In The Company of Killers

Written by Elora Cook (Hodder)

Age 14+

Gossip Girl meets The Sopranos in this fast-paced drama about a teenage mafia heiress who would do anything to avenge her family, even join forces with the handsome enemy.

Seventeen-year-old Tasha Nicastro lives a life of glitz and glamour, but she has no idea her family harbors a dark truth.

Tasha might look like your classic high school mean girl, but behind the designer clothes is a sharpshooter who knows how to bring anyone to their knees. The only person who has ever gotten under her skin is her former best friend, Leo Danesi, the youngest son of the Nicastro family’s rivals. After Leo returns to New York older and more handsome, Tasha thinks he’ll be the worst of her problems—until the life she thought she knew takes a violent, shocking turn. When her father and beloved older sister are murdered before her eyes, Tasha learns the dark truth: Her family runs the most powerful Mafia branch in New York, and now she’s set to inherit it all.

Tasha vows vengeance on the mysterious new mob behind the hit, but she can’t do it alone. She needs someone who already knows the underground world to help track them down. And that person is none other than Leo, the heir to his own family’s dangerous empire.

But Tasha is a Nicastro. She’s been raised in the company of killers, and there’s absolutely nothing she won’t do to avenge her family. That is, if the enemy doesn’t put her in gold chains first.

This is a page turning thriller young adults will enjoy. I did feel the story line got a little bogged down by the messy drama. Lots of differerent characters, over heightened emotions and Tasha and Leo seem to constantly have silly arguments or misunderstandings. It also felt unliklely Tasha would not know her family were in the mob, or that a teenager would be saddled with becoming the new mafia boss.

Despite that, the story kept a pace and the twists and turns were entertaining and I did not see the ending coming, which is always a good thing!

Meet the author:

This is Elora Cook’s debut novel. She grew up outside of Toronto and now travels to and from the East Coast. Her name comes from the movie Willow, which destined her for a love of storytelling. She is currently working on her second book. Find out more here.