Blood Washes Blood

Plot

Part detective story, part memoir, this book also provides a memorable account of a Mediterranean island under attack by a criminal society. More than a century ago, the author's namesake was murdered in Sicily. The dead relative was a revolutionary and a thief, nicknamed the Monk. His sudden death ultimately drove his family to America and set in motion an 800-year conspiracy of silence. Intrigued by a reference to the event and to the name of the murderer by his dying grandfather, Vivano returned to his homeland to delve into the obscure history of his family's dark and mysterious past when the Mafia was in its infancy. His personal odyssey to find the truth, through a maze of bureaucratic obstruction, baffling clues and coincidences, is a gripping one, a recovered history snatched from the still powerful teeth of organised crime. As an enquiry both into his family's bloody history and an attempt to exorcise old ghosts, Vivano's history is occasionally obscure but always intriguing.