The Palucci Vendetta

by Genevieve Lyons

From the timeless beauty of rural Sicily to the glamour of English high society and the violence of Prohibition America, *The Palucci Vendetta* traces the fortunes of a family whose lives are irrevocably altered the day a tragic accident occurs in the forest near their Sicilian farm. Giuseppe Palucci has worked hard all his life to achieve his ambition − to become the owner of the land he tills. Now, in his twilight years, his dreams are realised: by buying up parts of the estate on which his family live, he has gained independence from his overlords, the aristocratic d'Abrizzio family. Giuseppe is well respected by the tiny community to which the Paluccis belong, and his eight children are good-looking and strong − a credit to Giuseppe and his wife Maria. But Giuseppe is blind to the flaws in his children: he cannot see the growing discontent in Mario, his most handsome son, who craves the excitement of a big city; he cannot see what longing eats at his daughter Francesca − her infatu