In Ostia, a depressed coastal settlement twenty miles from the powerful and corrupt city of Rome, a mighty local crime family, the Mafia, corrupt politicians, and new rabid criminal elements battle each other for a billion-dollar payoff.

Suburra will be released as a Netflix original series in 2017.

During the final days of Silvio Berlusconi's reign, a massive development proposal that will turn Ostia into a gambling paradise, a Las Vegas on the Mediterranean, is winding its way through the Italian legislature thanks to the sponsorship of politicians in the pay of crime syndicates with vested interests. In short, it's business as usual in the Italian capital. But a vicious gang of local thugs loyal to nobody but themselves is insisting on a bigger cut than agreed upon. They argue their case quite convincingly, but the Mafia and their political puppets aren't likely to back down without a fight.

De Cataldo and Bonini have created a compelling, provocative portrait of contemporary Rome--a city prey to pitiless criminal factions and political opportunism. A fast-paced and atmospheric work of crime fiction, Suburra rivals the best novels by writers such as Denis Lehane, Richard Price, and George Pelecanos, and successful series like The Wire and The Night Of.

Carlo Bonini
Carlo Bonini was born in Rome in 1967. He is a staff writer at the Italian national daily, La Repubblica.

Giancarlo De Cataldo
Giancarlo De Cataldo is the author of the bestselling novel, Romanzo Criminale, an essayist, the author of numerous TV screenplays, and a judge on the circuit court of Rome.

• Aug 1 2017
  14 Books to Read this August
  — Literary Hub
• Aug 1 2017
  “this contemporary noir will appeal to readers intrigued by gangland crime, big-city corruption, and how Italy actually ‘works.’’
  — Library Journal (Starred Review)
• Jun 20 2017
  “Rome...in all its history, glory, and despair, is skillfully sewn into the fiber of the tale.”
  — Kirkus Reviews
• Jun 19 2017
  “unflinching look at real-life widespread corruption in Italy.”
  — Publishers Weekly