The Monster of Florence
by Douglas Preston
Book Summary Information
Author: Douglas PrestonContributor: Mario Spezi
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-06-10
ISBN: 0446581194
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780446581196
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices
Book Reviews of The Monster of Florence
Book Review: The darker side of Tuscany
Summary: 3 Stars
The Monster of Florence is co-authored by an Italian journalist and an American novelist. Accordingly, this serial killer saga is told in two sections, the first with a focus on the activities of Mario Spezi, and the second, those of Douglas Preston. Spezzi is arguably the Italian expert on the murders, which occurred sporadically, during summers in the late 1960's to the mid 1980's. When Preston moved to Italy for a prolonged stay, he became drawn into Spezi's obsession with finding the real killer. Their collaboration would lead to the publication of a chronicle of botched investigations, planted evidence, corrupt judicial officials, and a gruesome crime spree which has never been solved. Along the way, Spezi was imprisoned in isolation as the prime suspect, and Preston forced to leave Italy accused of abetting Spezi. Although the authors believe they know the identity of the Monster, he has never been brought to justice, while others have been convicted, probably unjustly.
Thomas Harris based his portrayal of Hannibal Lechter upon this Italian serial killer. To his credit, Douglas Preston cautioned readers to avoid holding up the American model of justice model as superior to the Italian, as both exhibit serious flaws.
Summary of The Monster of Florence
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 surroundingIn 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.
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
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