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It’s been a while, but things haven’t settled down in South Philly after a cruel vendetta nearly wiped out the Valmonti family and their beloved restaurant. Their nemesis is Gina, a pint-sized sociopath with delusions of grandeur and just enough criminal backing to make her dangerous.
Led by John, the reluctant heir to the family’s legacy, his childhood friends, a shrewd family attorney, and Guido, a pseudo-uncle who runs the neighborhood, the Valmontis are trying to get back to normal. Like a radioactive cockroach wrapped in Twinkies and blessed with immortality, Gina refuses to let go of her pathological destiny. With her usual bad luck and chronic foul mood in tow, she remains focused on murder.
Sonny’s Deception is packed with family drama, suspense, humor, outrageous antics, and deeper dives into the lives of familiar faces—some lovable, some… less so—plus a few new characters you won’t forget. Picking up where Sonny’s Vendetta and Sonny’s Revenge left off, this final chapter delivers collusion, confusion, and, at last, a conclusion.
Come back to South Philly, where the main course at every table is shouting—served with a side of sarcasm, Sunday gravy, and garlic bread. Ciao!
Praise for Sonny’s Deception
“Michael Attiani is the kind of storyteller who makes you laugh so hard you forget you’re supposed to be offended. His writing is sharp, heartfelt, and somehow always smells faintly of garlic and regret. South Philly doesn’t need a tourism board—it has Mike. If you’ve ever eaten too much, yelled too loud, or loved too hard, you’ll find yourself in his pages. And if you haven’t—don’t worry, he’ll introduce you to a few cousins who have.”
“When you read this book, somehow you become part of the story and part of every scene. You actually feel like you’re witnessing the conversations, watching expressions, body language, all the vivid details. I think besides the amazing story with unexpected twists and turns, the magic is the involvement I feel when reading this. I have read the other books and was blown away. With this story, I couldn’t help feeling sad that this is the final chapter of Mike’s series.”
“Whether skewering societal nonsense or delivering a perfect ‘bon mot’ with a wink, Mike balances charm and sass in equal measure. You’ll laugh, you’ll nod knowingly, and you might even wince—because when he hits a nerve, it’s with style!”
“Mike writes the way he lives—hilariously, unapologetically, and occasionally covered in dog hair. I’ve often chuckled our loud at his social media posts and thought, ‘Wow, maybe I could write a book too.’ His mastery of the written word is only matched by his ability to yell at the TV during a Phillies’ game. Prepare yourself for a joyous read — grab a biscotti and a dog or two to gain the full Attiani experience!”
“This explosive installment displays the sweetest of third courses: dangerously delicious, layered like Nonna’s lasagna, with the most satisfying of endings. Mike Attiani is as quick with the pen as he is at the track. In this third book in the trilogy, he sets a fast lap by diving into the characters’ distinct, fully realized personalities and detailed backstories that build on the framework laid in the first two installments.
Sonny’s Deception winds through the twists and turns of Attiani’s clever storytelling, finding grip in sarcastic and witty dialogue. The book accelerates towards the finish line with deeply satisfying, though sometimes messy, endings to each storyline. This book is a winner from the out-lap to the checkered flag!”
“It takes guts to place a story in Philadelphia because you know you will have an entire city looking at you, but Michael managed to not just capture the flavor of the city but weave it into a story that thrives on the details that only Philly can provide. The Sonny’s trilogy has been a fantastic read with a storyline that keeps you questioning where it will go next.”
“Having grown up in the ‘burbs of Philly and spent a lot of time in Center City and South Philly, Mike’s vividly descriptive writing brought me right back to the city of my youth. His characters are so well developed that I felt like I knew them—I might not want to be friends with them, but I certainly wanted to see how their lives played out. Mike’s storytelling, inflected with his sardonic sense of humor, kept me engaged and thinking, ‘I could read one more chapter before bed’ and end up reading four or five!”