The Monster of Florence
Ratings29
Average rating3.6
15
Ratings29
Average rating3.6
A True Story
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.
Reviews with the most likes.
I wanted to like this but I found it to be convoluted at times. There were a lot of unnecessary historical descriptions and personal anecdotes from the author that just didn't have to be made. The focus was not really on the monster murders as much as it was a strange memoir about a ,”famous author and his family” in Italy and his experiences with the corrupt justice system there. Every time things got interesting the focus would suddenly shift and I found myself skimming through to find out where the story picked up pace again. Preston also kept weirdly name-dropping and propping himself up as a “bestselling author” throughout. Overall, the language is dated, the tone is distracting and it ended up being three books jammed into one. I feel like I still don't know enough about this case and will have to learn about it elsewhere.
This was a very good book about an elusive serial killer and about how a fixation on a particular theory and the importance of saving face can have serious consequences.
it’s a book completely split by the two halves, the first half is a murder mystery told through the eyes of someone who was actually present at most of the crime scenes. With an array of suspects and real life events it is a thrilling read that often you have to reassure yourself this all actually real.
Then the second half feels like a behind the scenes and extras of the first half which is fine but I wouldn’t make the behind the scenes as long as the content, there’s some intriguing stuff like the vinci interview but it ultimately culminates to nothing.
Btw it has to be the son right? He saw his mother get killed and its the only plausible way that the gun left the trail, and also from the behavioural pov he fits the profile exceptionally well.
I accidentally purchased the LARGE PRINT version of this book online, which made it a page-turner in more ways that one.
Stories that don't resolve can be such a disappointment, but this absurd, modern-era, Jack-the-Ripper style mystery left me curious for more detail! A quick Google search on the title shows that a movie is in the works. Google around a little more for other interesting side-notes.
It's frustrating to know that, due to ego and incompetence, the truth behind these murders may never be known. Even still, the story is fascinating and well worth the read.
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