Romanzo Criminale

It is 1977. A new force is terrorising Rome - a mob of reckless, ultraviolent youths known as La Banda della Magliana.

As the gang ruthlessly take control of Rome's heroin trade, they begin an inexorable rise to power. Banda della Magliana intend to own the streets of Rome - unless their internal struggles tear them apart.

Based on Rome's modern gangland history, Romanzo Criminale fearlessly confronts Italy's Age of Lead: war on the streets and terrorism, kidnappings and corruption at the highest levels of government.



GIANCARLO DE CATALDO is a novelist, playwright, scriptwriter and a judge.

Romanzo Criminale was first published in Italy by Einaudi in 2002 and has been translated into several languages, made into a film and into two TV series, which have been shown across Europe and in the UK on Sky Arts. TV series rights in US have been sold to Starz. Giancarlo de Cataldo was born in Taranto and now lives in Rome.



A forceful crime narrative...the period details is impeccable, while the stark and gritty presentation of the many characters pays dividends in terms of verisimilitude. This belated English translation by Antony Shugaar is rich and idiomatic



Only when the story is over, when the book is closed, only then do you realize what a great story teller De Cataldo is: with the reader unaware, suspecting nothing, he paints little by little, page after page, the huge canvas representing a global failure. A failure concerning not only his characters but our whole society.



What captivates here is the feeling of witnessing an epic tale, a piece of Italian history viewed from the streets



If you're a fan of gangster movies you're going to blow your wad over this one... the characters' lives are brilliantly revealed without prejudice, leaving you to decide where to draw the moral lines. Effing great!