The Monster of Florence | 
 enlarge | Author: Douglas Preston
Creator: Mario Spezi
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $25.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  100 reviews
Sales Rank: 1094
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.7 x 1.2
ISBN: 0446581194
Dewey Decimal Number: 364.1523
EAN: 9780446581196
ASIN: 0446581194
Publication Date: June 10, 2008
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Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best of the Month, June 2008: When author Douglas Preston moved his family to Florence he never expected he would soon become obsessed and entwined in a horrific crime story whose true-life details rivaled the plots of his own bestselling thrillers. While researching his next book, Preston met Mario Spezi, an Italian journalist who told him about the Monster of Florence, Italy's answer to Jack the Ripper, a terror who stalked lovers' lanes in the Italian countryside. The killer would strike at the most intimate time, leaving mutilated corpses in his bloody wake over a period from 1968 to 1985. One of these crimes had taken place in an olive grove on the property of Preston's new home. That was enough for him to join "Monsterologist" Spezi on a quest to name the killer, or killers, and bring closure to these unsolved crimes. Local theories and accusations flourished: the killer was a cuckolded husband; a local aristocrat; a physician or butcher, someone well-versed with knives; a satanic cult. Thomas Harris even dipped into "Monster" lore for some of Hannibal Lecter's more Grand Guignol moments in Hannibal. Add to this a paranoid police force more concerned with saving face and naming a suspect (any suspect) than with assessing the often conflicting evidence on hand, and an unbelievable twist that finds both authors charged with obstructing justice, with Spezi jailed on suspicion of being the Monster himself. The Monster of Florence is split into two sections: the first half is Spezi's story, with the latter bringing in Preston's updated involvement on the case. Together these two parts create a dark and fascinating descent into a landscape of horror that deserves to be shelved between In Cold Blood and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. --Brad Thomas Parsons
Product Description
In the nonfiction tradition of John Berendt ("Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil") and Erik Larson ("The Devil in the White City"), New York Times bestselling author Douglas Preston presents a gripping account of crime and punishment in the lush hills surrounding Florence, Italy.
In 2000, Douglas Preston fulfilled a dream to move his family to Italy. Then he discovered that the olive grove in front of their 14th century farmhouse had been the scene of the most infamous double-murders in Italian history, committed by a serial killer known as the Monster of Florence. Preston, intrigued, meets Italian investigative journalist Mario Spezi to learn more. This is the true story of their search for--and identification of--the man they believe committed the crimes, and their chilling interview with him. And then, in a strange twist of fate, Preston and Spezi themselves become targets of the police investigation. Preston has his phone tapped, is interrogated, and told to leave the country. Spezi fares worse: he is thrown into Italy's grim Capanne prison, accused of being the Monster of Florence himself. Like one of Preston's thrillers, The Monster Of Florence, tells a remarkable and harrowing story involving murder, mutilation, and suicide-and at the center of it, Preston and Spezi, caught in a bizarre prosecutorial vendetta.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 95 more reviews...
 Two Books November 17, 2008
This book sounded so promising. First off, a killer is loose in the beautiful and legendary countryside surrounding Florence, preying on young couples making love in their cars in hidden lovers' lanes. Second, the investigation bogs down and two journalists (the authors) end up as suspects. Almost sounds like fiction, doesn't it?
The first half, which focuses on the killings is actually quite good. Lots of great atmosphere, and excellent suspense. There are also some interesting characters, though probably too many to really keep track of.
The second part, however, is a mess. This part could have been suspensful too, or perhaps - totally switching gears - played up in a farcical manner (highlighting the foibles of the Italian court system, Italian journalism, and even the Italian character). Instead, it just seems to meander around very confusingly. Perhaps the author was too close to it, or perhaps it could have used more work. A slant that focused less on the two authors and more on the system and the case would have been better. Without more work and some real focus, though, the second part simply detracts from the first, and could just have easily been dropped.
The two themes really are quite different. It would have taken someone with some real talent to put them together in one book. Unfortunately, it just didn't happen here. Great premise, but not ultimately delivered on.
 I remember this. November 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I remember when this was happening. As kids we used to spend the summers in Siena Italy where my father used to teach throughout the early 80's and I remember when the whole region was gripped by an almost crippling fear by these events. As teenagers staying in desolate farmhouses on the beautyful Tuscan hills our immaginations used to run with this story to the point of sleepless nights.
The book I read almost in one sitting this summer while vacationing in Spain. I found it truly fascinating and frightning not just relating to the horror of it, but just how screwy and beaurocratic the italian judicial system is.
More than one Monster October 31, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The book is really two tales in one. The first deals with the serial killings that took place between 1968 and roughly 1985. The author works with a newspaper reporter who covered the cases to tell the stories of the killings and the investigation. The second story is how the investigation became a career springboard for ambitious prosecutors and judges and how that ambition got in the way of the truth. The Italian system of courts and the rights of the press are examined; both were abused by the prosecutors - with frightening results. A little disappointing in that we never do learn who the serial killer is, but very interesting reading about the investigation into Italy's "Jack the Ripper" and how strangely inept the Italian court system seems.
A page turner from start to finish! October 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have been on a reading kick the last couple of months. I have never been an enthusiastic reader so it is crucial that I find books that will hold my attention from start to finish. This book definitely did not disappoint, and surpassed all my expectations. Reading about this case that I new nothing about was intriguing and compelling. This is a must read for anyone who is a fan of murders mysteries, but also a dramatic true story of a serial killer in Florance that will have any reader flipping the pages to see what happens next.
Murder Under the Tuscan Night October 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As a rule, I don't care for serial killer books or films -- they just don't interest me the way "regular" crime stories do. Common motivations such as jealousy and greed, when handled well, can be more than powerful enough to sustain a character or drive a plot. The twisted psychoses of serial killers just don't do it for me. That said, this nonfiction account of a real life serial killer in Italy, and the investigation that followed in his wake, makes for some very compelling reading. The reason has far less to do with the killer's grisly trail of bodies, than it does with the crazy ins and outs of the investigation and how the authors end up on the wrong end of it all.
Preston is a bestselling thriller writer who moved to Italy to research and write a novel revolving around great flood that struck Florence in 1966. By chance, he learned that an olive grove adjacent to the farmhouse he rented was the site of one of the crimes performed by a notorious serial killer. Intrigued, he met the veteran Italian crime journalist who would become his collaborator on this book, and started to learn everything he could about the case. And with a series of killings stretching from 1968-85, there was a lot to learn. Fortunately, Preston does a pretty good job of untangling the case and laying it out for the reader (albeit, with some repetitions).
What many readers will find extremely interesting is the relatively insulated nature of the Italian justice system, and how in this case, insulation from external oversight led to some absolutely colossal failures of investigation, not to mention outright corruption. Those with an interest in Italy may find some rather interesting insights into Italian national character along the way, such as the concept of saving face and the notion that it is vital to be "in the know" or "savvy" (which means not taking anything at surface value, no matter how plausible it may be). Some of these characteristics are what lead to Preston and Spetzi becoming targets of the serial killer investigation, leading the entire story into Kafkaesque farce. (At times, Preston goes a little overboard in describing his own fear of being prosecuted, especially when some of problems are of his own making. For example, if the police in a foreign country say that you have a right to have an interpreter and a lawyer present at your questioning, take them up on it!)
Ultimately, some readers may be somewhat frustrated by the lack of a clear "solution" or resolution to the crimes -- although the authors do point a very plausible finger at one man. And some aspects of the situation aren't very well explained -- such as why the Italian media would sometimes have an insatiable appetite for anything relating to the case, and other times appear not care. Finally, at times, the ineptitude of the Italian cops and prosecutors is so extreme that it strains credulity Nonetheless, this remains a fascinating true crime book, and one that will severely tax any reader's romantic notions of Tuscany.
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