Transferred to Naples after a tangle with the Sicilian Mafia, DI Giuseppe Lojacono encounters an even more deadly foe: a sinister killer of teenagers that the locals are calling The Crocodile. A bestseller in Italy; translated by Antony Shugaar.

The Crocodile

Literature & Fiction

Maurizio de Giovanni

Genre Fiction

ABACUS +

[Translated by Anne Milano Appel][Read by Grover Gardner]Naples, 1931. A bitter wind stalks the city streets, and murder lies at its chilled heart. When Maestro Vezzi, one of the world's greatest tenors, is found brutally murdered in his dressing room at Naples' famous San Carlo theater, the enigmatic and aloof Commissario Ricciardi is called to investigate. Arrogant and bad-tempered, Vezzi was hated by many. But with the livelihoods of the opera at stake, who would have committed such a callous act? Ricciardi and his loyal colleague Maione are determined to discover the truth, but Ricciardicarries a secret of his own.Will it help him solve this murder?

I Will Have Vengeance

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Mystery

Hersilia Press

I Will Have Vengeance: The Winter of Commissario Ricciardi (Commissario Ricciardi Series, Book 1)

Blackstone Audio,Inc.

[Translated by Antony Shugaar] [Read by Grover Gardner] Ricciardi has visions. He sees and hears the final seconds in the lives of victims of violent deaths. It is both a gift and a curse. It has helped him become one of the most acute and successful homicide detectives in the Naples police force. But all that horror and suffering has hollowed him out emotionally: He drinks and doesn't sleep. Other than his loyal partner Brigadier Maione he has no friends. Naples, 1931. In a working-class apartment in the Sanita neighborhood, an elderly woman by the name of Carmela Calise has been beaten to death. When Ricciardi and Maione arrive at the scene they start asking the neighbors questions. No one wants to talk, but slowly a few interesting facts slip out. Carmela Calise was moonlighting as a fortune-teller and moneylender. In her decrepit apartment, she would receive clients -- among them some of the city's rich and powerful -- predicting their futures in such a way as to manipulate and deceive. If economic ruin lurked in their futures, Calise was happy to help -- for a price, of course. She had many enemies: those indebted to her, manipulated by her lies, disappointed by her prophesies, or destroyed by her machinations. Murder suspects in this atmospheric thriller abound, and Commissario Ricciardi, one of the most original and intriguing investigators in contemporary crime fiction, will have his work cut out for him.

Blood Curse: The Springtime of Commissario Ricciardi (Commissario Ricciardi Series, Book 2)

Naples, 1931. Together with his indefatigable partner Brigadier Maione, Commissario Ricciardi, a man driven into solitude by his paranormal ""gift"" of seeing the final seconds in the lives of victims of violent deaths-- a talent that also makes him a highly effective investigator-- is conducting an investigation into the death of the beautiful and mysterious duchess of Camparino. The duchess' connections to Neapolitan privileged social circles and the local fascist elite make the case a powder keg waiting to blow.

Everyone in Their Place: The Summer of Commissario Ricciardi (Commissario Ricciardi Series, Book 3)

[Translated by Antony Shugaar] [Read by Grover Gardner]In this fourth installment of the internationally successful Commissario Ricciardi series, the commissario investigates the death of Matteo, one of the many street urchins who live hand-to-mouth in the dark alleys of 1930s Naples. While at first the death seems provoked by natural causes, there's more to the tragedy than meets the eye. Commissario Ricciardi is the undisputed wizard of Neapolitan crime scenes. He solves every crime with an uncanny swiftness that leaves his colleagues dumbfounded. Indeed, there are those who think his abilities are the work of the devil, an unnatural and ungodly gift to be exorcised. And maybe they're right. Ricciardi sees the dead; he sees and hears the final moments in the lives of those who have suffered violent deaths. It may be a talent, or it may be a curse, but it is nonetheless a kind of black magic. Sometimes, however, even black magic isn't enough. It's a rainy autumn in Naples and the fog lays thick over the city as its inhabitants celebrate the week of the dead. Ricciardi's instincts tell him that the dead boy is the victim of a murder, but investigating the homicide is not going to be easy. The authorities want to avoid any trouble, any sign that things are not as they ought to be in Naples, for they are preparing for the state visit of Benito Mussolini. Ricciardi will have to conduct his investigation hidden from the eyes of his superiors. What's worse, his sixth sense is no help to him this time: the scene of the crime is silent, still, not a word or a sign, or even a scream from the dead. Has his unwelcome gift finally faded? Or is something more sinister at work?

The Day of the Dead: The Autumn of Commissario Ricciardi (Commissario Ricciardi Series, Book 4)

[Translated by Antony Shugaar] [Read by Grover Gardner]  Maurizio de Giovanni presents Viper, the sixth book in the critically acclaimed Commissario Ricciardi series.  Naples, 1932. A week before Easter, springtime offers fragrant temptations to the men and women of Naples - but evil also lurks in the sweet-smelling spring air. At the high-class brothel in the center of town known as Paradiso, Viper, the most famous prostitute of all, is found dead after being suffocated with a pillow. Her last client swears that he left her alive and well. But when her next client arrived, he found her dead. Who killed her and why? Ricciardi must untangle a complex knot of greed, frustration, jealousy, and rancor in order to solve the riddle of Viper's death. As he does, he will discover an endless trail of conflicting emotions just beneath the surface of a city that lives on passion.  De Giovanni's mysteries unfold with such sinuous ease that they seem to write themselves. They enchant, surprise, and keep readers enthralled. Commissario Ricciardi, with the dubious gift of being able to see and hear the last seconds in the lives of those who have suffered a violent death, is one of the most fascinating investigators to make his appearance in the world of international crime fiction. In Viper, the lustful and boisterous city of Naples has never been more seductive.

Viper: No Resurrection for Commissario Ricciardi (Commissario Ricciardi series, Book 6)

[Translated by Antony Shugaar] [Read by Grover Gardner] Maurizio de Giovanni presents By My Hand, the fifth book in the critically acclaimed Commissario Ricciardi series. As Naples prepares for its holiday celebrations, behind the facade of order and happiness imposed by the fascist regime lurks terrible poverty and blinding desperation. In a luxurious apartment on the Mergellina beach, the bodies of a fascist militia officer and his wife have been found. The woman's throat has been cut, while the man has been stabbed over sixty times. Seemingly, the hands of two separate killers have been at work. A statuette of St. Joseph, patron saint of workers, lies in pieces on the floor. At the scene of the crime, Ricciardi, who has the dubious gift of being able to see and hear the last seconds in the lives of those who have suffered a violent death, listens to the enigmatic last words of the couple. Accompanied by his faithful partner Brigadier Raffaele Maione -- and once more troubled by two women who compete for his attentions -- the commissario will have to trace a wide and frenetic arc through the streets of Naples in order to uncover the truth.

By My Hand: The Christmas of Commissario Ricciardi (Commissario Ricciardi Series, Book 5)

Commissario Ricciardi has visions. He sees the final seconds in the lives of victims of violent deaths. It is both a gift and a curse. It has helped him become one of the most successful homicide detectives on the Naples police front. But the horror of his visions has hollowed him out emotionally. He drinks too much and sleeps too little. Other than his loyal partner, Brigadier Maione, he has no friends. Naples, March 1931: a bitter wind stalks the city streets, and murder lies at its chill heart. When the world's greatest tenor, Maestro Arnaldo Vezzi, is found brutally murdered in his dressing room at Naples' San Carlo Theatre, the enigmatic and aloof Commissario Ricciardi is called in to investigate. Arrogant and bad-tempered, Vezzi was adored by millions and hated by hundreds, but with the livelihoods of everyone at the San Carlo opera at stake, who there would have committed such an act? Ricciardi is determined to find out. Fans of Donna Leon and Manuel Vázquez Montalbán will thrill to this fresh voice in crime fiction. I Will Have Vengeance is the first book in a quartet of masterful crime novels set in fascist Italy.

I Will Have Vengeance (Commissario Ricciardi)

Europa Editions

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Europa Editions Inc.

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Books by Maurizio de Giovanni