The Monster of Florence
by Douglas Preston
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Book Reviews of The Monster of Florence
Book Review: A gripping and disturbing read
Summary: 5 Stars
Beginning in 1974 and continuing to 1985 a series of gruesome murders took place near Florence, Italy. Usually murdering the young men first, the killer would then kill the young women at his leisure and then mutilate the body. Though the police sought to catch the Monster of Florence, the name given to the killer, they made little head way. Mario Spezi, an Italian journalist, covered the crimes and was witness to the police incompetence surrounding the murder investigation.
In 2000 American author Douglas Preston moved himself and his family to a small 14th century farm house literally across the road from an ancient olive grove near Florence. Little did they know the background of that charming olive grove. Settling themselves into the local life, the Preston family thought they'd found the ultimate happiness; after all, it had been their shared dream of moving to Italy. That is, until Douglas Preston became involved with Mario Spezi and the murder investigation of the Monster of Florence. On their own, Spezi and Preston pursued their own line of investigation ultimately leading to a confrontation with a person they suspected of the murders. Without giving away to bank, in the end both Preston and Spezi become suspects in the killings; Spezi is suspected of being the killer, and Preston with aiding and abetting. Preston was told in a pretty direct manner to get out of town or else. Spezi wasn't that lucky.
The Monster of Florence has everything you could ask for in a nonfiction murder story. Its all here. The Monster of Florence is also a window into the Italian police processes and very enlightening.
I highly recommend.
Peace always.
Book Review: Jack the Ripper, take two?
Summary: 4 Stars
Admittedly, this was a really hard book to get into. The writing style was somewhere between dry non-fiction and wildly spiraling thriller; it had a slow, plodding timeline with a lot of seemingly non sequiturs tossed in to confuse the issues. There were bits very much thrown in out of left field, which seemed out of place at that moment but would later have some relevance. Continuity issues, I suppose you'd say. And that made it hard to really get immersed in the book.
The second, rather disappointing bit (for me) was the lack of a lot of speculation and general information about serial killers. Certainly, the facts and evidence of the case were presented, as well as one sketchy supposition, but a lot of the psychology behind serial killers was notably absent. For example, the fact that most don't just stop for no reason. Most investigators suspect certain people on the Jack the Ripper case because they were incarcerated or killed about the time the killings stopped. There's no hint of that in this book, and on one hand, I see that he's trying to leave the supposition out of it and let the facts speak for themselves. On the other hand, it's kind of a let down to not have much of anything in the way of speculation.
Still, the facts and personal anecdotes of the case were very interesting to read. I did not follow the case at the time (either the original or the revisited case in 2006) so all the news was new to me. And I cannot vouch for the accuracy of any of it, as this has been my only source of information on the case.
I'd recommend it to people who enjoy unsolved crime and police procedurals (though in this case, it's a primer on how not to).
Book Review: From S. Krishna's Books
Summary: 4 Stars
I am ashamed to admit that I have never read anything by Douglas Preston until this novel. I've been meaning to read his Pendergast series, and I have the entire thing for my Sony Reader, but I haven't gotten around to it quite yet. Since this is a non-fiction book, I wondered if my lack of Preston knowledge would inhibit my enjoyment of The Monster of Florence. I'm glad to say that wasn't the case.
This review is concise simply because I didn't want to risk too much summary, and giving too much away. The book is contingent on its suspense; giving knowledge in advance would ruin the book in many ways. So I decided to take the easy (and safe) way out.
One thing I didn't like about the book was the ambiguity of the ending. I'm not going to say any more about it because, again, I don't want to ruin the book, but if you read it, I think you'll understand my issue.
This book reminded me of Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. Both are novels recounting the exploits of two serial killers, both are true stories - however, in Devil in the White City, the story is told in third person and is in some ways from the serial killer's point of view. In The Monster of Florence, we are outside looking in, with Douglas Preston as the narrator.
Overall, The Monster of Florence, while horrifying, is very interesting (though not captivating) and well-written. I was surprised that I hadn't heard about the case before reading the book, especially with the high profile Preston claims that it received. I would recommend it to any fans of Douglas Preston, Thomas Harris (you'll see why when you read the book), non-fiction, or mysteries.
Book Review: Disturbing and timely
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is very disturbing. Following the investigation of the serial killer "the Monster of Florence," this book follows the killings and the inept reactions by the Italian authorities. The killer has never been caught.
Mario Spezi is an Italian journalist who covered the killings and the investigations and arrests that follow. The arrests invariably turn up to be incorrect, as the killings continue while the individuals arrested are still in custody.
As the police become desperate to claim success in their hunt, they abuse their authority and follow the most outlandish theories in efforts to save face and protect their professional reputations.
Ultimately this leads to accusations against Spezi himself and criminal charges against Douglas Preston, an author who is collaborating with Spezi on a book.
As I read this, I became truly concerned with any effort by the Italian police, and thought that reading this book influenced my impression of law enforcement in general in that country. This colored my impression of the latest case involving an American accused of a crime in Italy, student Amanda Knox.
What makes this particularly timely is not just that Amanda Knox's case is currently in trial in Italy, but that the investigator heading up the prosecution IS THE VERY SAME investigator who had Spezi arrested and charged Preston criminally.
A great (if disturbing) read, Preston takes readers from the earliest days of the killer's activity to the present day, and paints a vivid picture of his theory and the bungled investigations.
Highly recommended.
Book Review: MURDER AND CORRUPTION IN ITALY
Summary: 5 Stars
From 1968 to 1985, 14 people were brutally murdered and mutiliated in the quiet hills around Florence. 7 couples had sought romantic privacy in the hills--a common tradition for unmarried people still living with their parents. THE MONSTER OF FLORENCE is more than a true-crime book. It's a journey into the Italian legal system and all of its flaws. Through the course of the investigation suspects were accused and arrested and even convicted of the murders. There were so many suspects through the years that it became a joke that any man in Italy was a suspect. Journalist Mario Spezi spent years investigating the murders and joined American author Douglas Preston in writing THE MONSTER OF FLORENCE. Here is a prime example of a true story being stranger than fiction. Preston and Spezi present the story with compassion for the victims and their families and outrage with the inept investigation by the Italian "polizia" and "carabinieri". There were so many investigators and prosecutors yet so much evidence was overlooked. THE MONSTER OF FLORENCE gives us plenty of suspects. Most are clearly innocent victims of the "monster" frenzy prosecuted by overly egotistical Italian prosecuters. Yet, a handful of suspects have some secrets. This is a truly fascinating book that is hard to put down. The twists and turns outdo any work of fiction. The journalist Spezi is arrested as a suspect and Italian laws work against him. Preston is accused of obstructing justic and becomes a suspect. You have to read this book to believe it. The bumblings of the Italian legal system are truly remarkable.
The case still isn't solved and the investigation continues.