’s subservient to his wealthy land-owning, Baron boss but stridently ambitious in one day owning his own groves. Franco’s motivation for doing so serves as one of the central mysteries of the book.

In managing the lemon groves, Franco calls upon on his twin brother Roberto and his assorted 19th century bad-ass friends to protect the lemons on route to market: as the marked poverty of Sicily’s population has led to desperate raids by the impoverished. This guns-for-hire protection for the lemons expands to all the other lemon producers, and then to vineyards, laying the foundation for Italy’s infamous mafia. And the stark contrast between the nobility and peasant captures the fomenting unrest of the oppressed.

Powerful subplots involved three isolated Sicilians blend into Scottoline’s compelling storyline. A young local attorney, Gaetano, feels so moved by the boy’s disappearance that he launches into a passionate search for the boy that ends up threatening his own legal career. Gaetano serves as a member of the real life Beati Paoli, a secret society trying to protect their city of Palermo from corruptions. Alfredo, an accomplished cheese maker seeks to hide his identity as one of the last Jew’s on Sicily after all other were driven off the island. Mafalda is a mom on the run, to protect her albino daughter Lucia from being attacked as a harbinger of ill fortune.

Everything collides in plot twists that leave you breathless.

Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

"Loyalty", by Lisa Scottoline is a wonderful historical novel. It is about love, loyalty, hatred, ambition, and the beginnings of the Mafia. Set in Sicily of the early 1880's, the book starts out by introducing the reader to several main characters. As the book progresses, you find out how the characters' lives become intertwined.
I will admit that when I started reading "Loyalty" and the chapters kept highlighting different families of Palermo, Sicily, I wondered what I had gotten into. I couldn't figure out how all these very different characters would interact. But once I noticed the thread, I was hooked. And don't skip over the afterward where Ms. Scottoline explains the truths and fiction of the story.
I thank the author, her publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read the prepub edition of "Loyalty."

I have read almost all books by this author which is usually legal fiction and have always enjoyed them. This book was very different from her other books as it is historical fiction with the beginning of the mafia in Sicily where the story takes place.
The story starts with a kidnapping of a young boy and from there progresses to quite a few story lines; love, betrayal, loyalty and perseverance. There are many characters and at times hard to remember who they all are and how they are connected. Finally, at the end it all comes together.
I found the book very hard to follow at the beginning and with all the different characters I felt it just wasn’t up to par as her other books.

Welcome to Sicily during the height of the Mafia. This book had a lot going on, it all does come together , so stay with it. This author is one of my favorites and this book was a challenge but I am so glad I stick with it

Scottoline has penned a novel of historical fiction that takes the reader on a journey through lovely Sicily in the 1800’s. 

Here you learn of the rise of the mafia in Sicily, and the way power and greed cause abject corruption. The choices her characters make both magnify, yet incumber the people of this small town. 

You see, young boys are being kidnapped from the wealthy. Dante is kidnapped first and imprisoned in a madhouse or insane asylum. A 6 year old boy living amount the raving mad. His abuse and torture is brutal. Then more boys begin to disappear and only one man (a lawyer) is compelled through his faith to find them, no matter the personal sacrifices which are extreme for both him and the boys.

 I’ll mention just a few of the numerous colorful, characters like Lucia and Mufalada, who are run out from their home since Lucia is born albino, an abomination in the eyes of the townsfolk. The town believes the baby is a curse so Mufalda chooses to flee and live off the land in order to raise her child she believes has been sent from God as a blessing, not a curse. Then the kind cheese maker/goat farmer with his four beloved daughters. His daughters, Bella, Flora, Valentina, and Ginevra,, are his goats,


As the story progresses, the players converge, revealing death and destruction, love and forgiveness and justice and revenge. 


This book is fast paced, and the writing top notch. You can truly visualize the breathtaking experience of Sicily, with the beautiful lemon groves and serene mountains , and sadly the rise of the mafia.
Loyalty, the title, will come to have a well placed meaning as the story unfolds.

Thank you to Penguin group?Putname group for Loyalty by Lisa Scottoline. Lisa Scottoline is the newest queen to the historical fiction realm. Scottoline writes with such emotion that she feels like she is writing about her own family. This book takes place in Sicily and involves loyalty and a kidnapping. This book kept me invested from day one I couldnt read it fast enough. I cant wait to read her next historical fiction book.

As a fan of Lisa Scottoline's previous historical novel Eternal, I was eager to delve into Loyalty, but I must admit I was disappointed with this one.

Beginning with the kidnapping of a little boy and the repercussions of that crime, this story was complicated and featured many characters, some of whom seemed unnecessary upon the novel's resolution. With so many characters to manage, there wasn't enough space to develop them all. Even for the main characters who were featured, I felt some of their actions didn't make sense based on what had happened during their lives. The writing was surprisingly shallow with dialogue that was very simplistic and didn't seem to suit the time period.

I did enjoy the rich history of Sicily during the 1830's along with learning about the origins of the mafia. Lemon groves, cheesemaking, the judicial system, mental illness, sulfur mining - all of these topics were explored, along with more. The author's note explained which parts of the book were based on history and which were fictionalized. The author clearly did copious research before writing this book, which I appreciate in historical fiction.

Despite this book's flaws, I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Loyalty is present in so many ways in this book. The loyalty of a husband to his wife, the loyalty of a man to his faith, the loyalty of brother to his brother, the loyalty of a man to his animals, the loyalty of a woman to her daughter. All these loyalties intertwine to create an unforgettable story. You can see the beautiful sights of Italy through Lisa Scottoline's words. You can taste the lemons, and the delicious pastries baked by the nuns of Sicily. You can feel the terror of a young boy being taken from his home. You can smell the dirt and squalor of a madhouse in Italy. You can feel the sulfur of the Sicilian mines burning your lungs as you read Lisa Scottoline's enthralling description of early child laborers being robbed of their childhood working underground for most of their young lives.

Loyalty transposes you into another world where loyalty is often found in places you might not have thought to even look.

In addition to her best selling thrillers, Lisa Scottoline has recently broken out into historical fiction, and here, as in her thrillers, she hits it out of the park. Scottoline's novels are reliably well-researched and will keep you on the edge of your seat, anticipating what comes next.

This is a book that has several story lines that all tie together in the end. It is set in the early 1800’s in Italy. It is a story of love, loyalty, betrayal and perseverance. This author usually writes contemporary fiction so this was a bit of a surprise but it was well done and I didn’t want to put it down. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

This is my first book by Lisa Scottoline, and it will not be my last. This was a fascinating story that took place in the 1800s in Sicily. There are many characters introduced in this story, too many to summarize in this review, but the author did a great job of weaving the stories together. There were times when I wondered why there were all these characters, but in the end, it all made sense

I always enjoy a well written historical fiction book that has a great story and also teaches something about the time period. The contrast between how civil everything seemed in the 1800s but also lawless was really interesting to read about.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and I'm so glad I read it.

Loyalty by Lisa Scottoline

What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline was one of my favorite reads last year. An entirely different approach to historical fiction is taken by Lisa Scottoline in her most recent book Loyalty. It is about the Mafia in the 19th century. The author proved she was capable of writing in different genres effectively.

Loyalty introduces the reader to a variety of characters. Throughout the story, Gaetano, who is trying to save kidnapped Dante, played an instrumental role and kept me turning pages. We also meet Franco an interesting lemon grower, Lucia, a beautiful strong woman and Alfredo, who tends to the goats.

The plot is set against the backdrop of Sicily and the struggles of the era. Secrets abound among the cast, and the outcome is determined by what they are loyal to. As there are several storylines in this book, you must give it your full attention. Lemons played an active role in the Mafia, which I found interesting. Be sure and read the author's notes at the end as it provides additional insight into the book.

Loyalty is available starting March 28th.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam, G. P. Putnam's Sons, for sharing this book with me. Your kindness is appreciated.

Historical fiction meets mystery and the rise of the Mafia in 19th century Sicily. We all have secrets and are different in our own way but how do others see us and what is loyalty?
The reader meets several characters. Dante, a kidnapped boy, Gaetano who tries to save him, Franco a lemon grower, Lucia who has a heart of good and Alfredo a goat herder. They weave a captivating story against the richness of Sicily. They all have secrets and determine what is loyalty. Highly recommend this book.

I am a fan of legal thrillers by Lisa Scottoline! I never thought I'd enjoy fiction with legal cases until I picked up hers. So many of them dealt with the kinds of stories headlining the news, that I found myself thinking of recent articles that were similar to her books. Moreover, her knowledge of law and court cases actually turned out to make the story even more interesting.

I must admit, I was bit hesitant to find out what she would do with an historical novel about the Mafia. I have had absolutely no interest in the Mafia and very little in historical novels. However, once more Lisa has made a believer out of me. This book takes several different stories of different people--some good--some not so good, and adds in some who are absolutely evil. She so carefully weaves this together that the book is completely engrossing.

The characterization is so well done, I still find myself feeling sorry for some and completely disliking others. The descriptions of people, homes and scenery are very vivid too. This is the kind of book I find myself feeling as if I am living in the story it is that well done.

So bravo Lisa, once more you changed my mind about a genre I never liked before.

Loyalty and revenge are served as a two-sided coin in Lisa Scottoline's Sicilian novel. Penning the questions including do we turn the other cheek or strike back, should the injured party be allowed to seek justice and do we put our faith in law or religion? I finished reading 'Loyalty' and I'm still considering my answers.

I'm a fan of Scottoline's books but I had a hard time getting into this novel. There are so many storylines that it was difficult to keep them straight while struggling to figure out how they would weave together, I gave up a handful of times but other reviewers said the story was worth reading so the fifth time was the charm. Once I passed the midway mark, I started to understand the stories and protagonists.

Before publication, I would cut down on some of the complex storylines or piece together a few missing links. That way, readers have a foundation to judge the rest of the book.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the early edition of #Loyalty in exchange for an honest review. As I previously mentioned, while it was a difficult to navigate the early chapters, I'm glad I charted the course. Readers will find themselves questioning what they would do if facing similar circumstance. Would you hold firm to your convictions or let justice prevail?

Loyalty is a very different book from the others I have read by Lisa Scottoline. It starts off in 1810 Sicily and takes us through the start of the Mafia in Sicily.

We meet Dante a young boy who is kidnapped from a festival in Palermo and left in a madhouse where he comes to believe he must be mad. Lucia, a baby born at the same time her father is the sole survivor of a fishing expedition. Alfredo, a Jew who hides his religion and sells cheese that local women think is magic. Franco, a local foreman working in the lemon fields who goes on to become a mafia head along with his twin brother. and then Gaetano, a local attorney who becomes obsessed with finding Dante.

We spend half the book with these characters living separate lives and not knowing how they will come together. I found the beginning of the mafia and what life was like in Sicily very interesting but there were so many characters and they each had such varied lives that I had a hard time keeping them straight. Each chapter was on one character so it could be a while before you saw that person again.

Overall, it was an interesting book with stunning visuals but I think I would have enjoyed it better if it had centered on just a couple of the characters instead of so many over a couple decades of time.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for this honest review.