Quite a change from Scottoline's bestselling contemporary thrillers: an ambitious, deeply researched historical account of three Roman families caught in the meltdown of Fascist Italy. May 1937 finds Alessandro Simone and Marco Terrizzi competing for the favors of Elisabetta D'Orfeo, an aspiring journalist and cat lover who waits tables at Casa Servano, the well-regarded Trastevere restaurant owned by Giuseppina Servano, widely known as Nonna. Since Sandro's father, Massimo Simone, is a Jewish tax lawyer who strongly supports Mussolini and Marco's father, Giuseppe Terrizzi, is a former cyclist who proudly styles himself a Fascist of the First Hour, there's plenty of potential for ethnic, religious, and political conflicts both between and within the leading characters, and despite the widespread conviction that Mussolini's pre-Hitler brand of fascism will never turn against the Jews, the coming of the war flushes all these conflicts out. After Marco's brother Aldo is killed when he joins a group of anti-fascist saboteurs, Marco, groomed by Commendatore Romano Buonacorso for a rapid rise to power, begins to have second thoughts. Sandro, his dreams of academic stardom trashed by his religion, is more open in his opposition to Il Duce. The real calamities, however, follow the German invasion of Italy, which kicks off several painful rounds of increasingly severe anti-Jewish legislation, expropriation, extortion, and finally rastrellamento, the wholesale roundup of Italian Jews to be shipped off to destinations readers will know all too well. Through it all, Scottoline struggles mightily to bring her sorely tried characters alive through their love for each other, but they mostly remain pawns of history who believe till the end that "the Vatican will intervene, of course." A heartfelt but schematic wartime tear-jerker. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Scottoline ("Rosato & Associates" series) veers from her usual thrillers and humorous fare with her first historical fiction, which takes place in Rome during Mussolini's rule. It centers on three childhood friends. Elisabetta is a beautiful and sweet aspiring writer who has won the hearts of her two best friends: showy, confident Marco and brilliant Jewish mathematician Sandro. Some of the protagonists support--or even, like Marco, work for--the fascist regime; others do not. As political tensions rise, the Jews of Rome feel a dark cloud approaching. Scottoline pulls readers into the lives of the characters and their families as war decimates their beloved city. Based on true events, this is an addictive read. Scottoline's passions, for Italy and the story, shine in her clear, descriptive sentences, which place you right there, watching history unfold. The book's themes coincide with political and social events in the news today. VERDICT Make a plate of fettuccine, pour a glass of red wine, and settle in with this captivating tale. You will cry tears of sadness and joy. Scottoline's Italian heritage combined with all her diligent research will keep this story in readers' hearts.--Beth Gibbs, Davidson, NC

Fascists are often portrayed as one monolithic, Nazi block, but Scottoline, famous for her legal thrillers, focuses on a trio of young Romans to explore how Italian fascism pre-dated, inspired, and differed from what eventually subsumed it. Elisabetta has a difficult home life, but she takes solace in being the object of affection for two young men, Marco, an up-and-coming member of Mussolini's bureaucracy, and Sandro, a Jewish mathematics student whose father is also an ardent Fascist. When the Nazis' influence leads to abhorrent, anti-Semitic race laws in Italy, Jewish Fascists, fervent party members for 15 years, are astounded as everything is taken from them. When Italy attempts to leave the Axis and make a separate peace, its former German allies quickly turn into cruel occupiers, and lives are lost with astonishing speed. Scottoline conjures atmosphere and culture in lush landscapes and city scenes and delectable culinary descriptions. This nuanced take on WWII Italy offers a variety of perspectives, but at its heart, this is a love story, with heroes lost being warmly remembered and love conquering all.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The hook is how best-selling crime writer Scottoline successfully changes course in a coming-of-age WWII love story that will entrance fans and newcomers alike.

Scottoline's admirable foray into historical fiction (after her Rosato & Associates series) visits pre-WWII Italy during Mussolini's rise to power as three teenage friends navigate a love triangle. Elisabetta D'Orfeo works at a restaurant to support her alcoholic father. Marco Terrizzi, the son of a bar owner, begins his rise in the Fascist government, using his wit and charm to hide the secret of his learning disability and inability to read. Sandro Simone, a brilliant student, lives in Rome's Jewish quarter with his obstetrician mother and lawyer father, Massimo. Sandro's parents want him to date a Jewish girl, but he is determined to court Elisabetta, plans that are put to a halt by Mussolini's racial laws barring relationships between Jews and non-Jews. Elisabetta succumbs to Marco's charms, but their relationship is derailed after Marco falsely takes credit for a notebook left for her by Sandro to encourage her writing. As the Nazis occupy Rome, threatening to arrest and deport Jewish residents, the Simones are stripped of their livelihoods. Sandro and Massimo are eventually rounded up by the Nazis, and Marco and Elisabetta go to increasingly dangerous lengths to try to rescue them. While the dialogue is a bit wooden at times, Scottoline expertly brings historical events to life. Fans of WWII fiction will be drawn to this immersive, emotional novel. Agent: Robert Gottlieb, Trident Media Group. (Mar.)