I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I love historical fiction set in Italy, so I'm definitely the target audience for this book. I also don't know much about the origins of the Mafia, so it was fun to see Lisa Scottoline's interpretation of how the group was formed in nineteenth-century Sicily against the backdrop of its plentiful lemon groves. There are many storylines and characters to keep track of, some of whom are more compelling than others, but their inclusion fleshes out the setting nicely and kept me invested in the book. Don't skip the author's note at the end; it provides some historical context and gives the reader insight into Scottoline's research process, which is compelling.