Returning to the Lion's Den

Life in an Organized Crime Family

By: Marco Manfre

Narrated by: Tim Welch

When Daniel Montello is 18 years old, because his family is overwhelmed with crushing financial problems, he begins working as an errand boy/clean-up person at the Huntington Social Club, a storefront in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, that is used by the De Luca crime family. That decision dramatically alters the trajectory of Daniel's life and drastically affects all of those who care about him.

While not a sequel to The Outcast Prophet of Bensonhurst, this new book by Marco Manfre deals with similar themes: family, love, loss, and consequences as well as how people deal with local traditions and loyalties. However, because it is the story of a man's life in an organized crime family, Returning to the Lion's Den is replete with heart-pounding scenes of crime and retribution. It also explores the boundaries of faith and loyalty and delves into fundamental questions of right and wrong.

Although Returning to the Lion's Den is a work of fiction, as the story unfolds it reveals a great deal of accurate, carefully researched information about the actual workings of modern-day crime families. It is an eloquent and fascinating cross between The Godfather and The Valachi Papers. Its unique characters, real-life setting, and complex plot make Returning to the Lion's Den that rare kind of listening experience: a fast-paced thriller/crime novel and a deeply moving story of a man's fall from grace and his ultimate redemption.

©2013 Marco Manfre (P)2016 Marco Manfre

Great read!

After listening to a couple of hours of Returning to the Lions Den, I have found myself pleasantly surprised how interesting this book and story has been. The story is about an 18 year old boy named, Daniel who felt that it was time to help his family with money because they were struggling. He ended up getting a job at the Hunting Social Club which was ran by a family that was a part of crime. I enjoyed listening to this story because the flow of the chapters makes you want to continue listening. I enjoyed how suspenseful this story was because of how the author portrayed these characters. Since the story was based in New York it kept me interested because I was able to relate to some of the areas they were talking about. As I kept listening, I found myself hooked because the characters seemed very realistic and reminded me of stories that I have heard like this. It was interesting to hear about this 18 year old that got involved with this family and how he deals with it. One line in this book that stood out to me, was a group of men that were named in the story, considered themselves “captains” and people had to get approval from these “captains”.
Overall great read! I definitely recommend.