The best Italian crime novels ever
The top 3 according to 9 votes from people: To Each His Own · The Day of the Owl · The Shape of Water. (Updated Feb 4, 2025.)
From Sciascia to Camilleri and Carrisi: the Italian crime novels and noirs publishers and readers recommend most.
Automatically translated (original in Italiano). See the original
Top 16
-
1
To Each His Own
Leonardo Sciascia, 1966. A teacher investigates a murder in Sicily.
-
2
The Day of the Owl
Leonardo Sciascia, 1961. The first great novel about the Mafia.
-
3
The Shape of Water
Andrea Camilleri, 1994. Inspector Montalbano is born.
-
4
That Awful Mess on the Via Merulana
Carlo Emilio Gadda, 1957. A crime novel that is also a masterpiece of language.
-
5
Private Venus
Giorgio Scerbanenco, 1966. Duca Lamberti and noir Milan.
-
6
Flowers over the Inferno
Ilaria Tuti, 2018. Teresa Battaglia in the mountains of Friuli.
-
7
Albergo Italia
Carlo Lucarelli, 2014. Captain Colaprico in colonial Eritrea.
-
8
The Name of the Rose
Umberto Eco, 1980. Historical crime novel and philosophical novel at once.
-
9
The Terra-Cotta Dog
Andrea Camilleri, 1996. Perhaps the best-loved Montalbano.
-
10
I Kill
Giorgio Faletti, 2002. The best-selling Italian thriller, set in Monte Carlo.
-
11
The Whisperer
Donato Carrisi, 2009. A serial killer and a psychological hunt.
-
12
The Sunday Woman
Fruttero & Lucentini, 1972. A murder in bourgeois Turin.
-
13
Involuntary Witness
Gianrico Carofiglio, 2002. The debut of lawyer Guerrieri.
-
14
I Will Have Vengeance
Maurizio de Giovanni, 2007. Inspector Ricciardi in 1930s Naples.
-
15
Black Run
Antonio Manzini, 2013. Rocco Schiavone exiled to Aosta.
-
16
Kill the Father
Sandrone Dazieri, 2014. Colomba Caselli and Dante Torre.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
Is something missing?
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first!