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Author: Douglas Preston & Mario Spezi
Genre: True Crime
Length: 322 pages
Published: 2008
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) 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.
My Review:
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.
My Review:
I give this book a 4 out of 5.
I love true crime books. I've always been fascinated about what causes people to murder others. So this book was right up my alley.
The first part of this book tells the history of the "Monster of Florence", along with several of the theories behind who could be responsible. It also shows some of the blunders that were made (for example, not securing the crime scenes) early on in the investigation before it was determined that they had a serial killer on their hands. There were some parts of this that were kind of dull and some parts that were hard to follow and I had to constantly refer to the beginning of the book where there was a list of people involved and who they were.
The second part of the book follows Douglas Preston as he moves to Italy with his family. Eventually he meets Mario Spezi, the reporter who had been following the case of the Monster from the beginning. Together they come up with their own theory of who the Monster was. However, through politics, the people in charge of the investigation had changed a few times and the investigation went its own way. Eventually both Spezi and Preston are targeted by the police and Preston has to leave the country or risk arrest. Spezi is arrested eventually, so Preston does whatever he can to try to get him freed.
It seems that nobody will ever know the truth of who the Monster of Florence was, but the authors outline all of the theories in great detail, leaving the reader to determine which is the most likely scenario. (I know which way I'm leaning!) Fans of true crime books will enjoy this. The writing is engaging, unlike some non-fiction books where I find myself bored because the writing is just not engaging enough.
You can purchase The Monster of Florence through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format.
I love true crime books. I've always been fascinated about what causes people to murder others. So this book was right up my alley.
The first part of this book tells the history of the "Monster of Florence", along with several of the theories behind who could be responsible. It also shows some of the blunders that were made (for example, not securing the crime scenes) early on in the investigation before it was determined that they had a serial killer on their hands. There were some parts of this that were kind of dull and some parts that were hard to follow and I had to constantly refer to the beginning of the book where there was a list of people involved and who they were.
The second part of the book follows Douglas Preston as he moves to Italy with his family. Eventually he meets Mario Spezi, the reporter who had been following the case of the Monster from the beginning. Together they come up with their own theory of who the Monster was. However, through politics, the people in charge of the investigation had changed a few times and the investigation went its own way. Eventually both Spezi and Preston are targeted by the police and Preston has to leave the country or risk arrest. Spezi is arrested eventually, so Preston does whatever he can to try to get him freed.
It seems that nobody will ever know the truth of who the Monster of Florence was, but the authors outline all of the theories in great detail, leaving the reader to determine which is the most likely scenario. (I know which way I'm leaning!) Fans of true crime books will enjoy this. The writing is engaging, unlike some non-fiction books where I find myself bored because the writing is just not engaging enough.
You can purchase The Monster of Florence through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format.
Have you read The Monster of Florence? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!
Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.
Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.
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