Maurizio de Giovanni

Maurizio de Giovanni is an accomplished Italian author, best known for his series featuring Commissario Ricciardi, a detective with the unusual ability to see and communicate with the ghosts of murder victims. Born on March 31, 1958, in Naples, Italy, de Giovanni has spent much of his life in his native city, which provides the backdrop for many of his novels.

In 2005, de Giovanni participated in a writing competition organized by Porsche Italia, which was only open to giallo (crime fiction) writers. It was during this competition that he first conceived the character of Commissario Ricciardi, who made his debut in a short story. The success of this story inspired de Giovanni to expand the character into a series of novels, with the first full-length book, "I Will Have Vengeance," published by Fandango in 2007. The series has since become a staple of Italian crime fiction, with each novel set during a different season of the year.

De Giovanni's writing career took off in earnest after the publication of "The Day of the Dead" in 2010, and he gained a wider audience as the series continued to grow in popularity. In 2011, Einaudi began publishing the Commissario Ricciardi series, further solidifying de Giovanni's reputation as a leading voice in Italian crime fiction.

In addition to his work as a novelist, de Giovanni is also a successful playwright and screenwriter. He has written for the theater and television, as well as penning several books about historic matches of the Neapolitan soccer team. His versatility as a writer has earned him a devoted following in Italy and beyond, and his novels continue to captivate readers with their richly drawn characters and atmospheric settings.