A young Sicilian immigrant rises through the ranks of the Mafia in this "mesmerizing" novel that "gives Puzo a run for his money" ( Publishers Weekly).   Sicily, 1879: After successfully smuggling a severed human ear past the police, Silvio Randazzo completes his dangerous first rite of passage—from peasant boy to Mafia soldier. The ear is a chilling ransom demand from Antonino Greco, Italy's most famous and feared Mafioso. But it's not until Randazzo commits his first vendetta killing that he truly "makes his bones" as a worthy member of the society that values honor above all . . . and rewards betrayal with death.   New Orleans, 1880: By exterminating the rivals of Angelo Priola—the most powerful gangster in America's most decadent city—the newly arrived Randazzo makes his mark in the fledgling underworld of his new homeland. As the law closes in on the notorious Greco, and dangerous new players vie for Priola's territory, the cunning, ruthless, and ever more ambitious Randazzo watches the path clear for his own ascension to the throne of capo—boss of bosses.   In the tradition of The Godfather, this "absorbing, historically authentic tale," inspired by real events, brings to vivid life the bloody and brutal world of the Mafia ( The Observer).