The Honored Society

November 19, 2012
German investigative journalist Reski explores the far-reaching influence of the various Mafia clans, from the Sicilian Cosa Nostra to the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta, in this intriguing if scattered account of the power of organized crime. While the Cosa Nostra may be the most publicly recognizable Mafia organization, it’s the ‘Ndrangheta that is behind more international drug running and weapons dealing, among other illegal activities. Spurred on by the August 2007 murders in Germany of six ‘Ndrangheta members—which finally shed light on the organization’s lethal ways—Reski crisscrosses Italy in search of the group’s and others’ origins. The Cosa Nostra is organized vertically, with power consolidated at the top in a few key individuals, while the ‘Ndrangheta is structured horizontally, meaning that should one of its members decide to cooperate with the police, he or she could not betray anyone higher up. Reski continually stresses the Mafia organizations’ insidious nature in Italy and abroad as she visits town after town where the mob controls everything from politics to the church. While her expertise is never in doubt, Reski’s mixture of personal anecdotes and reportage often leaves the reader wishing she’d commit to one or the other. Agent: George Lucas, Inkwell Management.

November 15, 2012
Journalist Reski personalizes her longtime coverage of the Italian Mafia in this short recent history of the organization. The author, who grew up in Germany, prefaces the book with an account of what she calls the "German mafia massacre," which she claims brought the Mafia's presence outside of Italy into the spotlight. The night when six Italian men were murdered in a German town sparked her writing of this book, which was published in Germany in 2008; Reski was immediately sued due to its contents. The trial resulted in some redacted passages, left as such for this American release. The blacked-out paragraphs are frustrating, a visible reminder of missing information that seems more tantalizing for its absence. The subject matter is mostly engrossing, but the treatment leaves something to be desired. The narrative is disjointed throughout, with a structure that leads to confusion for those not already familiar with the events. Reski covers major changes in law enforcement and the Mafia, not chronologically but in a series of insert-memory-here asides. While each memory's story is pertinent to an understanding of the many Mafia branches firmly rooted in Italy, it is easy to lose track of the history, particularly because many of the stories are intertwined. Will appeal to those interested in the Mafia, but casual readers may get caught up looking for the story and have a hard time absorbing the material.

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April 1, 2013

German journalist Reski here writes about the shadow culture of the Mafia in Italy, which, she claims, controls much of that country's business and politics. She covers the Sicilian Cosa Nostra, which maintains an air of old-fashioned romance while brutally murdering their rivals inside and outside the organization; the lesser-known Cammora in Naples, which controls food production and waste disposal without concern for safety regulations; and the 'Ndrangheta of Calabria, which caused an international incident with an astonishingly savage massacre in Duisberg, Germany, in 2007. She tells stories of Mafiosi she has met as well as their enablers (defense attorneys, politicians, even priests), their families, and their antagonists (prosecutors, activists, journalist, priests), who risk their lives daily in a brave and frustrating attempt to stem the tide of corruption that is devouring Italy and seeping into other countries too. VERDICT This grim social and political history of the wildly successful criminal organizations hiding in plain sight throughout Italy will interest European history buffs as well as Mafia and true crime fans.--Deirdre Bray Root, Middletown P.L., OH

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