Customer Reviews

The Monster of Florence

5 star:		(93)
4 star:		(65)
3 star:		(31)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

In the annals of crime, the case of the "Monster of Florence" (the name Italian journalist Mario Spezi, one of the co-authors, and one of the key players in the case and this book, gave the killer) is truly one of the strangest. Starting in 1974, and continuing through 1985, seven couples were brutally murdered in the secluded lovers' lanes located in the hills surrounding the city of Florence, Italy. Still unsolved to this day, the crimes captured the horrified attention and imagination of the Italian people, and consumed enormous resources--nearly one hundred thousand men were investigated and more than a dozen arrested during the course of various inquiries into the crimes. Per Douglas Preston's introduction, the investigation "has been like a malignancy, spreading backward in time and outward in space, metastasizing into different cities and swelling into new investigations, with new judges, police, and prosecutors, more suspects, more arrests, and many more lives ruined."

Not merely a recounting of those grisly crimes and endless investigations, The Monster of Florence (hereafter TMOF) is also an engrossing biographical piece, detailing the toll the case took on both its authors, who, in one of the stranger twists in a case replete with strange twists, become the focus of the ongoing police investigation. Thus, in a plot complication worthy of Alfred Hitchcock, the reporters became part of the very story they are covering--after his home is ransacked in a search, Spezi is subsequently arrested, and his collaborator, American crime novelist Preston, is harshly interrogated by the authorities. In a movie, the protagonists would have been able to clear their names by dramatically unmasking the real killer, unearthing a piece of key evidence at the last moment. Real life, however, proves to a bit more complicated, and certainly more bizarre.

The back cover copy of the advance reading copy of TMOF compares it to John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City. The comparison is apt, but only to a point, as both these non-fiction works feel more like novels. TMOF, on the other hand, feels more like the product of journalists than novelists (certainly not surprising, given the backgrounds of its respective creators), calling to mind books like Jimmy Breslin's outstanding .44, or Vincent Bugliosi's memorable Helter Skelter. That's not to say it's any less gripping because of that tendency; in fact, in might have made the book all the more immediate and enthralling, because, in this instance, the strange facts in this case alone are enough to capture and hold any reader's attention.

Recently, I seem to be reading a lot of books centered in and around the Italian city of Florence, treasured for centuries as the birthplace of the Renaissance. Everywhere there is art to behold, from paintings, sculpture and to architecture, and tourists crowding the city for the galleries and shopping. To the casual observer, it may just seem like a slice of heaven on earth.

But long-term residents know better. Between 1968 and 1985 eight double murders occurred, all of young lovers, with the female member of the pair brutally mutilated. One of the first reporters to hear of the crime was Mario Spezi, and through the years, he followed the crimes and the many stories of just who the Monster could be. He carefully assembled his notes, and wondered along with everyone else as to just who the killer was, dubbed The Monster by the press and the authorities.

American author Douglas Preston traveled to Italy with his wife and two of his children in 2000, living in a farmhouse near Florence. He was busy working on a new mystery novel, but kept getting sidetracked by the mystery of the Monster. A mutual friend introduced him to Mario Spezi, and very soon both men were good friends and investigating the riddle of the murders. Over the years they kept at the mystery, and soon they were discovering that the truth was very different than what the police and the carabinieri were saying what happened...

The narrative is broken up into two parts, the first half of the book centered around Spezi, and the general investigation, and the trials and suspects that well, weren't that credible. Spezi kept writing about the case, but the public and the press all seemed to want the more sensationalistic approach -- including rumours of a satanic cult being responsible, and a common sort of doorstop found in Tuscan homes actually being a 'device to communicate with the infernal regions.' Even a report from the FBI that contradicted the notions that were being reported did nothing to slow down the fantastic, and rather crackpot ideas.

The second half of the book, told from Douglas Preston's point of view, detailing his meeting with Spezi, and with a notable aristocrat of Florence, and his own story. Unlike the first half, this one does have a bit of humour here and there to lighten things up, mostly centered around being a very naive American and trying to learn the language.

About page two hundred or so, the story starts to run off the rails. Spezi has been sparring with the local investigator in the case, Michele Giuttari and Judge Guiliano Mignini, and in a very weird twist, have both Spezi and Preston indicted in the case.

Here is where my blood ran cold, as the reader gets to find out that not only the Italian judicial system impossibly corrupt but that many of the rights that Americans take for granted -- a fair and honest hearing, the right to have an attorney present, to know what you're being charged with and having access to the same evidence that the police and prosecutors do -- well, they simply don't exist in Italy. You can simply be denounced, the police can toss you into jail and there you can rot until they decide to speak to you.

Mario Spezi would go through the worry and humiliation of a prison stay and trial. Douglas Preston would be questioned and threatened with prison, and when he was freed, decided that the best thing to do would be to leave Italy with his family as soon as possible.

What finally happened is a shocker. For Americans, secure in the thought that we have the right to know, to be able to face our accusers openly, this is a very rude awakening. As to the real identity of the Monster, there are hints as to who he might be, but I fear that the truth will never be known.

A collection of black and white photos give faces to the principal players in the story, along with a map of Florence, with the sites of the murders marked. An index is included as well.

A warning -- the descriptions of the murders are brief, but very graphic, so this story is not for the faint of heart. What I came away with from this story was a sense of sorrow for the victim's families, a great deal of anger at the level of incompetence of the Italian officials, and thanking god that I live in a country where law at least has a fighting chance. Sometimes.

Four stars overall, and recommended, but only for those who enjoy true crime stories. Not for the squeamish.

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!

...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.

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.

For over a decade, the killer murdered and mutilated fourteen people; seven couples making out in parked cars. The police arrested several people, but none were permanently convicted. Though the case turned cold with the last homicides in 1985, renowned novelist Douglas J. Preston and Italian crime reporter Mario Spezi began an investigation to uncover the identity of THE MONSTER OF FLORENCE, which led to their being in trouble with local prosecutors.

This is an incredible true crime book that in some ways reads like an obsessed investigative novel. The book is chilling because it is real and not a fictional account. Set aside time as readers will be spellbound to learn whether the authors identified the serial killer.

Harriet Klausner

I thought this book was great. Douglas Preston grabbed me and would not let me go until I almost passed out from lack of sleep.

I finished this book in two days.. on my train commute, during my lunch break, in bed at 1 am.. I could not put this book down. To the reviewer who mentions an error between an "embassy" and a "consulate".. who cares???? The book is about a serial killer in Florence, not about the difference between a consulate and an embassy. That being said, my parents are Italian immigrants from Calabria, a southern province of Italy, and let me tell you that what the co-authors experienced is a sad truth about the painfully slow, bureaucratic, Italian judicial system. Somehow, I believed that the Northern provinces did not follow the same archaic path as the South.. but, I was wrong.

I have a million questions I wish I could ask the authors... do they think the killer will ever be found, did this book stir things up???

In boca a lupo a Douglas and Mario.. Mi piace MOLTO..

I bought this book in the airport on the way to a stay in Rome. I almost left it unfinished in the apartment we stayed in. I read the book half way through on the way to Rome and finished it on the way back. I'm glad I kept it and finished it. I love Italy. But, in ways that are apparent only when you travel in Italy, Italy is not always a modern society. This book exposes the myth of Italian modernity.

The reading list item 12 on page 344 references an essay by Preston. The item includes a sentence saying "TMOF is not just a book about a serial killer or a bungled investigation; it is a book about modern Italy." I haven't been able to find the essay on the Web, but I couldn't agree more. If someone knows where Preston's essay is posted, please post the link in a reply.

A lot of stuff gets done differently in Italy than in Northern Europe, or France, or the Anglo Saxon countries such as the U.K. or the States. Untruthful and unethical behaviour is a way of life in Italy. It starts at the top and goes all the way down. Talk to Northern Europeans or Americans that live in Italy or have businesses there. Talk to them about the Vigile in Rome. Talk to them about the receipts you receive when you buy stuff. Talk to them about taxes. The limitless variety of ripoffs performed against unwary tourists is an art perfected in Italy.

When I learned in the afterword of "TMOF" that the lead prosecutor overseeing the Knox case was Mignini, I knew she was going to spend the rest of her life in an Italian prison. The best she can hope for is a successful appeal after her conviction.

The handling of The Monster of Florence investigation and case is an international embarrassment to Italy. The Knox situation is the same. That Italian public opinion accepts what has happened and Italian institutions allow investigations and prosecutions to go on the way these two have is shocking. That rational, decision-making processes governed by facts are not an option in matters relating to criminal justice is eye opening. "TMOF" and the Knox cases expose Italy as a combination first-world and third-world country.

I read the book in two sittings. If you don't like crime books but love Italy or are interested in the case, read this book. If you are interested in the Knox case and want to learn more about the Italian criminal justice system and the background on Mignini, read this book.

When Douglas Preston moved his family to the outskirts of Florence in 2000, he thought he was just going to enjoy la dolce vita and write a mystery novel. What he found was both more interesting and scarier than any story he could have come up with on his own. As he was interviewing a journalist named Mario Spezi who was an expert on the Italian legal system, Spezi casually mentioned that just outside the villa Preston and his family had rented, was the site of one of the most gruesome murders in Florentine history. There, in 1983, the famed Monster of Florence had taken the lives of two of his victims.

Slowly Preston found himself getting pulled into the mystery of the Monster of Florence, who had between the years of 1974 and 1985 killed at least 7 couples as they made love in various out-of-the-way places in the Tuscan hills. Various men had been tried and convicted of the crimes, but the cases did not offer compelling proof and Spezi believed that the killer or killers were still free. Preston joined Spezi in trying to find the real killer, but what neither of them could have known was that they themselves were going to be charged crimes in connection with the case. In Italy, important magistrates don't appreciate being shown up by the press and Preston and Spezi showed up the flaws in the Monster investigation. What starts out as a murder mystery soon turns to much much more -- a chilling indictment of the Italian legal system and the lack of freedom of the press in Italy.

Preston and Spezi bring the people and places involved to life. The writing is crisp, the story well laid out and the implications of the abuse of government and suppression of a free press in a first world country shocking and important. So... Come for the monster, come for Florence, but stay for the journalists, who are much more interesting in the end.

Anything Douglas Preston writes is going to be good, the question is "how good?" I was entranced from the start - an amazing story and excellent look into Italian culture, politics and police. Having just read "Arthur and George" by Julian Barnes I was concerned that Preston would fall into the same trap Conan Doyle did when personally taking up a case. Is Mario Spezi lying? Would Preston get caught up in it? Preston manages to keep his objectivity and not get too involved. Great read and, as another review said, stranger than fiction.