The chilling real-life story of one of the largest organised crime syndicates in Europe, from a Finnish-Italian writer of nonfiction.
Author: Anton Monti
Finnish original: ’Ndrangheta
Publisher: S&S, 2021
Genre: nonfiction
Number of pages: 256 pp.
Reading material: Finnish original, English sample, English synopsis
Rights sold: Russia, Mereshchakov Publishing House
’Ndrangheta is the name of a prominent mafia organisation from the Calabria region in southern Italy, whose members are bound by traditions that date back centuries. The group masterminds almost all of Europe’s cocaine market, and its nefarious activities extend to kidnappings, murders and clan wars that have cumulatively led to thousands of deaths.
Despite this outsized influence, ’Ndrangheta is a surprisingly unknown criminal force. To the inhabitants of southern Italy, however, the organisation is a familiar presence. Locals trust it to look after their best interests better than their regional leaders, the police or even the Italian state.
Author Anton Monti has examined the ‘Ndrangheta for years. In this uniquely comprehensive presentation of the syndicate, Monti describes how the organisation’s strict code of conduct, religious imagery and cultlike rituals have turned it into a violent moneymaking machine. Before they know it, readers are caught up in this gripping story, where fact is more shocking than fiction.
Unlike the Sicilian Mafia, the ’Ndrangheta have managed to keep a low profile, avoiding any conflicts that could put the organisation in danger. Even so, the tally of bodies in its wake dwarfs that of Cosa Nostra and terrorism combined.
(Translated by Pamela Kaskinen)
About the author:
Anton Monti