Having worked at Gucci Shops for over twenty years, when Gucci was a family owned company, in the positions of General Manager of the Chicago Shop, Corporate Executive and Assistant Corporate Secretary of the New York Shop, and having attended numerous buyer meetings at the Gucci factory in Florence Italy, gave me the basis and inspiration for writing this sensationalist novel. I worked closely with Aldo Gucci and Maurizio Gucci. When I opened the Chicago shop, I spent over a year working every day with Maurizio Gucci, at his father's request, teaching Maurizio the American business system. Maurizio Gucci eventually took over total ownership and control of Gucci Shops, and after having sold out his interest in the company, he was tragically murdered by his wife. This fictional novel portrays the tragic tale of a family named Costa that had it all. It is a story of Opulence, Glamour, Greed, Insanity and Murder. The story of Power and how Power distorts judgment and ultimately corrupts, and once that love of power set in, it became a fait accompli, with no way out, no way to avoid the tragic drama that ensues in the spiral down-spin. It portrays a lesson no one need ever learn. Joe Maresca Author of COSTA