Crime stories are usually not my cup of tea, but I decided to give James Lepore’s newest suspense novel, Sons and Princes a try. Boy, am I glad that I did!
Lepore had me hooked from the very first line, which is not hard to do when you’re asked to envision body parts showing up in a suitcase. Enter Chris Massi, son of a Mafia assassin and the former son-in-law of one of NJ’s most powerful dons. Massi has enough to worry about what with losing his law license and keeping his teenage son from being drawn into the mobster world Chris has worked so hard to escape. But his quest to avenge his father’s murder sets in motion a chain of events that forces Massi to embrace this culture as the only way to protect himself and his family.
Some reading this may be turned off by Mafia references and the violence that usually comes with the territory, but Sons and Princes is nothing like The Sopranos. Whereas the latter fixates on prostitutes, obscenities and drugs, Lepore depicts a world of a different kind – one that stresses loyalty, respect, honor and sacrifice. He goes to great lengths to analyze each character and demonstrate how their individual actions drive the plot to its heart pounding climax.
Such a brief summary really doesn’t do the book justice, but any attempts at further detail would be giving away too much. What makes this story so riveting are the shocking twists and turns that come with the turn of every page. Suffice it to say your mind will be racing with possibilities, making it extremely difficult to put this book down.
In his letter to the reader, Lepore hints at a possible sequel to Sons and Princes. I certainly hope that becomes a reality one day because characters like Chris Massi don’t come around too often. In the meantime, I’ll try to be patient and while away the time by reading Lepore’s other books.
An absolute must-read!
You can read more of Maria's reviews and the latest book news on her website, Reading For Pleasure (www.readingforpleasure.net)
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