Omerta ̀

by Mario Puzo

Omerta ̀ - a Sicilian code of honor which forbids informing about crimes thought to be the affairs of the persons involved (World Book Dictionary)
This is the beginning of the book which speaks about the powerful of the clans (coscas) and about the men who, in their lifetime, they had decided the deaths of hundreads people.
Don Zeno was the last of the true Mafia chiefs and before his death, his last words were: “I commend myself to God. He will forgive my sins, for I have tried every day to be just.” And his son – Astorre Zeno – was taken to America by Raymond Aprile, one of his former followers.
Don Raymond Aprile had ruled his Family for thirty years and was now a legend. At sixty-two, he could enjoy old age, retired into the role of gentleman banker and pillar of society.
But he was murdered and his killing was a mystery. Who would dare to risk killing such a man and to what purpose? It’s a mystery.
No one seemed to care, except the FBI agent Kurt Cilke.
But Astorre cared too and, in order to find the killer, he would use the famous words “the end justifies the means”. Because the killing of a fellow Mafia member was punished by murder. And he was trained to be a Qualified Man.
A book about the killers, about the men who were warm heart and cold mind, about chiefs and pawns. But not only this. There are, too: judges who reduced the sentences of Mafia members convicted of murder and who refused to allow prosecutions to go forward; the chiefs of Mafia who thought that it’s an honor to give to the national minister of reconstruction “a little pocket money”; the FBI director who said that, in a democracy, you cannot send billionaires to prison.
But Kurt Cilke decided he would play a lone hand.