The Sardine

The story takes place in New York City. It opens with Angelo Rizzo getting out of prison after twenty-five years. Angelo is a made guy with one of the New York Crime families. His character is a mix between Don Corleone and Archie Bunker. Angelo is a straight-up gangster, and this politically correct world is insane to him. He struggles to find his place in a society that makes him feel like a dinosaur. He can’t believe that even the mafia has fallen prey to political correctness. He watches the newer guys; they vape instead of smoking cigarettes, they drink lattes instead of espresso, and they wear sporty clothing instead of dressing in a nice suit.

His son Phillip, who was only two when Angelo went away, moves from Los Angeles back to New York so he can get to know his dad. Phillip is an openly gay man, but he is sure his dad will not take that lightly. He and his partner Luke rent a place in Manhattan, and Angelo moves in with them. You can imagine some of those scenes.

When Angelo gets home, the boss of the family summons him and warns him not to bring any attention to the family. The FBI is mostly tied up chasing terrorists, and their organized crime units have been cut in half. As the mob continues to prosper with little government oversight, the last thing they want is a loose cannon like Angelo bringing the heat. The boss would just as soon eliminate Angelo, but he knew that would bring poor morale among the troops. You do twenty-five years, and then they kill you, so they give Angelo enough rope to hang himself.

Angelo has such a great reputation with the young guns that it doesn’t take long before he has enough support to flip the situation and take control of the family. A bloody plot takes out the top echelon of the family. They do a slick heist in the diamond district. They uncover a turncoat in their crew and deal with that in a brutal way. You see them interact with each other and the civilian world. In the midst of all this, Angelo connects with the Down syndrome boy next door, and everyone is perplexed at the paradox. There is a very short war with a different ethnic crime syndicate, then an exciting mob trial, and a Machiavellian ending. This is a real insider’s look at the mafia, with a raw story and authentic characters. The ending is sure to leave you speechless as you see what a violent man Angelo truly is. The fan base is dying for this kind of material.