Cristina Cassar Scalia’s books – a writer and ophthalmologist born in Noto on May 25, 1977 – carry a dual spirit, capable of marrying scientific precision with narrative creativity.
Born in Sicily, where she still practices medicine in Aci Castello, the author has learned to transform her homeland into a living, pulsating character, at the heart of every story she tells.
After earning a medical degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Catania, Cassar Scalia made her literary debut in 2014 with The Second Summer, a novel that quickly won over readers and critics, earning the CapalBIO Opera Prima Prize and crossing borders with a French translation. Her literary path took a decisive turn in 2018 with the release of the noir Black Sand and the introduction of Vanina Guarrasi, a deputy superintendent in Catania, who becomes the center of a series of investigations that fuse the brisk tempo of thrillers with the old and modern allure of Sicily.
The Sicily in Cristina Cassar Scalia’s Books: Between Tradition and Mystery
Cassar Scalia, with a balanced and engaging narrative style, manages to tell stories without emotional excess, preserving a neutral tone that allows Sicily to emerge in all its complexity and ambivalence: no longer merely a backdrop, but a compelling force that imprints itself on the reader’s mind.
The success of this stylistic approach is evidenced by the television adaptation of the Vanina series, aired on Canale 5 since 2024, with the author herself involved in the screenplay: “Let’s say it’s something that haunts me; it’s one of those characters that keeps nagging at you even when you’re not writing,” the author confided in an interview with Corriere della Sera, hinting at a fully rounded characterization that animates the pages and dives onto the screens.
Awarded the Recalmare Leonardo Sciascia prize in 2019, Cassar Scalia continues to expand her narrative universe with new releases and collaborations, establishing herself as a leading voice in contemporary Italian noir.
Let’s now delve into all the books by Cristina Cassar Scalia, in a literary journey that traverses the many facets of Sicily and the intricate plots of contemporary crime fiction: from the debut to the tight, gripping investigations of Deputy Commissioner Vanina Guarrasi.
Deputy Commissioner Giovanna Guarrasi Series
Black Sand
Black Sand (Einaudi Stile Libero, 2018) marks the beginning of the series and introduces Deputy Superintendent Giovanna “Vanina” Guarrasi. The author guides us through a Catania overwhelmed by the ash from Etna, where the mummified corpse of a woman is discovered in an abandoned, long-deserted villa tied to the enigmatic Alfio Burrano, the last heir of a prestigious family. It falls to Vanina—an obstinate, Sicilian-born investigator from Palermo—to reconstruct the victim’s identity with the aid of the elderly commissioner Biagio Patanè, as she dives into a labyrinth of old grudges and buried secrets that resurface, threatening to rekindle a wave of violence that will leave a mark on the present…
The Lampara’s Logic
Among the early titles by Cristina Cassar Scalia is also The Lampara’s Logic (Einaudi Stile Libero, 2019), the tense second chapter in Deputy Inspector Vanina Guarrasi’s investigations. On a Sicilian night lit only by fishermen’s lamps, two men aboard a boat catch sight of a figure dragging a suitcase toward the rocks to dispose of it. At dawn, Vanina receives an anonymous call: a woman says she witnessed the murder of a girl in a seaside villa. The two incidents are linked by a dark thread that leads the Palermo-based detective into a complex case where every step demands the patience to wait for the right moment to bring truth up from the murkiest depths.
The Salita dei Saponari
Finalist for the Giorgio Scerbanenco Award, The Salita dei Saponari (Einaudi Stile Libero, 2020) is a tangled thriller that pushes the acclaimed protagonist into an investigation with international echoes, amid landscapes scorched by Etna’s sun. When Esteban Torres, a man with a shadowy past and dangerous ties, is found dead in the parking lot of Catania’s airport, the case stalls for lack of evidence. Yet everything changes when, in Taormina, the body of Roberta “Bubi” Geraci resurfaces from a well: she and Torres knew each other all too well. With the support of her team and the sharp retired commissioner Biagio Patanè, Vanina delves into a dark investigation, where secrets stretch to distant lands, while the phantoms of her Palermo past threaten her life, weaving a suspenseful crescendo.
The Man of the Port
The Man of the Port (Einaudi Stile Libero, 2021) is a taut and enthralling noir. When the body of Vincenzo La Barbera, a philosophy professor adored by his students, is found in a cave beneath a river used as a nightclub’s chamber, the case quickly grows thorny: the man lived on a boat in the harbor, with neither enemies nor ties to criminal circles. Vanina must move under police protection due to threats from Palermo’s mafia looming over her life. With scarce clues and a mystery rooted in the victim’s turbulent past, the fearless protagonist untangles a web of secrets, once again aided by the formidable retired commissioner Biagio Patanè.
The Chaplain’s Talent
The Chaplain’s Talent (Einaudi Stile Libero, 2021) is a densely suspenseful mystery that pushes Deputy Chief Vanina Guarrasi to face one of the most unsettling cases in her career. It all begins on a snowy night atop Mount Etna, when the keeper of a hotel undergoing renovations reports a dead woman in the lobby. Yet upon arrival, no corpse is found. Twenty-four hours later, the body reappears in a cemetery, next to a highly respected archbishop, both murdered and surrounded by a macabre arrangement of flowers and candles. The investigation proves intricate and delicate, with a mystery that seems to defy logic, digging into the protagonists’ pasts. As usual, Vanina can rely on the seasoned insight of retired commissioner Biagio Patanè, though his stubborn willingness to risk himself might endanger him…
The Santa’s Carriage
It is February 6, the celebrations just ended and, as the city metabolizes the exhilaration amid fireworks, a murder shocks the community: Vasco Nocera’s body is found in a pool of blood inside one of the famous Senate Carriages, in the city hall lobby. The case—followed closely by public opinion and the mayor—soon proves intricate, with paths weaving through the victim’s private and family life. Yet Vanina finds herself torn: a summons from Palermo pulls her in another direction, leaving her team and the tenacious retired commissioner Biagio Patanè to untangle a mystery that grows increasingly dark. The Santa’s Carriage (Einaudi Stile Libero, 2022) is a suspense-filled crime novel that plunges Deputy Inspector Vanina Guarrasi into the feverish atmosphere of Catania during the Sant’Agata festival.
The Ice Cream King
The Ice Cream King (Einaudi Stile Libero, 2023) is among Cristina Cassar Scalia’s most renowned novels, taking readers back to the early arc of Vanina Guarrasi’s adventures, in a case that precedes the events of Black Sand. Having just moved from Milan, the deputy chief is immediately faced with a peculiar puzzle: odd pills start appearing in the cups of a well-known city gelateria, escalating into a murder that rocks Catania. Supported by a tightly knit team, Vanina relies on her time-tested method—delving deeply into the victims’ pasts to unearth the truth.
The Band of Carusi
The Band of Carusi (Einaudi Stile Libero, 2023) is a noir that deeply engages Deputy Commissioner Vanina Guarrasi, drawing her into an investigation that, for the first time, reads almost as a personal matter. On a spring morning along Catania’s Playa, the body of Thomas Ruscica is found, brutally killed with a rake blow to the head. Thomas was one of the “carusi”—young lads under the care of Don Rosario Limoli, a parish priest dedicated to rescuing vulnerable youths from San Cristoforo’s decline. Vanina knew Thomas: a young man with a troubled past yet determined to turn his life around. The inquiries swing between a possible crime of passion and suspicions of organized crime, converging on a single suspect. The Band of Carusi is a noir that grips Vanina Guarrasi, propelling her into a case she begins to feel is almost personal.
The Hundred-Horses Chestnut
The Guarrasi Saga continues with The Hundred-Horses Chestnut (Einaudi Stile Libero, 2024). At the base of the ancient Hundred Horses Chestnut, on the slopes of Etna, two forest rangers uncover the corpse of a woman known as “the Woodcutter,” brutally killed and left in a crime-scene that hints at a precise, ferocious motive. Yet who was this woman about whom no one seems to know anything? For Vanina, the case immediately presents itself as a maze of silences and enigmas, further complicated by personal struggles that threaten to derail her. While the investigation pulls her toward a place tied to her childhood, she must confront her roots and a past that never stops resurfacing.
Bitter Almond
And now we arrive at the novel Bitter Almond (Einaudi Stile Libero). The deputy commissioner finds herself in a complex phase of life, engaged in a case of poisoning. On a pleasure yacht off the Sicilian coast, attorney Maria Giulia De Rosa and the forensic physician Adriano Càli, on a day trip, discover seven corpses. What becomes clear is the cause of death: a lethal dose of cyanide, perhaps mixed with almond milk. Meanwhile, Biagio Patanè, the retired commissioner, stands beside his wife in Palermo, who has just undergone heart surgery.
The Indirizzo Spa
In the novel The Indirizzo Spa, published by Stile Libero in May 2026, the murder of a homeless man—whose body is found half-charred—interrupts Vanina Guarrasi’s nearly idyllic summer and prompts inquiry into a case already fading from memory. With the help of her squad—this time reinforced—and the indispensable former commissioner Biagio Patanè, Vanina begins to explore new leads that intertwine with unresolved events. The book includes moments of humor as well.
Series of the Commissioner Scipione Macchiavelli
Welcome Crime – An Investigation by Scipione Macchiavelli
Welcome Crime – An Investigation by Scipione Macchiavelli (Einaudi, 2025) introduces a new and highly anticipated character. Set in 1960s Sicily, the novel follows young commissioner Scipione Macchiavelli, transferred from Rome to the province of Noto, who is promptly drawn into a complex investigation that will test his investigative skills. The mysterious disappearance of a local notable serves as the inciting event, but the case conceals a far tighter weave than it appears. Helping him is a solid team, including the marshal Calogero Catalano and the brigadier Francesco Mantuso, plus the sharp Giulia Marineo, a pharmacist whose insights prove invaluable. A fresh start that has already climbed the bestseller lists, promising to captivate readers with a protagonist who is bound to leave a mark.
Other Novels
The Second Summer
The Second Summer (Sperling & Kupfer, 2014) is among the author’s early works: a fervent novel set in Rome in 1982, where Lea tries to fill the void left by her son with an evening at the theater. But the appearance in the audience of a familiar face awakens deeply buried memories: twenty years earlier, on the island of Capri, Lea had lived an unforgettable summer, marked by a forbidden passion with Giulio, a charming and caring man. Their romance had blossomed amid decaying villas and perilous secrets, with dramatic consequences. Now, after leaving her husband, Lea and Giulio seem poised to start anew, yet a hidden past threatens to darken their happiness, weaving together present and memory into a tale of mystery and emotion.
Le stanze dello scirocco
Le stanze dello scirocco (Einaudi, fall 2026) follows Vittoria, the youngest daughter in the Saglimbeni family, raised in Rome, as she confronts a rigid, conservative society. When she meets Diego Ranieri, a moody man with a worldview very different from hers, Vicki feels torn between pride and affection. She seeks refuge in Palermo’s Architecture studies, amid a climate of student occupations and youthful ferment, where she begins to explore the city and its past. Here her story interlaces with that of her aunt Rosetta, sharing the trials life has dealt them both. Le stanze dello scirocco (published by Einaudi in fall 2026) recounts Vittoria’s return to Montuoro, Sicily, in 1968, with the Saglimbeni notary family: a tale of two women united by courage.
Tre passi per un delitto
Three Steps to a Crime (Einaudi Stile Libero, 2020) is a multi-voiced mystery that interweaves the talents of several gifted writers. A young, gorgeous woman involved in the art world is found dead in her Rome apartment. Three characters tied to the murder recount their versions: who hides the truth, who manipulates it, and who seems indifferent. The investigation is led by Commissioner Davide Brandi, portrayed by Giancarlo De Cataldo. Joining him are Maurizio de Giovanni’s account of Marco Valerio Guerra, the victim’s lover, and Cristina Cassar Scalia‘s own portrayal of Anna Carla Santucci, Guerra’s betrayed wife. Different versions, conflicting viewpoints, all aimed at drawing closer, step by step, to the truth.
