Where to Start with Donato Carrisi
If you are new to Donato Carrisi’s dark, atmospheric, and highly intellectual thrillers, choosing a starting point can be intimidating. His books are deeply psychological, often featuring non-linear plots, complex twists, and heavy themes of moral ambiguity. Fortunately, his bibliography is well-organized into distinct cycles and standalone novels.
For the absolute best introduction to Carrisi's signature style, start with his award-winning debut, The Whisperer (2009). It is not only his most famous work but also the launching pad for his premier series. If you prefer to sample his writing without committing to a multi-book arc, begin with the standalone thriller The Girl in the Fog (2015). It offers a self-contained, claustrophobic mystery that perfectly showcases his talent for building tension and pulling the rug out from under the reader.
The Mila Vasquez Series (The Whisperer Books)
This is Carrisi’s most famous series, tracking the investigations of Mila Vasquez. Mila is an officer specializing in missing persons cases, possessing a unique psychological condition: she is unable to feel empathy. This lack of emotional connection makes her a brilliant investigator but leaves her vulnerable to the terrifying minds she pursues. The books must be read in order of publication to follow Mila's psychological development and the overarching narrative.
- The Whisperer (2009): The novel that started it all. Mila is called in to assist on a case involving five severed arms found in the woods, with a sixth victim still missing. The team soon realizes they are dealing with a mastermind who manipulates others into doing his dirty work.
- The Vanished Ones (2013) (also published as The Hypothesis of Evil): Years after the events of the first book, Mila is working in the Limbo department of missing persons. Suddenly, people who disappeared years ago return, but they have transformed into killers. Mila must find out who is coordinating their return.
- Into the Labyrinth (2017): A young girl kidnapped fifteen years ago is suddenly found alive, hospitalized, and in shock. A dying private investigator, Samantha Andretti, and a profiler search for the kidnapper inside a labyrinthine game of psychological mirrors. Mila Vasquez plays a crucial role in this complex puzzle.
- The Whisperer's Game (2022): Mila has retired to a secluded life by a lake to raise her daughter, but a brutal family massacre with ties to her past forces her back into the field, dragging her into a virtual and physical maze of digital whispers.
The Marcus & Sandra Series (Vatican / Penitentiary Books)
Set against the backdrop of Rome, this series blends historical mystery, religious secrets, and forensic investigation. The protagonists are Marcus, a priest belonging to the ancient, secret Vatican order known as the Penitentiaries (trained to spot anomalies and evil before they escalate), and Sandra Vega, a forensic photographer who documents crime scenes. Together, they navigate the shadow side of the Eternal City.
- The Lost Girls of Rome (2011): Sandra Vega arrives in Rome to investigate the suspicious death of her husband, crossing paths with Marcus, who is hunting a serial killer targeting young women in the city.
- The Hunter of the Dark (2014): Marcus is called to investigate the horrific murder of a young couple. He realizes a copycat killer is recreating infamous historical crimes in Rome. He must work with Sandra again to decode the killer's message.
- Il maestro delle ombre (The Master of Shadows, 2016): Rome is hit by a massive storm that knocks out the power grid for twenty-four hours. In the complete darkness, an ancient evil awakens, and Marcus must navigate a city plunged into chaos to solve a series of ritualistic crimes.
The Pietro Gerber Series (The House of... / Hypnotist Books)
This series moves away from traditional police investigations and delves deeper into psychotherapy, memory manipulation, and childhood trauma. The protagonist, Pietro Gerber, is a Florence-based psychologist and hypnotist known as the "extinguisher of fires," specializing in helping traumatized children recall repressed memories. These psychological mysteries are highly atmospheric and deal with the thin line between reality and suggestion.
- La casa delle voci (The House of Voices, 2019): Pietro Gerber is contacted by an Australian colleague who asks him to hypnotize an adult woman named Hanna Hall. Hanna claims to remember killing her brother when she was a child, but the memory is locked away. Gerber soon realizes the case has deep connections to his own past.
- La casa senza ricordi (The House Without Memories, 2021): A young boy who disappeared in the woods with his mother is found alive, but he is completely mute. Pietro Gerber is tasked with unlocking the boy's memories through hypnosis to find out what happened to his mother.
- La casa delle luci (The House of Lights, 2022): Gerber is called to a remote house in the hills to help a young girl who has an imaginary friend. The friend, however, seems to possess dark, real-world knowledge that threatens Gerber's family.
Standalone Thrillers
Carrisi has written several standalone books that showcase his storytelling outside of his recurring character cycles. These can be read at any time and in any order.
- The Girl in the Fog (2015): In a remote alpine valley, a young girl disappears on her way to church. Special Agent Vogel is sent to investigate, but he is more interested in media attention and creating a spectacle than finding the truth. The story is a biting critique of the media's obsession with true crime.
- Io sono l'abisso (I Am the Abyss, 2020): Set on the shores of Lake Como, this thriller follows a garbage collector who lives a invisible life by day and hunts women by night. His dark routine is shattered when he is forced to rescue a drowning girl, leading to an unexpected collision of broken souls.
Chronological vs. Publication Order: What to Know
Because Donato Carrisi’s books contain subtle, thematic connections and are deeply rooted in the developmental timelines of their respective protagonists, readers should always stick to the publication order within each series. There is no major benefit to reading across the series in a strict chronological timeline, as the Mila Vasquez, Marcus & Sandra, and Pietro Gerber books remain independent cycles. However, keeping to the publication order of each series avoids major spoilers for character relationships and past cases.
Before you begin, it is helpful to know that Carrisi's background heavily informs his writing. He studied law and wrote his university thesis on Luigi Chiatti, the infamous Italian serial killer known as the "Monster of Foligno." He later specialized in criminology and behavioral sciences. This background gives his procedural details a chilling authenticity. Furthermore, Carrisi is an accomplished director; he directed the film adaptations of both The Girl in the Fog (starring Toni Servillo and Jean Reno) and Io sono l'abisso, bringing his cinematic vision directly to the screen.