Seven anecdotes about two Canadian neighbors in the world-famous city of Niagara Falls, one is a born Canadian the other is an immigrant. One is a conservative, and the other is liberal. One washes his beloved cars - his got two -the other plants petunias and geraniums. They hardly agree on anything but live together in peace as inseparable good friends.Plus, a generous selection of short stories, some humorous, others thought-provoking.

Marco Petrullo, a successful stockbroker under pressure from a mafia enforcer, hoping to inherit a big fortune, willingly marries his ugly daughter. The problem is the crafty old paisano put a time-limit he can't touch the wealth for ten years. Trapped in a marriage, how to get out, and get the money.

Marco Petrullo, a successful stockbroker under pressure from amafia enforcer. He hopes to inherit a big fortune, willingly marrieshis ugly daughter. There is a catch. The papa paisano put a strickt condition, he can't touch the money for ten years. His problem is how to get out of the marriage and keep the money.

"A vivid memoir" of a time spent in Supino, Italy "quickly transports readers into the charm and richness of village life . . . a story of love and family." ( Publishers Weekly)Every summer Maria and her husband, Bob, went to their little house in the Italian village of Supino, and every year it was a new adventure. Only in Supino would you find a pizzeria in a sheep pasture, a seafood restaurant hidden in the woods, or an electrical cord...

Let bestselling author T.A. Williams whisk you away to gorgeous Tuscany in this cozy murder mystery featuring a retired DCI and his loyal companion, Oscar. It really is murder in paradise!An iconic bridge... Private investigator, Dan Armstrong, lives and works in Florence and knows the world famous Ponte Vecchio well. Usually a magnet for tourists, on this occasion it is the scene of an unexplained death, and Dan finds himself involved in the intrigu...

Bestselling author and grand master Lawrence Block returns to his deadliest hitman.A man named Nicholas Edwards lives in New Orleans renovating houses, doing honest work and making decent money at it. Between his family and his stamp collection, all his spare time is happily accounted for. Sometimes it's hard to remember that he used to kill people for a living.But when the nation's economy tanks, taking the construction business with it, all it takes is one ...

Kick Keswick, one of the most charming, enchanting, and best-dressed heroines of fiction, discovers that a life of crime can be impossible to leave behind . . .   Kick Keswick has lived an extraordinary life. For twenty-five years she was the power behind the throne at a venerable London auction house and a master jewel thief. (Stealing only from those who deserved it, of course.) That changed when she fell in love with Commander Thomas Curtis of Scotland Yard and reti...

What happens when you decide to make a dream come true?Newly retired and looking for more than a vacation, John and Nancy Petralia intrepidly pack up a few suitcases and head to the "perfect" Italian city for a year. Within days their dream becomes a nightmare. After residing in two Italian cities, negotiating the roads and health care, discovering art, friends, food and customs, the Petralias learn more than they anticipated--about Italy, themselves, what it means to be American, ...

I, Letticia ChiChi Maggiordino, will put to GOOD use the power of the Evil Eye...ChiChi Maggiordino will do anything to get God's attention. She will hold her breath, stand on tiptoe for an hour, walk a mile backward, climb all stairs on her knees... anything. When her grandmother teaches her how to use the Evil Eye, telling her it's how Jesus Christ made his miracles and how the Italians got rid of Mussolini, ChiChi realizes it's what her prayers have been missing....

A meeting place for writers, artists, models, and the stars of stage, screen, and corporate boardrooms, a luxurious restaurant whose fabulous concoctions and timeless decor have often been imitated but never matched, Harry’s Bar in Venice has remained one of the world’s most renowned watering holes for more than sixty years. Ernest Hemingway, Orson Welles, Sinclair Lewis, and other luminaries have tasted its famous cocktails and enjoyed the bar’s original inventions, such as the carpaccio...

All My Fallen Angelas is a collection of stories inspired by the lives of Italian-Canadian women living in Toronto from the 1960s to the present. The stories document their strength and resilience, their power and vulnerability as the women move in community that allowed their presence in shops, factories, and churches, but offered them little else for entertainment and self-exploration outside of their families. The stories cover a wide range of women’s experiences from loneliness; disapp...

I grew up in a small Italian town at the foot of the Alps. We didn't have television, computers, or any other type of home entertainment. During the long winter evenings we listened to stories. My grandmother could tell fantastic tales of fairies and monsters. Often cousins and other neighborhood kids will gather in our kitchen to listen to Grandma spin her magic. There were a few occasions when she would be up until late to finish a chore, and I would ask my grandfather to tell me a bedti...