In the tradition of John Berendt’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City, Douglas Preston weaves a captivating account of crime and punishment in the lush hills of Florence, Italy.
Douglas Preston fulfilled a lifelong dream when he moved with his family to a villa in Florence in the year 2000. Upon meeting celebrated journalist Mario Spezi, Preston was stunned to learn that the olive grove next to his home had been the scene of a horrific double murder committed by one of the most infamous figures in Italian history. A serial killer who ritually murdered fourteen young lovers, he has never been caught. He is known as the Monster of Florence.
Fascinated by the tale, Preston began to work with Spezi on the case. Here is the true story of their search to uncover and confront the man they believe is the Monster. In an ironic twist of fate that echoes the dark traditions of the city’s bloody history, Preston and Spezi themselves became targets of a bizarre police investigation.
With the gripping suspense of Preston’s bestselling novels, The Monster of Florence tells a remarkable and harrowing chronicle of murder, mutilation, suicide, and vengeance—with Preston and Spezi caught in the middle.
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"I enjoyed this book but it really made me appreciate the American justice system. This is the true story of what happened after a series of murders occurred in Florence Italy starting in the 1960's. Young couples who were parked beside olive groves were murdered and the unknown murderer was called the Monster of Florence. The book focuses on the reporter who worked for the local newspaper and who reported the events. It seemed like the police went from person to person and everyone they interviewed was arrested for the crime at one point. Douglas Preston, who is co-author of the Pendergast series, moved to Florence with his family in the 1980's. He became aware of the murders and met the reporter, Mario Spezi. They collaborated on an article about the murders. Suddenly, a conspiracy theorist who ran an internet blog, pointed her finger at the Mario Spezi and he was arrested as being the Monster. Douglas Preston was called in for questioning and had to flee from Italy. The Italian process of "saving face" made the police look at people who could have had no way or reason to murder six people. The story is one that you can't put down."
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Ann (4 out of 5 stars)