“Over the last two decades, there has been a flowering in Italian crime fiction. Fascinating new work has been coming out, and crime novels have gained a mass audience for the first time. These novels have often been politically acute and fascinating in terms of their style and their urban settings. But until now no one volume has analyzed this trend or put it in historical context. Italian Crime Fiction fills this gap with aplomb, with a wide-ranging series of highly readable essays written by acknowledged experts in a number of fields. This collection looks into the origins of Italian crime fiction in the 1920s and 1930s, the genius and influence of Giorgio Scerbanenco, as well as the work of Eco, Sciascia, Tabucchi, and Gadda. Essays also deal with key themes such as the South, women, and the city of Milan. Backed up by an annotated bibliography, this is an essential collection for all those interested in this genre, as well as in Italian literature in general and the connections between crime, history, politics, and the city.”

John Foot, University College London