O is for Oops! (and Organized Crime)

Last year was my first crack at the A-Z Blogging Challenge, a blogging phenomenon created by the amazing Arlee Bird. The object is to blog every day of the month of April (except Sundays), and to increase the challenge (if you want), to blog thematically from A to Z. No sweat, right? Last year, I blogged about music with Jessica Bell. This year, I'm heading back to my roots and blogging about all things thriller. Join me?

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I got so caught up in spending time with my sister and nephew yesterday - and then the four-hour drive home - that I completely forgot to do yesterday's "O" post. So today, I'm playing catch up. Hence the "O" is for Oops.

But in the spirit of my thriller theme, "O" is actually for Organized Crime, the most well known example being, but not limited to, the mafia.

I have a bit of a fascination with organized crime - and not just because I'm Italian. (ha!) My interest goes beyond the mafia, and includes such infamous groups as the Hell's Angels motorcycle club and even some historical cults. I always look for the deeper reason for the "following" - fear notwithstanding, of course.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons I'm obsessed with the TV show Sons of Anarchy, or the new Kevin Bacon/James Purefoy show on FOX The Following. I know it is absolutely one of the reasons I loved Mario Puzo's The Godfather.

This was actually one of the first thriller books I ever read - a classic.

If you've not read it, I can't sum it up any better than this Goodreads blurb:

 A searing novel of the Mafia underworld, The Godfather introduced readers to the first family of American crime fiction, the Corleones, and the powerful legacy of tradition, blood, and honor that was passed on from father to son. With its themes of the seduction of power, the pitfalls of greed, and family allegiance, it resonated with millions of readers across the world—and became the definitive novel of the virile, violent subculture that remains steeped in intrigue, in controversy, and in our collective consciousness. 

See! What's not to love about that?

So, what do you think motivates "followers"? 

- Dawn