Sanne de Boer

Mafiopoli

Living Among the ’Ndrangheta, Italy’s Most Powerful Crime
Organization

The ’Ndrangheta mafia is one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the world. Bound together by blood ties, sworn to a code of silence and steeped in religious ritual, they are the force behind a litany of violence and corruption. In Mafiopoli, journalist Sanne de Boer takes us deep inside this
extraordinary and ascendant criminal group.

In 2006, de Boer moved from Amsterdam to coastal Calabria, won over by the region’s beauty and the warm village community. But when a car was set alight in the dead of night and, soon after, two men were shot dead, she began to see a darker side to her quiet, idyllic neighbourhood, kindling a strong desire to know more about what – or who – was behind these frequent crimes.

MAFIOPOLI is an engrossing insight into a brutal criminal organization. As de Boer pieces together the mysterious events and violence marring her new home, she dives headfirst into figuring out who the ’Ndrangheta are, and how they became such a dominant force in the world.

She speaks to people intimately connected to the ’Ndrangheta, explores the mafia’s links throughout Europe and beyond, and gets to grips with exactly why all our lives are, in shocking ways, affected by their reign.

About the Author

Sanne de Boer is a Dutch journalist who has lived in Calabria since 2006. She is the first foreign journalist based in Calabria to write about the ‘Ndrangheta, and regularly appears
on TV and radio as a mafia expert. Her first book, Mafiopoli, was published originally in Dutch in 2020 and nominated for the ‘Brusseprijs’, a prestigious award for the best book of
journalism.

[email protected]

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Photograph by: Sacha de Boer

Reviews Mafiopoli

‘A beautiful, courageous and important book.’

Bas Mesters, former Italy correspondent for NOS and NRC Handelsblad

★★★★

‘A compelling portrait of the largest criminal multinational in the world.’

Volkskrant

‘Besides Gomorra by Roberto Saviano, this is one of the best books on the mafia available.’

NBD Biblion

‘What a book! Sanne de Boer reveals the true face of the 'Ndrangheta. She is the perfect guide in an utterly dark world.’

Gerlof Leistra, crime journalist for Elsevier Weekblad

‘A fascinating exploration of Italy’s most powerful and silent crime organization.’

Het Financieele Dagblad

‘Mafiopoli shows how the 'Ndrangheta infiltrated successfully into our economic and political structures.’

Trouw

‘A book that gives an easy-to-read, excitingly told insight into the world of the Calabrian mafia’

Süddeutsche Zeitung

‘A real eye-opener of a book, written in an entertaining and exciting way’

Die Weltwoche

‘The author eloquently interweaves her personal Calabrian history and everyday observations with knowledgeable explanations of the most diverse aspects of this criminal organization’

ekz Bibliothekenservice

‘Mafiopoli helps to better understand the mafia phenomenon, thanks to the depth with which it permeates an entire society and the lives of individuals’