Murder Takes Time

You might not know this about me, but I sorta, kinda, love a good mob story.

I know. I don't fit the image, do I? But I'll let you in on a little known secret: When my bestie lived right off the University of Tennessee's campus, we'd sit for hours in her tiny apartment ordering Japanese food to be delivered, never moving from the couch so that we could watch all of the Godfather movies in quick succession. Then we quoted misquoted them for days and talked about how gangster we were are.

I know you all believe that last statement.

Anyway, I do enjoy reading and watching movies about this culture that is obviously so opposite and foreign from my own.

You can imagine how excited I was when I got the opportunity to read and review a mob story for this very blog. Murder Takes Time by Giacomo Giammatteo follows the lives of friends growing up in Sicilian and Italian families, immersed in a culture that will inevitably push them toward the mob and a lot of trouble. The story tests the lines of friendship, family, honor, love, and work. It forces the reader to choose a side with each character- is this person good or bad? Actions aside, I was constantly evaluating whether this person or that person was good at heart. It didn't matter how many people they had killed.

A good story does that. It takes you away from your normal thought process and presents you with a scenario that you normally wouldn't consider. I love that about reading!

There are a lot of characters in this book. Most have nicknames like the Rat, the Suit, Bugs, and more. At times, the story was confusing for me as so many names were thrown around. I got confused, but that was no surprise to me as typical in-depth mob stories usually have elaborate casts and intricate, numerous relationships. As I kept reading, the characters started to become easier to identify. Don't mistake this for a "typical mob story", though. It's surprisingly loving in some chapters and shockingly disturbing in others. The author knew no bounds.

When I got about half-way through the book, it really started to pick up and I was hooked. I didn't want to put it down, but I often had to in order to re-charge my Kindle...or, ya know, actually parent my child.

If you like mob stories, add this one to your reading list. It could also be considered a psychological thriller, too (which is another favorite genre of mine). Woven into this story of friendship and honor is a love story as well. I recommend it, for sure!

Warning: This book will make you want Italian food for days (if you don't lose your appetite, that is).

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Author Bio

(Disclosure: I was provided this book and compensation to review. That being said, my opinion is completely original.)