The Godfifa (Paperback) | Released: 24 Feb 2016

What's in a name? Well, quite a lot, if you're THE GODFIFA, of Stephen R. Tabone's new book by the same title. In this man's world, money, power and scandal all come down to one thing: the ultimate in luxury. And who doesn't want Gucci suits, a garage full of cars, live-in housekeeping, mountains of cocaine and real Champagne on tap? But absolute power, as they say, corrupts absolutely - and nowhere is the bubbling football scandal of recent years, the dirty dealings and blatant embezzlement, better referenced than in the near-Machiavellian twists and turns of THE GODFIFA. The labyrinthine criminal intricacies of a world where "there's results and only results," where trust is a non-commodity, where territory and property hold sway above all else, make this fascinating reading. The compelling Felix Vessello, a man unassuming at first glance who nevertheless wields the power to end lives, manipulate international politics and seduce any woman he chooses, is perhaps not what you could call a hero. Although he is undoubtedly the centre of his own world - and of this story - there's very little virtue to be found in him but for a cold, calculating ruthlessness that prioritises 'getting it done' above all else. In the tradition of THE GODFATHER, the classic mafia movie from which Tabone's book takes its title inspiration, Vessello is a man to be afraid of - an unpredictable force of nature. If you're dealing with somebody who sees death as "a ripe fruit falling, a fruit bearing a seed that can grow again, thus deliver its essence into the form it once was and thereby its distinctive code," you'd have to be very, very stupid not to be scared. But when you're THE GODFIFA, the man with the plan, the president of the international football association, you don't get to the top without knocking a few others out of your way. And you're not going to be able to hold on without putting up a fight. With a colourful cast of supporting characters, and a flavoursome style that's peppered with detail as well as humour, THE GODFIFA is a tense read; the audacity of the acts and conspiracies that Vessello and co. commit is shocking, and when Vessello's master plan becomes clear, the power struggle only gets more intense. Readers will be amused by the scheming women, mysterious shadowy figures and weak-willed pawns that populate the world of THE GODFIFA, while erotic and romantic scenes full of fresh metaphor hint at the primal, unrestrained nature of the violence in the lives of an international criminal network. But is there, among all the hopelessness and brutality, some sort of possibility, some potential for salvation? Or will Vessello evade the heavy hand of justice doled out by the FBI? We can only guess at what Stephen Tabone is going to come up with next - and certainly, after reading THE GODFIFA, only the first installment in a planned trilogy, all crime novel readers will want to know.