On Tour 02/10/26-03/30/26 “The Descendant” by Linda Stasi

Release Date: March 10, 2026

About The Book:

This based-on-real-events novel tells the story of the family that possibly inspired The Godfather—except this story doesn’t begin with a small robbery in New York. Instead, The Descendant begins with a big, blooming love in the tiny town of Lucca Sicula, Sicily. Told through the lives of the strong Italian women who fought against impossible odds, this historically inspired narrative introduces a whole cast of fascinating characters.

Mariano Barbera was a strong, powerfully built man who saw tiny fourteen-year-old Maria Ragusa at her family’s store and was struck dumb. He had to have her, and she wanted him just as badly. Their life together leads the couple and their children from earthquake-ravaged Sicily to bondage in the mines of Colorado, to cattle ranching in Pueblo, to Mafia life on the mean streets of Red Hook, Brooklyn.

This sweeping family saga centers around the Barberas’ ten children from their three cowboy bootlegging sons, Peter, Joe, and Austin to their seven wildly different cowgirl daughters. First there’s little Flo—born on the night of the wolves and whose own alpha wolf never left her side—as she navigates life alongside her best pal and younger sister, Clara. Then there’s Flo’s many older sisters: Carrie, who loved and lost; Angie, who loved and left; gorgeous Laura, who loved the wrong man; grouchy but brilliant Helen, who loved many times; and tough-as-nails wrangler Mary, who loved a woman more than the husband she was forced to marry.

About The Author:

The popular and well-read novelist, and award-winning former columnist for the New York Daily News, and previously for the New York Post, and New York Newsday Linda Stasi, was also an on-camera TV co-host with Mark Simone on NY1 -Spectrum “What a Week!” for 15 years. She currently hosts “Uncensored” for CUNY TV and teaches novel writing to journalist members of the Newswomen’s Club of New York.

Brash, funny and opinionated, the acerbic Stasi’s first novel, The Sixth Station, hit Amazon’s top 25, and was hailed as “A helluva religious thriller,” by Nelson DeMille, while Steve Berry said, “You’ll be grabbing the pages so right your knuckles will turn white!”

Stasi’s sequel, Book of Judas, published in 2017, received acclaim from best selling authors such as Sherrilyn Kenyon, who called it, “An innovative masterpiece!”

Her newest novel, The Descendant is due February 20, 2026.

Stasi has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Good Day

New York, The View as well as CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and many others.

In 2020, she was appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo to the Mother

Cabrini Commission.

In 2022, Rev. Al Sharpton elected her to the Board of The Civil Rights

Museum, where she currently serves as Treasurer.

Stasi has also authored five non-fiction books – Looking Good Is the Best Revenge, A Field Guide to Impossible Men, Simply Beautiful, Boomer Babes, and Scotto Sunday Suppers.

She was named “One of the Fifty Most Powerful Women in NYC” by the New York Daily News and has won numerous awards including two “Best Columnist” by the Newswomen’s Club of NY, and “Woman of the Year” by the Boys Town of Italy. Linda’s daughter, Jessica Rovello, is the co-founder of Arkadium Games, and is only female CEO of a major games company in the USA.

Linda and her husband, Sid Davidoff, were named by “City & State” as one of NYC’s 100 top power couples. She is a member (and judge) of the Mystery Writers of America, the International Thriller Writers, The American Society of Authors & Journalists, the Historical Novel Society, Newswomen’s Club of NY, the National Italian American Foundation, the Italian American organization, the Columbus Citizens Foundation. https://lindastasi.com/

Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/linda.stasi

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindaStasiWriter

Book Blurbs:

The Ludlow massacre in Colorado in 1914 is a very compelling story of man’s inhumanity to man. It is an issue of human rights, bigotry, and how vicious people can come in stereotyping people for greed and fortune. I look forward to the publication of Linda Stasi’s book, THE DESCENDANT and her authorship as only she can dramatize man’s pain, agony and resilience.-Reverend Al Sharpton, President of National Action Network, New York Timesbestselling author, MSNBC host.

Told through the eyes of one family, THE DESCENDANTS is the story of how thousands of Italian immigrants helped settle the American West fighting unimaginable hardship, massacre, flood, blizzards, and bigotry to emerge triumphant as cattle ranchers, cowboys, bootleggers, and heroic WWII fighter plane crew members. Written with heartbreak and humor, Stasi’s novel brings needed change to the accepted, but biased, untold Italian American immigrant narrative.—Andrew Cuomo, former New York State Governor, NYC Mayoral Candidate, New York Times bestselling author

In THE DESCENDANT, Linda Stasi tells a story little-known and hers to tell: the wild and history-based tale of the Italian miners and ranchers in the American West. Immigration, Prohibition, the birth of the Mafia, and a little girl watched over by a large gray wolf — Stasi’s family was there, and I’m so glad I got to meet them in all their astonishing variety in this novel.–SJ Rozan, author of the 2024 New York Times pick of Best Historical Novels: THE MURDER OF MR. MA. Bestselling author of over 20 novels.

Captivating fiction often requires an author putting the reader in a situation they have never envisioned possible. In THE DESCENDANT, Linda Stasi uses her family’s incredible true journey to take us to a time and a place few know anything about.

I guarantee your imagination will put you there with them and, as I did, you will wonder what you would do to survive. This is a story that will resonate in your thoughts for a long time.

—David Fisher, author 24 New York Times bestselling fiction and non-fiction books. Only author to have novel, non-fiction, and reference books offered simultaneously by the Book-of-the Month Club.

THE DESCENDANTS is a compelling historical novel that is an eye opener and reminds us of the brutality that Italian immigrants and others withstood in reaching their American dream.

—Angelo Vivolo, Founding Member Italian American Leadership Foundation,

Board Member National Italian American Foundation, (NIAF).

Bloggers On Tour:

Feb. 10th- Reading On The Brink https://www.instagram.com/readingonthebrink

Feb. 10th- Lindas Book Obsession https://www.facebook.com/lindasbookobsession/

Feb. 10th – Books and Coffee MX https://instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx

Feb. 12th- Christina Luvs 2 Read https://instagram.com/christinaluvs2read

Feb. 13th – Novels and Latte Book Club –https://www.facebook.com/groups/357651988042629

Feb. 15th- Smashley Reads- https://instagram.com/smashley.reads

Feb. 18th- Laura’s Next Chapter https://instagram.com/laurasnextchapter

Feb. 19th- Rozier Reads and Wine https://instagram.com/rozierreadsandwine

Feb. 20th- Love My Books 2020 https://instagram.com/lovemybooks2020