The Good Mothers

“Highly compelling . . . An impossible-to-put-down page-turner revealing the Mafia makeup and three courageous women who bore witness to save others.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES

The Calabrian Mafia—known as the ’Ndrangheta—is one of the richest and most ruthless crime syndicates in the world. The ’Ndrangheta’s power derives from a mix of violence and silence—omertà. Yet it endures because of family ties: you are born into the syndicate, or you marry in. Loyalty is absolute. Bloodshed is revered. You go to prison or your grave and kill your own father, brother, sister, or mother in cold blood before you betray The Family.

In 2009, after one abused ’Ndrangheta wife was murdered for turning state’s evidence, prosecutor Alessandra Cerreti approached two more mafia wives, persuading them to testify in return for a new future for themselves and their children.

The Good Mothers is the riveting story of a high-stakes battle pitting a brilliant, driven woman fighting to save a nation against ruthless mafiosi. Caught in the middle are three women fighting for their children and their lives. Not all will survive.

“An essential addition to the growing library on organized crime [that] puts the women . . . at the center of a story . . . Perry keeps the emphasis on the risks taken by a brave few Calabrian women . . . Pesce [is] a character worthy of Elena Ferrante.” —Washington Post

“A staggeringly impressive work of investigative reporting . . . A life changing read.” —Booklist, starred review

“Wow, this is something special.” —Nicholas Schmidle, The New Yorker