"Midnight in Sicily" by Peter Robb

Sadly, the 17th & 18th centuries' sumptuous Sicilian palazzi that once dotted the city were neglected and left to decay. Some say they were actually encouraged to decay. The dwellings of the poor people were cheap, ugly cement block houses built by the mafia. People who had money were urged to live in the fancier cement block house that spread over the ruins of the ancient city. Construction and property development were completely in the hands of the mafia who cared about profit, not people. The iron-fisted mobsters kept the citizens in near poverty and
choked off any dissent or investigation into their murderous and political networks.
Austrialian author, Peter Robb, describes the complexity of the relationship between Italy's political base in Rome and the power base that resides within the Sicilian mafia. The book reads like fiction with almost unbelievable corruption, coercion and murders. Member of the mafia are ruthless, competitive and ego-centric. The oppression is so great that people live their entire lives hoping to see, hear and do nothing that could bring them to the attention of the dreaded Cosa Nostra.

And yet, what is really amazing is that good people continue to step forward, knowingly putting themselves in harm's way, in heroic attempts to win over evil. Since corruption is in every layer of government, anyone who tries to loosen the mafia's choke hold on Italian society is a marked man or woman.

Robb lived in southern Italy for 14 years. So he is adept at describing the small, yet important, details that help the reader understand a country that appears to be democratic but is, actually, more like a totalitarian state. The characters are real and the action is interesting. There is a secondary theme that becomes evident as the author travels about the country describing the culture and history of some of the cities. He describes the heritage of Italy's artwork and literature as well as the culture of Italian food which, surprisingly, has been heavily influenced by Arabs.

If not for the travelogue aspect (art, food, places) of this book, I would have quit reading halfway through. By then there was enough murder, mayhem and corruption to saturate my interest. But the author’s ability to show the reader some of Italy's cultural strengths makes "Midnight in Sicily" worth reading.

I never had a desire to travel to Italy, although I have friends who truly enjoy it. My desire is even less after reading about this tragic country that continues to be ruled by callous and corrupt politicians and thugs (I guess that's redundant)!