A Florentine Death

A Florentine Death
Author: Michele Giuttari
Publisher: Sphere
Total Pages: 285
Release: 2009-08-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0748113126

Chief Superintendent Michele Ferrara knows that the beautiful surface of his adopted city, Florence, hides dark undercurrents. When called in to investigate a series of brutal and apparently random murders, his intuition is confirmed. Distrusted by his superiors and pilloried by the media, Ferrara finds time running out as the questions pile up. Is there a connection between the murders and the threatening letters he has received? Are his old enemies, the Calabrian Mafia, involved? And what part is played by a beautiful young woman facing a heart-rending decision, a priest troubled by a secret from his past, and an American journalist fascinated by the darker side of life? Ferrara confronts the murky underbelly of Florence in an investigation that will put not only his career but also his life on the line. Originally published in Italy as Scarabeo.

A Death In Calabria

A Death In Calabria
Author: Michele Giuttari
Publisher: Hachette UK
Total Pages: 301
Release: 2010-07-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0748116141

One of the wildest and most beautiful regions in Italy, known for its rugged coastline and mountains, Calabria is also home to the deadly 'Ndrangheta. An organised Mafia crime operation more feared in Italy than the Cosa Nostra or the Camorra, it is shrouded in mystery. Chief Superintendent Michele Ferrara of Italy's elite Anti-Mafia Investigation Department is tasked with investigating the deaths of several Calabria citizens - some in New York, some in the small, isolated villages that dot the Calabrian countryside. To get to the bottom of the case, Ferrara has to infiltrate the village of San Piero d'Aspromonte, deep in the Calabrian mountains. And there, he must put his life on the line to learn more about a family at the centre of an ancient, bloody feud... Originally published in Italian as La Donna Della 'Ndrangheta.

The Good Mothers

The Good Mothers
Author: Alex Perry
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 364
Release: 2018-06-05
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 0062655639

NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES The electrifying, untold story of the women born into the most deadly and obscenely wealthy of the Italian mafias – and how they risked everything to bring it down. The Calabrian Mafia—known as the ’Ndrangheta—is one of the richest and most ruthless crime syndicates in the world, with branches stretching from America to Australia. It controls seventy percent of the cocaine and heroin supply in Europe, manages billion-dollar extortion rackets, brokers illegal arms deals—supplying weapons to criminals and terrorists—and plunders the treasuries of both Italy and the European Union. The ’Ndrangheta’s power derives from a macho mix of violence and silence—omertà. Yet it endures because of family ties: you are born into the syndicate, or you marry in. Loyalty is absolute. Bloodshed is revered. You go to prison or your grave and kill your own father, brother, sister, or mother in cold blood before you betray The Family. Accompanying the ’Ndrangheta’s reverence for tradition and history is a violent misogyny among its men. Women are viewed as chattel, bargaining chips for building and maintaining clan alliances and beatings—and worse—are routine. In 2009, after one abused ’Ndrangheta wife was murdered for turning state’s evidence, prosecutor Alessandra Cerreti considered a tantalizing possibility: that the ’Ndrangheta’s sexism might be its greatest flaw—and her most effective weapon. Approaching two more mafia wives, Alessandra persuaded them to testify in return for a new future for themselves and their children. A feminist saga of true crime and justice, The Good Mothers is the riveting story of a high-stakes battle pitting a brilliant, driven woman fighting to save a nation against ruthless mafiosi fighting for their existence. Caught in the middle are three women fighting for their children and their lives. Not all will survive.

My Two Italies

My Two Italies
Author: Joseph Luzzi
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2014-07-15
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0374298696

A child of Italian immigrants and scholar of Italian literature paints an intimate portrait that blends together history and the unusual to show how his 'two Italies' join and clash in unexpected ways.

A Death In Tuscany

A Death In Tuscany
Author: Michele Giuttari
Publisher: Hachette UK
Total Pages: 311
Release: 2009-06-04
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0748111719

In the picturesque Tuscan hill town of Scandicci, the body of a girl is discovered. Scantily dressed, she is lying by the edge of the woods. The local police investigate the case - but after a week, they still haven't even identified her, let alone got to the bottom of how she died. Frustrated by the lack of progress, Chief Superintendent Michele Ferrara, head of Florence's elite Squadra Mobile, decides to step in. Because toxins were discovered in the girl's body, many assumed that she died of a self-inflicted drugs overdose. But Ferrara quickly realises that the truth is darker than that: he believes that the girl was murdered. And when he delves deeper, there are many aspects to the case that convince Ferrara that the girl's death is part of a sinister conspiracy - a conspiracy that has its roots in the very foundations of Tuscan society... Originally published in Italian as La Loggia Degli Innocenti.

The Death Of A Mafia Don

The Death Of A Mafia Don
Author: Michele Giuttari
Publisher: Hachette UK
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2009-08-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0748111999

A bomb explodes in the centre of Florence, hitting the car of Chief Superintendent Michele Ferrara of the elite Squadra Mobile. The attack rocks the ancient city to its foundations. Ferrara was clearly the target - and he did, after all, just controversially imprison notorious Mafia boss Salvatore Laprua. A week later, another bomb explodes - bringing tragedy for Ferrara and a determination to find the culprit. But that same morning, Salvatore Laprua is found dead in his prison cell. So who is the mysterious influence behind the bombings - someone even the Mafia fear? An ingenious, gripping mystery, The Death of a Mafia Don has been a bestseller in Italy and across Europe. Written by former Florence police chief Michele Giuttari, it offers a fascinating insight into the secret world of the Mafia, and life in Florence. Originally published in Italian as Il Basilico.

In Calabria

In Calabria
Author: Peter S. Beagle
Publisher:
Total Pages: 174
Release: 2017
Genre: FICTION
ISBN: 9781616962487

"Claudio Bianchi has lived alone for many years on a hillside in Southern Italy's scenic Calabria. Set in his ways and suspicious of outsiders, Claudio has always resisted change, preferring farming and writing poetry. But one chilly morning, as though from a dream, an impossible visitor appears at the farm. When Claudio comes to her aid, an act of kindness throws his world into chaos. Suddenly he must stave off inquisitive onlookers, invasive media, and even more sinister influences"--

A Death In Calabria

A Death In Calabria
Author: Michele Giuttari
Publisher: Abacus
Total Pages: 303
Release: 2010-07-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0748116141

One of the wildest and most beautiful regions in Italy, known for its rugged coastline and mountains, Calabria is also home to the deadly 'Ndrangheta. An organised Mafia crime operation more feared in Italy than the Cosa Nostra or the Camorra, it is shrouded in mystery. Chief Superintendent Michele Ferrara of Italy's elite Anti-Mafia Investigation Department is tasked with investigating the deaths of several Calabria citizens - some in New York, some in the small, isolated villages that dot the Calabrian countryside. To get to the bottom of the case, Ferrara has to infiltrate the village of San Piero d'Aspromonte, deep in the Calabrian mountains. And there, he must put his life on the line to learn more about a family at the centre of an ancient, bloody feud... Originally published in Italian as La Donna Della 'Ndrangheta.

Calabrian Tales

Calabrian Tales
Author: Peter Chiarella
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2002
Genre: Calabria (Italy)
ISBN: 9781587900303

Calabrian Tales is a unique story of inexplicable injustice and poverty, avarice and survival based on true family incidents that were revealed to the author in his youth. The book's chief character is the author's great aunt, Marianna, who became the mistress of a wealthy noble. The lifestyle she adopted repeatedly shamed her relatives until living in Italy became unbearable for them. Eventually, the author's father, Raffaele, fled his beloved Italy in the face of constant shame, and settled in the U.S. His son, author Peter Chiarella, grew up in the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. There he heard the stories about life in Calabria from his grandmother, a principal character in the book. After her death, the stories kept coming, both from his father, also a character in Calabrian Tales, and from his mother, who had listened in on Nonna's recollections over a period of fifteen years. The stories of people who lived in what may have been Italy's poorest region, blend with the historical struggles of the times in a combination reminiscent of certain aspects of The Godfather and the ignoble humanity of Angela's Ashes. "Twenty-two unforgettable personalities interplay in this picaresque page turner. Each one will fascinate you uniquely." -- Anthony Kilgallin, author of Napa Valley Picture Perfect "Calabrian Tales evokes the memory of stories I heard growing up among elder Italian immigrants." -- James L. D'Adamo, author of The D'Adamo Diet "A most intriguing and compelling read." -- Joseph D. Sabella, MD

Journey to the South

Journey to the South
Author: Annie Hawes
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 358
Release: 2005-07-07
Genre: Humor
ISBN: 0141901896

Ever since Annie got together with Ciccio, his Calabrian family have spoken of their homeland as an earthly paradise, of wild nights dancing the tarantella, of almond milk sold fresh from roadside stalls, of honey cakes and amaro made from wild liquorice roots... Now, at last, Annie and Ciccio are travelling down to see the ancestral home and extended family for themselves, along with a bunch of vocal and lively de Gilios who don't want to miss out on the fun. Will everything Annie has learnt in her years among the Ligurians stand her in good stead among the Calabresi? Or is she in for another steep learning curve in the intricacies of Italian rural life?