Planted in Mafia Blood By: G. Grant G. Grant sees this book as a war where greed, power, and envy come together to destroy justice, peace and fair balance throughout the world.

Blood Behind the Smile is a fictional account of a supposed decimated Philadelphia African American crime group called the Black Mafia. The men who resurrect this "evil" have walked a Pennsylvania state penitentiary red-clay yard for ten years, planning the return to the top of the organization. Two of the Black Mafia's cofounders have given this responsibility to a particularly nasty piece of work, who they dimly refer to as their Blood Prince—formally known as Frank "Dry Ice" Hall. Dry Ice has learned the Machiavellian tactics of leadership from his mentor Paul "Sir Willie" Reed, one of the Black Mafia's most astute thinkers and feared leaders. Blood Behind the Smile is not your ordinary urban novel. It has it all—love, betrayal, death, family, and misdirection. This story is told over a three-book series: Blood Behind the Smile (Book One), Blood Behind the Smile (The Boatman On the River), and Blood Behind the Smile (The Brotherhood).

Liliana Scuderi has been in love with Romero from the moment she first saw him. After her sisters were married off for tactical reasons, she hopes she might be allowed to choose a husband for herself, but when her father promises her to a man more than twice her age that hope is crushed. No begging can make him change his mind. Romero has always ignored Lily's flirting. Her age and status made her off-limits but even someone as dutiful as him has only so much control. Wanting her when she's supposed to marry another man could mean war between New York and the Chicago Outfit, and Romero has always put the Cosa Nostra first. Lily suspects her sisters and Romero would risk everything for her, but is her happiness worth that much? Is love worth a war between the Cosa Nostra and the Outfit?

More than 500 alphabetical entries provide information on the people, places and events associated with the Mafia.

An ambitious American pope makes powerful enemies—from the Italian Mafia to the US President—in this fascinating thriller that “could be next week’s news” (Daily Mail). What if the unused riches of the Catholic Church were called upon to combat global poverty? Following a tragic earthquake in Italy, Pope Thomas—the first American pontiff and a transformative leader—auctions off one of the Vatican’s Renaissance masterpieces to aid in the recovery. The sale is such a success that he decides to go even further: organizing the greatest art auction ever held, with the proceeds going to help the poor. But as the pope’s charitable designs acquire political overtones, he encounters resistance from world leaders, including the president of the United States. And closer to the Vatican, the Mafia have as much interest in the poor as do popes and presidents . . . “Master of the art-world thriller” (Publishers Weekly), Peter Watson turns his attention to a different kind of political thriller, as Vatican Vendetta—previously published as Crusade—delivers “nonstop action” (The Guardian).

New York magazine was born in 1968 after a run as an insert of the New York Herald Tribune and quickly made a place for itself as the trusted resource for readers across the country. With award-winning writing and photography covering everything from politics and food to theater and fashion, the magazine's consistent mission has been to reflect back to its audience the energy and excitement of the city itself, while celebrating New York as both a place and an idea.

I was born a monster. Cruelty ran in my veins like poison. It ran in the veins of every Vitiello man, passed on from father to son, an endless spiral of monstrosity. A born monster shaped into an even worse monster by my father's blade and fists and harsh words. I was raised to become Capo, to rule without mercy, to dish out brutality without a second thought.Raised to break others. When Aria was given to me in marriage, everyone waited with baited breath to see how fast I'd break her like my father broke his women. How I'd crush her innocence and kindness with the force of my cruelty.Breaking her would have taken little effort. It came naturally to me.I was gladly the monster everyone feared. Until her.Author's note: Bound By Honor in Luca's POV.

MAFIA. CAMORRA. ’NDRANGHETA. The Sicilian mafia, known as Cosa Nostra, is far from being Italy’s only dangerous criminal fraternity. The country hosts two other major mafias: the camorra from Naples; and, from the poor and isolated region of Calabria, the mysterious ’ndrangheta, which has now risen to become the most powerful mob group active today. Since they emerged, the mafias have all corrupted Italy’s institutions, drastically curtailed the life-chances of its citizens, evaded justice, and set up their own self-interested meddling as an alternative to the courts. Yet each of these brotherhoods has its own methods, its own dark rituals, its own style of ferocity. Each is uniquely adapted to corrupt and exploit its own specific environment, as it collaborates with, learns from, and goes to war with the other mafias. Today, the shadow of organized crime hangs over a country racked by debt, political paralysis, and widespread corruption. The ’ndrangheta controls much of Europe’s wholesale cocaine trade and, by some estimates, 3 percent of Italy’s total GDP. Blood Brotherhoods traces the origins of this national malaise back to Italy’s roots as a united country in the nineteenth century, and shows how political violence incubated underworld sects among the lemon groves of Palermo, the fetid slums of Naples, and the harsh mountain villages of Calabria. Blood Brotherhoods is a book of breathtaking ambition, tracing for the first time the interlocking story of all three mafias from their origins to the present day. John Dickie is recognized in Italy as one of the foremost historians of organized crime. In these pages, he blends archival detective work, passionate narrative, and shrewd analysis to bring a unique criminal ecosystem—and the three terrifying criminal brotherhoods that have evolved within it—to life on the page.

A unique culinary adventure through Italian history The Land Where Lemons Grow is the sweeping story of Italy's cultural history told through the history of its citrus crops. From the early migration of citrus from the foothills of the Himalayas to Italy's shores to the persistent role of unique crops such as bergamot (and its place in the perfume and cosmetics industries) and the vital role played by Calabria's unique Diamante citrons in the Jewish celebration of Sukkoth, author Helena Attlee brings the fascinating history and its gustatory delights to life. Whether the Battle of Oranges in Ivrea, the gardens of Tuscany, or the story of the Mafia and Sicily's citrus groves, Attlee transports readers on a journey unlike any other.

The autobiography of a member of Charles “Lucky” Luciano’s Mafia family. “The reader gets a real sense of code, of honor, courage and commitment” (London TV). “I was born an outlaw in outlaw culture. I refused to be forced into the powerless class of the ordinary, law-abiding citizen. I always saw things from outside the box because I was born outside the box, so I was free to think for myself.” Born in 1942, Salvatore “Sal” Lucania was not only raised but educated by the streets of East Harlem. Dropping out of his Catholic high school at fifteen after punching out a priest, a formal education was not Sal’s future. As such, it would have been easy to fall into the trappings of “made man” status in the mafia, like his cousin Charles “Lucky” Luciano. But Sal had a different vision of the future, if he could just escape the confines of his neighborhood and defy the ways of the people in power: the bullies, the “ruling class,” local government corruption and his own mafia family culture—in order to create a different life than the one fate might have otherwise intended. The Gangster’s Cousin is a wonderfully different take on the usual Mafia story. Sal’s memoir takes the reader on a sometimes exciting, sometimes poignant, and often humorous adventure as he finds himself in unbelievable situations and meeting an array of unique and funny characters along the way. Follow Sal’s one-of-a-kind perspective and find out why he strives so hard to stay ahead of a different type of criminal class—the people who make the rules.