This has been serialized during February in The New Yorker. Lewis worked with British Intelligence during WWII and had access to all court files about Mafia activities. His former father-in-law was a Sicilian baron involved in the Society. The book centers on the history of the Mafia in Sicily from its beginnings to the present and does not cover suspected activities here. The old-fashioned ""men of respect"" ruled with great regality in sharp contrast to the hoodlum type that has come with the 20th century. There are constant comparisons made with the Sicily of Lampedusa's novel, The Leopard. A finely researched, thoughtfully written book.