Children of the Savage City

A Novel

By: Elizabeth Heider

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Some cities feed on secrets. Naples is ravenous.

A peaceful evening mass at the historic Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo is shattered when a young au pair is killed in one of the cathedral’s quiet chapels. The daughter of the US Ambassador sees it happen—but she'll speak only to one person: Nikki Serafino.

Shaken by betrayal in her last high-profile case, Nikki has retreated from the relentless vigilance that once defined her work as liaison between Italian police and the US military. Withdrawn and mistrustful, she works her shifts, cares for her aging family, teaches self-defense classes, and avoids entanglement. But this case threatens her self-imposed invisibility—drawing her into a web of lies and resurfacing old wounds and buried loyalties. The murder investigation leads Nikki and her friend, Naples officer Valerio Alfieri, into a shadow architecture of power: built to protect the guilty and hide their secrets at any cost.

Can she and Valerio—each carrying dangerous debts—resist the undertow of corruption that swallows truth whole?

Set against the chaos of modern Naples—the city of Roberto Saviano’s Gomorrah and Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend—where grace and corruption share the same narrow streets, Nikki and Valerio navigate a landscape where even the most principled must confront the cost of survival.

Critic reviews

“Vividly portrays the beguiling ancient port where danger may lurk on every corner . . . Serafino is a complex, appealing protagonist and Heider steadily cranks up the menace as she and her ally move deeper into danger.”
—Adam LeBor, Financial Times

“Children of the Savage City pulses with visceral violence and desperately difficult moral choices . . . Another tour de force from Elizabeth Heider.”
—Janet Webb, Criminal Element

“This story is dark, smart, and emotionally honest. It asks what power does to people and what people will do to protect whatever is left when power strips everything else away. It is atmospheric. It is character-driven. It is crime fiction at its finest.”
—Teresa Brock, Best Books Thriller Books (*five-star review*)

“Elizabeth Heider writes with the assurance of a veteran.”
—George Easter, Deadly Pleasures Magazine

“Children of the Savage City is the best kind of mystery: a classic whodunit that's modern, alive, and kicking. With precision and effortless prose, Heider brings to life a devastating crime, memorable characters, and the beautifully sinister city of Naples. You can feel the city's grit, smell the motorbike exhaust, taste the cornettos. I plunged into this book and didn't want to surface.”
—I. S. Berry, author of The Peacock and the Sparrow

“Intricate plotting and a sprawling cast make for a slow burn at first, but the book’s back half is a high-stakes, blood-soaked sprint that demands a sequel. Fans of gritty procedurals and international thrillers alike will be gratified.”
—Publishers Weekly

Smooth plot, clever characters

This book kept me intrigued and interested! The location keeps you wanting more and curious. I enjoy characters that are realistic, flawed and complex. The characters make choices consistent with their characters without anything being predictable. After two books I am becoming increasingly attached to Nikki Serafino and Valerio and this beautiful and dark city. Batman is to Gotham as Nikki Serafino is to Naples- they belong there.
I cannot wait to see what comes next.