Review: Sicilian Roulette by Anthony Di Angelo

Review: Sicilian Roulette by Anthony Di Angelo

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Last October, I got into a drama series involving a crime family in Birmingham, England. I enjoyed it so much that it opened me up to the possibility of exploring other stories dealing with the world of crime. That is why, when Di Angelo’s work was brought to my attention, I knew I had to give it a try.

And it did not disappoint! I was captivated from the very first scene, drawn right into the world he has created. I was enthralled by the twists and turns of the plot, worried for the characters as everything unfolded. Before we go into it further, though, let’s get a summary for the story.

Summary

The story opens with a young man named Alvario Di Sano witnessing the murder of his father Amedeo Di Sano and being chased by authorities after being framed for it. His father was a well-respected don of La Cosa Nostra, the Italian mafia. Alvario awakes from the nightmare of this event to find himself traveling to Sicily where he will be safe from the man who framed him for his father’s murder. With a new name and a new life in Italy, it seems like he can start anew.

However, with his father’s demise and other terrible actions the murderer committed fresh in his mind, Alvario finds himself hungry for revenge. Will he be able to avenge his father’s death and find peace after all that has happened?

Thoughts

Where do I even begin? Alvario’s story was amazing to see. I felt for him every step of the way and wanted to see him exact his vengeance on the individual who so ruthlessly tore apart his life. Learning about his life only made me want him to succeed even more. I wanted him to get what he most desired.

There are honestly so many things I could discuss but I am going to do my best to be mindful of spoilers while doing so, because this is the kind of story where surprise after surprise happens, and I do not want to ruin the fun for anyone interested in picking it up.

I will say that some of the events present within the narrative had me audibly gasping in front of my copy multiple times, and I think this is part of why I am so excited about this story! Di Angelo is a master of suspense and keeping the reader hooked! Even if I had the slightest inclination that something was going to go a certain way, I still found myself completely engrossed.

Now that I have gotten that out of the way, let’s discuss the characters!

Characters

Alvario Di Sano

It was very easy to feel sympathy for Alvario. The more I learned about him, the more I felt that he deserved nothing but happiness in his life after what he went through. Seeing his time in Italy was amazing as he tried his best to adapt to the situation he was in.

His relationship with the man who took him in is incredibly sweet. It is obvious to me how much Alvario cares about Giuseppe and appreciates his help after what happened in America. Seeing their bond grow in the story was amazing and showed me that Alvario wants the people he cares about to be safe.

That said, we also see in the narrative that Alvario has a cruel side if a situation makes him angry. He is not just an innocent young boy who will not punish those who have done wrong. This especially comes out when his nemesis from America is discussed. As I learned more about this individual from Alvario and the events of the plot, I completely understood where that vitriol was coming from, and I waited with great anticipation to see how things would unfold.

Don Amedeo Di Sano

Even though we know from the start of the story that Don Amedeo Di Sano is deceased, he is seen when the narrative jumps back in time to earlier in his life before the tragedy. I must admit, I felt sympathy for him, especially as the plot went on. It is clear he is very dedicated to his work and well-respected in his circles, making what happens to him hit all the harder for both the characters of the story and the reader as the plot goes on.

The times we see him in power present him as intimidating and powerful to even his inner circles and not just individuals outside the mafia’s organization. This gives him a frightening side as we see some of the darker actions the organization has done at his command.  

His relationships show that, while he is respected for the most part, he makes some enemies along the way. I like that Di Angelo gives background to his relationship with Don Mortorana, showing why the two men have come to hate each other and how it was not always like that. This adds an element of tragedy to their relationship that makes it difficult not to feel for Di Sano.  

Don Paulo Manzullo

Out of the many people Alvario meets in Sicily, Don Manzullo genuinely frightened me! As the story goes on, he does things that caused me to feel concerned not just for Alvario, but the entire mafia organization. Seeing what this man would engage in to hold on to and amass more power was scary! Seeing how he also treats his family is just as alarming. The thoughts he has about his nephew show me that he isn’t afraid to engage in underhanded actions to get what he wants. It hints that he can participate in darker deeds that are horrifying.

Speaking of which, Manzullo engaging with politics the way he does is also incredibly troubling. Seeing how he meticulously works on his plans to attain more power is both awesome and frightening, and it makes him a genuinely intimidating antagonist that I wanted to see punished.

Structure

Di Angelo sets up this story by splitting up the story into parts and switching between the two primary locations of Italy and America, depending on which events of the narrative are being focused on. The pacing is perfect, being fast but not so quick that it is hard to understand what is going on.

I like what Di Angelo is doing with the jumping back and forth in time because of what results from it. He uses these jumps to first provide a hook with the main events when they are first introduced, then hits the reader later with the full context which allows them to see everything and completely comprehend every piece of information being given.

Writing

I think one of the strongest aspects of this story is the writing. Each scene is built with great care, setting the mood for whatever is about to happen. Particularly in the opening scenes, the prose just drips with Alvario’s anger over the situation he is in. This is especially significant because his rage drives his goals for the story.

I want to mention the writing for some of the more intense scenes, because these situations are where I think Di Angelo’s prose is at its most effective. There is a scene where we see the Di Sano family gain new recruits to be part of the mafia, and these individuals are people Di Angelo has given us time to get to know, so the tension is up from that alone. The scene is incredibly dark, showing the inner workings of this world and how those shadier dealings can directly affect the people involved.

The sections with the antagonists mark a noticeable change in the writing. The prose quickly becomes more sinister as they plot whatever crimes they wish to commit. These sections had me angry, horrified, and concerned and the change in the tone of the writing is a major reason for that.

It shows the evil within these individuals and exactly why the reader should be worried about whatever they plan. I could not put the book down during these types of scenes because they were so captivating!

Conclusion

In the end, this was amazing! I seriously can’t get over how much I enjoyed it! Every element being used here is handled with care, the plot is exhilarating, and the story is dark and engrossing! It had me on the edge of my seat all the way through!

I would highly recommend this to a reader into stories with thrilling plotlines, narratives that grab you and refuse to let you go until the end. When all was said and done, I still found myself thinking about the story, and the fact that it stayed with me like that is, to me, one of its best aspects. It’s an amazing story that I highly recommend!