Stefano Nazzi is a journalist who has worked for several leading Italian newspapers and magazines. He has always focused on crime reporting, covering some of the best-known and most high-profile cases, as well as lesser-known stories. He currently covers crime and current affairs for il Post. He is the creator and author of Indagini, one of the most highly ranked podcasts in Italy, whose live theatre version has consistently sold out, and of Altre indagini, also produced for il Post. His latest books are Il volto del male (2023), Canti di guerra (2024), Predatori (2025), and Profeti del buio (2026), all published by Mondadori.
Seventeen stories of cults and their leaders, shaped by fascination, manipulation, and violence. Stefano Nazzi takes us into the darkness of closed and impenetrable communities, where charisma can turn into power and a leader’s word can become law. A journey into mind control and the dynamics that can transform belief into crime.
A journey inside the mind of America’s most ruthless predators—and those who tried to stop them.
“I liked the banks with the revolving door, one kick and the world would start turning. I’d go out first, take out a whole clip and start the Wild West. They called us ‘The Wild Bunch’.”
“Why did he do that?” We often wonder this in the face of particularly vicious crimes, especially when they are unmotivated and therefore appear even more incomprehensible to us. Instinct leads us to believe that evil is the result of madness or a murderous rapture, because this thought…
