She first became fascinated with the Mafia when she watched The Godfather - the film about the ruthless Mafia Corleone family. Since then she has written about the Mafia in Europe in its many guises – the various groups like the Cosa Nostra in Sicily, the ‘Ndrangheta in Calabria, the Mafia men and women, and the individuals who work tirelessly and with great personal danger to bring the Mafia to task. In her latest book, The Honoured Society: The Secret History of Italy’s Most Powerful Mafia, she looks at how the Mafia has spread its tentacles into Germany and beyond.