The Maddest Obsession

The Maddest Obsession (2019) is a dark mafia romance by Danielle Lori and the second standalone novel in her popular Made series. The book is a notable example of the contemporary dark romance genre, which often features antihero protagonists and explores complex power dynamics within a criminal underworld. The story follows the multiyear, tumultuous relationship between Gianna Marino, the rebellious wife of a Cosa Nostra capo, and Christian Allister, a cold, obsessive federal agent with a deeply traumatic past. Their antagonistic connection evolves into a dangerous and all-consuming affair. The novel explores themes including Love as a Form of Obsession, The Interplay of Control and Chaos, and The Enduring Impact of Trauma.

This guide is based on the 2019 self-published edition.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide contain depictions of death, graphic violence, child abuse, child sexual abuse, substance use, addiction, physical and emotional abuse, sexual content, mental illness, gender discrimination, and cursing.

Plot Summary

The narrative begins in 2015 with Christian Allister, an FBI agent with self-diagnosed obsessive-compulsive tendencies and a self-described “addictive personality,” undergoing a mandatory psychological evaluation with Dr. Sasha Taylor. The sessions are interspersed throughout the first part of the novel, with Christian recounting past events that led to a violent incident at work. He alludes to an all-consuming obsession with a woman he cannot have.

The story flashes back to 2012, when Gianna Russo, the 21-year-old wife of powerful Cosa Nostra capo Antonio Marino, is arrested for speeding and drug possession. Christian, a federal agent working with her husband’s organization, is sent to secure her release and escorts her home. Their first interaction is marked by verbal sparring and mutual antagonism, with Gianna noting Christian’s cold, controlled demeanor and trying to chip away at it.

A year later, Gianna discovers that Antonio is having an affair with her best friend, Sydney Brown. Devastated and intoxicated, Gianna sleeps with her stepson, Nico Russo. The betrayal and guilt send her into a spiral of substance use. Over the next year, Gianna and Christian cross paths at social events, where their animosity is fueled by unresolved sexual tension and jealousy. During one such event, Christian finds Gianna having a panic attack on a terrace and calms her by telling her the story of the constellation Andromeda.

In 2014, at Gianna’s 23rd birthday party, a violent shootout occurs at the club. Antonio and Sydney are among the casualties, and Nico is wounded while protecting Gianna. Christian finds a traumatized Gianna and takes her to Nico’s home, caring for her while she is in shock. A year later, Gianna remains traumatized by the shooting but flirts with a man named Knox, inviting him home against Christian’s warnings. Back at her apartment, Christian interrupts the couple and shoots Knox. Furious, Gianna tracks down Christian at his apartment and confronts him, and the argument evolves into their first sexual encounter.

Meanwhile, Nico, now head of the family, insists that Gianna remarry for her protection. Piqued that Christian did not call her after their night together, she chooses Richard Marino, an elderly and ailing capo. Unbeknownst to Gianna, Christian was called away overseas after his encounter with her. Upon his return, he learns of Gianna’s new marriage and reacts with a destructive rage by destroying a computer lab at work, the incident that prompted his psychological evaluation.

The narrative shifts to the present day, three years later. Gianna, now 28, lives a lonely life. She rejects a marriage proposal from a wealthy hotelier, Vincent Monroe, confirming that she is unable to divorce and emotionally unavailable. Christian, who was transferred to Seattle after his destruction of the computer lab, now returns to New York. He immediately resumes his surveillance of Gianna, threatening Vincent to stay away from her. When Gianna learns this, she angrily confronts Christian in an encounter that ends with them having penetrative sex for the first time. Afterward, Gianna has a panic attack when she realizes that they did not use contraception.

Their entanglement deepens when Richard’s health fails and his son evicts Gianna from her apartment. Nico moves Gianna into a vacant apartment that happens to be across the hall from Christian’s. Though annoyed by the proximity, Gianna finds herself going to Christian when she experiences a panic attack amid a power outage; as he comforts her, she reveals that the dark frightens her because it reminds her of her father, who punished her by locking her in dark rooms, and of a family friend who molested her. However, Christian is publicly associated with a Russian model, Aleksandra Popova, which fuels Gianna’s jealousy. Her ensuing avoidance of him prompts him to confront her, leading to a sexual encounter that triggers Gianna to remember something about the night of her wedding to her first husband: When she got drunk after discovering Antonio cheating, Christian found and cared for her.

When Christian learns that Gianna’s father has ordered her to attend her cousin’s wedding in Chicago, he insists on accompanying her. After the ceremony, Gianna confronts her father about his abuse, and Christian warns the man that Gianna now belongs to him. On the plane ride back, to Gianna’s surprise, Christian proposes that they continue to have sex until he returns to Seattle in a few weeks (something he privately has no intention of doing). She cautiously agrees, and their lives slowly become more intertwined, as Gianna frequently sleeps over at Christian’s apartment and cooks for him. Christian eventually manipulates Gianna into making their relationship public by attending church and family functions with her.

Prompted by Nico, who warns Christian that Gianna cannot keep having sex outside of marriage without losing her reputation, Christian proposes marriage. Gianna refuses, demanding emotional transparency and an understanding of his closely guarded past before she will consider marrying again: Christian has told her of his time in a Russian prison as a teenager, including his molestation by a nurse, but she knows there is more to the story. Pushed to a breaking point, Christian reveals his traumatic childhood in Russia. He was raised by a mother who was a sex worker so that she could afford alcohol and drugs. She also allowed her clients to sexually abuse Christian. When she threatened to do the same to his younger brother, Christian—who was seven at the time—killed the client. His mother eventually died of drug use, shortly after molesting Christian, now 14, herself.

Immediately after his confession, Gianna discovers that she is pregnant from their first sexual encounter. She tells Christian, who is overjoyed by the news. They admit their love for each other, Christian proposes again, and they marry in a courthouse ceremony.

One year later, Christian attends a final, voluntary meeting with Dr. Taylor. He is now married to Gianna, and they have a five-month-old daughter, Kat. He reflects on his journey, expressing a deep contentment with his family. He has found peace, accepting that his obsession has transformed into a profound love. He leaves behind a US quarter he has carried since his youth, a symbol of his traumatic past.