Martin Rua

Martin Rua is an Italian thriller writer. He created Lorenzo Aragona, an art dealer and protagonist of the Parthenope Trilogy, which was translated into several countries.

Martin Rua was born in Naples, where he graduated in Political Science with a thesis on the History of Religions. His studies focused on Freemasonry and Alchemy. The subject of his dissertation was the foundation sacrifice sung in Balkan ballads and interpreted in the light of Mircea Eliade's studies.

In 1999 with the Archeoclub d'Italia, Martin Rua promoted a series of guided tours of the ancient center of Naples focusing on the city's legends and esoteric. A member of initiatory societies in Italy and abroad, his studies have often focused on Freemasonry and alchemy.

Martin Rua was a staunch advocate of the Masonic ideal of human betterment. That is why he decided to become a writer, creating the character that bears his name, a figure of an alchemist and Freemason who positively presents himself, purged of all the stereotypes of the conspiratorial Freemason. His debut novel, The Silver Shadow, came out in 2007.

Rua lists James Rollins and Steve Berry as the authors who influenced him.

"One of the first ones that really grabbed me was Dan Brown, although I later shelved him and discovered two authors that I prefer-James Rollins, and Steve Berry. Among the Italians, I really love Camilleri, Eco, De Giovanni, and others." says the writer.

Martin Rua is most known for the Parthenope Trilogy, a thriller about terrorism and Nostradamus’ prophecies. He is also one of the authors of the short story collection Sette delitti sotto la neve (Seven crimes under the snow, 2015).

His latest book, Il cacciatore di tarante (2020), is a thriller set in 1870 with precise anthropological references.

Martin Rua lives in Naples.

Photo credit: FB @rua.martin