The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
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Book Reviews of The Monster of Florence
Book Review: Truth is scary, but don't expect a fantasy novel
Summary: 5 Stars
The true serial killer story is told wonderfully with lots of good Florence and Italian history/background. It is important to remember that it a True Story and if you are not a person interested in Italy, or real murder details or situations like the Amanda Knox where authorities from what is supposed to be a democratic country, shoe string poorly gathered evidence together to either come up with a defendant or destroy lives, you may not be interested because this is not a novel. However, I found it enjoyable, extremely interesting and even scary since I actually read it while visiting Italy. One night reading the Monster of Florence I jumped out of my skin when I was alone with my two babies reading about Tuscany "Peeping Toms" and murders and my husband came through the front door.
Preston and Spezio's experience with the completely incompetent, arrogant and sensational authorities and judicially system is astonishing with an Afterward that every American who heard of the Amanda Knox story must read. While I read what these authorities did to Preston an Spezio, I was wondering if the Italian authorities could be the same as those that prosecuted Amanda and then to read that in deed they were... this is a true scary situation!
Book Review: A sad state of affairs... perfectly documented
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm very impressed with this book. A straightforward presentation of the events as they occurred, no personal opinions of the law enforcement involved-- which just made my own opinions of the abominable police work done on this case all the more powerful. A brutal killer will literally get away with murder because nobody cares about the truth, only the most bizarre dramatics possible. It's shocking and sad and outrageous beyond belief.
Some have protested the graphic nature of the descriptions. Hey, it's real life. And cushioning a killer's methods only placates people to the fact that there are real, live monsters out there preying on innocents. Slapped in the face with a little reality, perhaps sheer worldwide outrage will prod the Florentians to quit writing Hollywood dramas and find this killer.
The real "Monster" is no doubt sitting back watching all this malarkey and LAUGHING in the faces of both the police and the citizenry themselves. And quite frankly, THEY deserve it.
And yet the book is not a dry read - things flow so well and so quickly that I got sucked into it and read far later into each night than I'd intended. Highly recommended!
Book Review: Real life suspense makes for perfect summer read
Summary: 5 Stars
The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston & Mario Spezi is a non-fiction book with more twists and turns that most suspense novels. When Preston moved to Florence, Italy in 2000 he met journalist Spezi and learned about a series of murders from the 1970s and 80s that Spezi covered for his newspaper. Young couples were murdered while parking in their cars in the picturesque countryside by a vicious killer. The authorities had been spinning their wheels for over 30 years and the investigation was caught up in political machinations. When Preston started investigating the crimes himself for a newspaper article, the spotlight suddenly shone on him, as well as Spezi, who soon became accused of committing the murders himself. Preston lays the foundation for his case carefully, brick by brick leading the reader to the same conclusion that he and Spezi reached about the identity of the killer whom the local police refuse to consider as a suspect. The book is a dark look into the twisted maneuverings of Italian politics and how they tried to muzzle freedom of speech. It's a true crime book with a twist that makes it impossible to put down. Add this title to your summer must read list!Book Review: An unbelievable, maddening story of crime and conspiracy
Summary: 5 Stars
The story of the Monster of Florence is fascinating as it is, especially given that the serial killer has still never officially been found. In the first part of the book, the author describes the brutal murders carried out by the Monster. Twelve (or fourteen) dead bodies, lovers killed in the night in Florence, Italy. Gruesome, disturbing, and yet fascinating. Equally interesting is the Clouseau-like police work as two different police agencies try to solve the murders.
The second half of the book details the author's attempts to research the murders twenty years later. His findings conflict with the still-on-going investigation, which has begun to turn conspiratorial, delving into the mystic and the occult. The last 1/3 of the book, I had an anxious knot in my stomach, trying to read as quickly as I could to find out just how this maddening tale would end!
This book will fascinate and entertain, but it will also make you frustrated and on edge. It's a quick, easy read and well worth it. My only complaint is that there are occasionally brief tangents to describe Renaissance art or architecture, which only delay the story. Highly recommended book!
Book Review: Wonderful Tale
Summary: 5 Stars
This book has everything and more that a crime story should have, objectivity, irony, tension, unexpected turns, etc.
Well written and a engaging story of a serial murderer who keeps on killing not through his wiles and intellect but through the abominable incompetence of Italian law enforcement.
The book is populated with a host of characters that could have stepped out of one of Fellini's films. There are over inflated public officials, a village idiot or two, legitimate nutters who the authorities give currency to as they support their investigative theories. Their chief theory which like water sought and found the path of least resistance, flows along an idiotic course developing into an over arching super conspiracy that would be too stupid for a comic book.
The book also nicely juxtaposition the popular vision of the idyllic Florentine environs by illustrating that, at least in part, they are inhabited by a significant number of wacked out inbreds with attendant sexual peculiarities that make their Appalachian counterparts seem tame in comparison.