Reading order · 11 books · 1988 to 2007
Aurelio Zen Books in Order
Aurelio Zen is a Venetian detective in the Italian state police, a cynical survivor who is moved from city to city, often to solve cases that the powerful would rather leave unsolved. The books are a sharp, darkly funny portrait of Italy.
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Series facts
The reading order
Every Aurelio Zen book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
11 books
- 1Ratking1988With Aurelio ZenAurelio Zen, a police official sidelined after an earlier case, is sent to Perugia to deal with the kidnapping of a wealthy industrialist, whose family seem in no hurry to get him back.Buy on Amazon
- 2Vendetta1990With Aurelio ZenA billionaire is murdered with his guests inside his heavily guarded villa in Sardinia, and Zen is sent to find a culprit, while someone from his own past is seeking revenge.Buy on Amazon
- 3Cabal1992With Aurelio ZenA man falls to his death from the gallery inside the dome of St Peter’s in Rome, and Zen is drawn into the secretive world of the Vatican.Buy on Amazon
- 4Dead Lagoon1994With Aurelio ZenZen returns to his native Venice to investigate the disappearance of an American millionaire, and also to look into strange events at his mother’s old house.Buy on Amazon
- 5Così Fan Tutti1996With Aurelio ZenZen is posted to Naples, where his investigations into the port’s rubbish problem turn into a farce of disguises and mistaken identities, modelled on Mozart’s opera.Buy on Amazon
- 6A Long Finish1998With Aurelio ZenZen is sent to Piedmont, the wine country of Barolo, to free the son of a famous winemaker who has been jailed for his father’s murder, in time for the harvest.Buy on Amazon
- 7Blood Rain1999With Aurelio ZenZen is posted to Sicily, where a body is found in a sealed railway wagon, and he is drawn into the war with the Mafia.Buy on Amazon
- 8And Then You Die2002With Aurelio ZenRecovering from an injury, Aurelio Zen takes a rest by the sea in Tuscany, and the people around him start dying.Buy on Amazon
- 9Medusa2003With Aurelio ZenA body is found in a remote Alpine cave, and Zen discovers a link to a secret military past.Buy on Amazon
- 10Back to Bologna2005With Aurelio ZenA football club owner is found stabbed with a piece of Parmesan cheese in Bologna, and Zen, recovering from surgery, is sent to investigate.Buy on Amazon
- 11End Games2007With Aurelio ZenZen is sent to Calabria, where an American visitor has been murdered.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read the books in order, starting with Ratking. Zen’s career and private life develop through the series.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Aurelio Zen | Giustiniana Zen | Gemma Santini | Tania Biacini |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Ratking | LLead | ·Minor | ||
| 2 Vendetta | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | |
| 3 Cabal | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | |
| 4 Dead Lagoon | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 5 Così Fan Tutti | LLead | ·Minor | ||
| 6 A Long Finish | LLead | ·Minor | ||
| 7 Blood Rain | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | |
| 8 And Then You Die | LLead | MMajor | ||
| 9 Medusa | LLead | MMajor | ||
| 10 Back to Bologna | LLead | MMajor | ||
| 11 End Games | LLead | MMajor |
Characters in the Aurelio Zen books
4 characters from Michael Dibdin’s chart, with the number of Aurelio Zen books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Aurelio ZenVice-questore of the Italian state police | 11 | Ratking 1988 |
| Giustiniana ZenZen's mother | 7 | Ratking 1988 |
| Gemma SantiniPharmacist and Zen's partner | 5 | Blood Rain 1999 |
| Tania BiaciniZen's colleague and lover | 3 | Vendetta 1990 |