The Monster of Florence
by Douglas Preston
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.76 You Save: $21.23 (82%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Monster of Florence
Book Review: Entirely unique in true crime, from the story that inspired Silence of the Lambs
Summary: 5 Stars
I think the authors might overdo the mentions of Thomas Harris in the book, but it is an interesting footnote that Harris extensively researched the Monster of Florence killer for his "Hannibal" series. The Monster of Florence is unique in several ways I think. Many of you know, if you read my reviews, that I love true crime. I'd rate this the most unique yet. You have an unsolved case, and an attempt by two past journalists to solve the crime. These two journalists end up arrested themselves. I'm sure it was no fun for them, but it makes for great true story-telling. The unsolved case really works, and I'd like to see more of this. Patricia Cornwell did this with Portrait of a Killer, where she tried to solve the Jack the Ripper case. p.s. I think she got it right! But this approach, two journalists on the trail of a killer, is quite compelling. Frankly, the Preston section (the last half) is better written, probably due to the language barrier Spezi dealt with, but the whole book is really a must read. Italy and Florence really comes alive. Corruption of police and officials is well presented. It makes me glad we live where we do. I can't imagine any true crime fan not having fun with this book, even with the vivid crime scene details. It's just a good read overall, and I wouldn't miss it. The only thing that would have made it more satisfying would be an arrest. This is beyond the control of the authors of course. The only area I felt a little light was Preston's wife. He mentioned she moved to Italy with him. She's mentioned a few times. But she isn't really a character here. But there's not a lot to fault here. It's a top notch read.Book Review: Shocking, Gruesome, Gripping....Must Read!
Summary: 5 Stars
This story shocked me. First of all, the crimes are gruesome, gripping - I couldn't put it down throughout the first part. I still can't believe that I'd never heard of this story until I picked up this book. The Monster of Florence case - a series of murders involving lovers ranging from the 1960s to 1985, was big news throughout Italy, indeed all of Europe, but somehow failed to become big news in the US. The book is set up in two parts, the first being a history of the crimes - a basic description of the facts (which is really anything but basic considering the crimes were as heinous as they were) told mostly from the perspective of Mario Spezi, a journalist in Florence who'd been covering the Monster case from the beginning. The second part of the book is told more from the perspective of Douglas Preston, an author who planned to move to Italy to write a mystery novel and got caught up in the Monster case. This second part, while without the intrigue of the crimes themselves, is frightening in its own way. It exposes the underbelly of a seriously terrifying judiciary system. While researching the Monster case and planning to write a book with a theory counter to the "official" story of the police, Spezi was arrested and charged with crimes related to the Monster case. Preston was also questioned It's a fascinating, and frightening, look at the Italian legal system, and an interesting look into the world of Florence itself: that the easy answer can never be the right answer and that some people will go to great lengths to save face. It was not simply a book on a crime, it was a cultural study.Book Review: There's a heck of a story in here somewhere
Summary: 2 Stars
Think about it: how in the world would you feel if you'd just moved to a new country and discovered that the house you're living in with your young family is adjacent to a murder site? Worse, that the murders were connected to a serial killer? Worst, that the serial killer was never caught and still may be running out there somewhere? It doesn't take a lot of imagination to understand why Preston pursued this story and befriended the journalist who'd been covering the killings for decades.
Unfortunately, Monster of Florence is more a book about this journalist and his various run-ins and dealings with Italian law enforcement while following the story than it is about the killer(s) and the victims. Outside of two brief interviews with the mother of one of the victims, we learn virtually nothing about the victims or those they left behind. And, outside of one FBI profile, readers learn nothing substantial about the killer or killers by the last chapter.
Instead, this book is more along the lines of Preston-following-a-reporter-following-a-story. There's tons of details about phone calls and meetings with the police and Carabinieri, flattering and not-so flattering profiles of various investigators and judges, and in depth coverage of trials that may or may not have anything to do with the killings at hand.
If you're interested in Italian law enforcement or justice, you might find something here. But if you - like me - are looking for compelling reading about actual crimes and bringing a Monster to justice, you might be disappointed.
Book Review: Horrifying
Summary: 5 Stars
I literally could not put this book down. I really didn't read any reviews before beginning this book, and I started reading thinking that the book was about a serial killer. I have always been fascinated by the investigations of serial killers, from Jack the Ripper to the Zodiac, so this seemed right up my alley.
The first third or more of the book is mostly focused on the initial investigation into the killings and theories about who the killer could be, but then the book starts to focus on those investigating the killer instead of focusing solely on finding the identity of the killer. While this might seem like it would weaken the book or make it confusing to read, it actually becomes that much more fascinating. The authors relate more about all the people beyond the victims that the Monster of Florence touched, also revealing the corruption or at the very least the ridiculous methods and theories used by those who should have approached the case with an open mind.
At times, the methods used and theories proposed by the investigators read more like something out of another century of from a novel. I had to keep reminding myself that most of these events occurred within the past ten years. Half of the book is written from the authors' points of view, so I have to account for the fact that they are certainly biased to a certain point. However, if even half of what the authors are accounting is true, it is completely horrifying and puts into context the recent evens surrounding the incarceration of Amanda Knox.
Book Review: Do Not - I repeat - Do Not...
Summary: 4 Stars
...be either the victim or perpetrator a crime in Italy, particularly in Tuscany.
I'll leave others to judge the writing of the book. I thought it was good, not great. What I WAS left with was the notion of the complete insanity of the Italian police and judicial systems.
Preston moved to Tuscany in the early 00's with his family to write and enjoy living abroad. Under the Tuscan Sun, and all that. While there, he learned about a series of killings that took place in and around Florence. They were all double homicides of couples parked in Lovers' Lanes in the hills near the city. One killing a year, usually during the summer months, beginning in the late 1960's and ending in the mid-1980's.
Preston and a newspaper reporter friend, Mario, teamed up to write a book about the killings. These murders had been investigated by various branches of the Florence police and the Italian government police and a whole bunch of suspects, ranging from village idiots to Sardinian bandits to physicians and pharmacists had been arrested and tried over the years for these murders. Most of those who were brought to trial were victims themselves, victims of the ineptness of the police system and feuds between branches of the Italian judicial system.
If lives hadn't been lost and ruined in the years since the murders began, the book would read as an amusing farce, reminiscent of an Inspector Clouseau movie.