Abstract
In Genoa and Liguria too, as in other Italian regions, a great deal of «urban thrillers» were published recently. Starting from the best selling Genoese Bruno Morchio and his main character, the private detective Bacci Pagano, many authors followed the trend, mostly characterized by the use of local names, in order to enhance a sort of self-identification by the readers. The essay examines more than one hundred Ligurian authors and the fictitious names of their «heroes» trying to point out their local and sometimes physical or moral disposition. Women writers› special attitude to self-portrait in the creation of their protagonists is underlined.