Murder Takes Time by Giacomo Giammatteo

Murder Takes Time is a story of love and betrayal, friendships and deadly enmities.  A group of boys grow up poor in an Italian neighborhood.  Tony is the smartest kid anyone knows.  Suit only has one shirt as his family is so poor and vows to never wear anything but the finest when he is grown.  Bugs gets his name for his ability to catch cockroaches in his tenement apartment; the only thing his father values about him.  Nicky 'The Rat' has a fierce loyalty to his friends.  He gets his nickname from the local mobsters when at the age of six he is taken in by the police for a childhood prank and despite hours of questioning refuses to give up so much as his name, much less his partners in crime.  Together they form a group determined to always be there for each other.

But children grow up.  Tony is a rising star in the Mob, with Suit his constant companion.  Bugs has become a cop, a homicide detective torn between his childhood loyalties and the law.  Nicky, who went to prison rather than give up his friends, has just been released, only to find his long time love married to someone else.  Unable to get work, he soon becomes an enforcer for the Mob.

Now, gruesome murders are happening, and Bugs suspects that Nicky may be behind them.  Can he solve the murders before more occur and find a way to balance his friendships and his work?

Gaimmatteo has written an authentic Italian mobster mystery.  The book is told in the voices of the various characters, allowing the reader to understand the motivations behind their actions.  The plotline is compelling, and the resolution is satisfying.  This book is recommended for mystery lovers.