Author Guide · Investigation & Fiction
Books Written by
In 2006 a 26-year-old writer from the outskirts of Naples published a book that named names inside the Camorra, the city's crime system, and described how its money flowed through fashion, construction and toxic-waste dumping across Europe. Within months Roberto Saviano was receiving death threats, and he has lived under police protection ever since. Gomorrah sold more than ten million copies and became a film and a television series. This guide covers all eleven of his books in order, with which ones you can read in English, and where to start.
By Lisanne Swart · 11 books · Investigative nonfiction and fiction · 2006–2025 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Roberto Saviano has published eleven books since 2006: the investigations Gomorrah and ZeroZeroZero, about the Camorra and the global cocaine trade; novels about Naples's teenage gangs and about the judge Giovanni Falcone and a victim of the 'Ndrangheta; and books of essays and reflections. Five are available in English; the rest are published in Italian.
Where to Start with Roberto Saviano
If you want the famous one
→ Gomorra (2006).
If you want the global picture
→ ZeroZeroZero (2013).
If you want a novel
→ La paranza dei bambini (2016).
If you read Italian
→ L'amore mio non muore (2025).
All 11 Roberto Saviano Books, in Order
Gomorra
A journey through the economic empire of the Camorra, from the port of Naples and its counterfeit fashion workshops to construction and the illegal dumping of toxic waste, told by a writer who grew up in its territory. It has sold more than ten million copies, was filmed by Matteo Garrone in 2008 and became a long-running television series. In English it is Gomorrah.
La bellezza e l'inferno
Articles and essays written in the years after Gomorrah, about Naples, writing and life under protection. In English it is Beauty and the Inferno.
Vieni via con me
No English edition · available in Italian
The monologues Saviano delivered on the Italian television programme of the same name, about organised crime and Italian society.
ZeroZeroZero
The global cocaine trade, from the Mexican cartels to the banks and markets that profit from it. It was adapted as a television series in 2020. In English it is ZeroZeroZero.
La paranza dei bambini
His first novel: a gang of teenagers in Naples takes over the drug trade in the old city centre. It was filmed in 2019. In English it is The Piranhas.
Bacio feroce
The sequel to La paranza dei bambini: the teenage gang, now in power, has to defend it. In English it is Savage Kiss.
In mare non esistono taxi
No English edition · available in Italian
A book of photographs and text about migrants crossing the Mediterranean and the people who rescue them at sea.
Gridalo
No English edition · available in Italian
A book addressed to young readers about speaking out against power, through the stories of people who paid a price for telling the truth.
Solo è il coraggio
No English edition · available in Italian
A novel about Giovanni Falcone, the Sicilian judge who led the fight against Cosa Nostra and was killed by the Mafia in 1992.
Noi due ci apparteniamo
No English edition · available in Italian
Narrative reportage about love, sex, violence and betrayal in the private lives of mafia bosses.
L'amore mio non muore
No English edition · available in Italian
The true story of Rossella Casini, a student from Florence who fell in love with the wrong man and disappeared in Palmi, Calabria, in 1981; her body was never found, and she is recognised as a victim of the 'Ndrangheta.
How Many Books Did Roberto Saviano Write?
Eleven books between 2006 and 2025, five of them available in English.
- Investigations — Gomorra (2006) and ZeroZeroZero (2013). Read the entries →
- Novels — La paranza dei bambini, Bacio feroce, Solo è il coraggio and L'amore mio non muore. Read the entries →
- Essays and reportage — La bellezza e l'inferno, Vieni via con me, In mare non esistono taxi, Gridalo and Noi due ci apparteniamo. Read the entries →
In What Order to Read Roberto Saviano
His books are not a series, apart from the two novels about the teenage gang, La paranza dei bambini and Bacio feroce, which should be read in that order. If you read only in English, start with Gomorrah and go on to ZeroZeroZero.
A reading path
1. Gomorra (2006)
2. ZeroZeroZero (2013)
3. La paranza dei bambini (2016)
4. Bacio feroce (2017)
5. Solo è il coraggio (2022)
Quick facts about Roberto Saviano
- Born
- 22 September 1979, Naples
- Protection
- Under police protection since October 2006, after threats following Gomorrah
- Prize
- Premio Viareggio, for Gomorra
- Sales
- Gomorra has sold more than ten million copies worldwide
- Adaptations
- Gomorra (film, 2008; series, 2014); ZeroZeroZero (series, 2020); La paranza dei bambini (film, 2019)
- In English
- Gomorrah, Beauty and the Inferno, ZeroZeroZero, The Piranhas, Savage Kiss
- Books
- 11, from 2006 to 2025
How Roberto Saviano Writes: Between Investigation and Novel
Saviano mixes investigative journalism with literary narrative. Gomorrah combines court documents and reporting with first-person scenes from the streets of Naples, a form Italian critics called a “novel-inquiry”.
Since he began living under protection he has moved more and more into fiction, using novels to tell true stories of crime and courage, from Naples's teenage gangs to Giovanni Falcone and Rossella Casini.
Frequently asked questions about Roberto Saviano's books
How many books has Roberto Saviano written?
Roberto Saviano has published eleven books, from Gomorra (2006) to L'amore mio non muore (2025).
Which Roberto Saviano books are available in English?
Five are available in English: Gomorrah, Beauty and the Inferno, ZeroZeroZero, The Piranhas and Savage Kiss. His other books are published in Italian.
Why does Roberto Saviano live under police protection?
Saviano has lived under police protection since October 2006, after receiving threats from the Camorra following the publication of Gomorrah.
What is Gomorrah about?
Gomorrah (2006) is an investigation into the Camorra, the organised crime system of Naples, and the way its money reaches into fashion, construction and waste dumping across Europe.
Footnotes
- Roberto Saviano — PEN International
- Roberto Saviano passa a Einaudi — ANSA
- Roberto Saviano — Le Grand Continent
Bibliography last verified 1 October 2026.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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