The works of Giorgio Scerbanenco repeatedly articulate and explore the implications of new forms of criminality that emerged in Italy s post-war transformation towards its -economic miracle-. An indepth analysis of Scerbanenco s Duca Lamberti series constitutes the critical focus of this study, and in particular the psychological resonances of the role played by the author s controversial representation of the urban space, its violence, (in)justice and gender roles. In what way do these elements heighten and/or exaggerate the nature of the criminal acts and the reader s experience? This study therefore investigates a reader s potential response to the content, the settings, and, above all, the characters Scerbanenco portrays in these four novels."