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 enlarge | Author: Douglas Preston
Creator: Mario Spezi
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $25.99
Buy Used: $10.75
You Save: $15.24 (59%)
New (50) Used (42) Collectible (9) from $10.75
Rating:  100 reviews
Sales Rank: 1041
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 336
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 5.7 x 1.2
ISBN: 0446581194
Dewey Decimal Number: 364.1523
EAN: 9780446581196
ASIN: 0446581194
Publication Date: June 10, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: pages clean and crisp; binding sturdy; dsutjacket clean with a little shelf wear; ships from berkeley, CA (expedited is fastest)
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 100
 An extraordinary indictment of the Italian legal system July 11, 2008
J. Fuchs (Los Angeles, CA United States)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
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.
Could not put this book down.. recommend it highly... June 19, 2008
Italian girl (Chicago, IL usa)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
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..
Amazing June 16, 2008
Writer (USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I found "Monster of Florence" to be a fantastic true crime read. This book reads like one of Preston's thrillers. Be prepared to keep turning its pages. Such an amazing story.
Editor of Michele Cozzens' award winning women's fiction A Line Between Friends
Multi- Faceted Work of Non-Fiction! July 1, 2008
L. A. Vitale
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
"The Monster of Florence" is a fabulous gem of nonfiction writing! I read this book over the past weekend and could hardly put it down because the writing and storyline were completely engrossing & enthralling. This book is truly captivating on so many levels:
* Great writing by both Douglas Preston & Mario Spezi. Spezi, himself, is an Italian journalist considered an expert on the topic of "The Monster of Florence" since he's written about the monster from the beginning.
* The authors seem to have really done their home work on the topic of "The Monster of Florence": From telling us about the murders themselves, police investigations, trials that were more like 3 ring circuses, media attention to the case, and even the police going as far as to arresting Mario Spezi & questioning Douglas Preston!
* This book is well organized & flows nicely throughout with no dull or slow parts of the book. In fact, the book isn't too long or too short, but just right in terms of length. Basically, a tightly written book.
* "The Monster of Florence" reads more like a novel.... Sometimes the facts seem stranger than fiction!! Especially with regards to the lack of competency by the Italian police/criminal investigators and the Italian justice system at large.... It is truly unfathomable at how inept the the criminal investigators & Italian justice system has been in this case....
* I also enjoyed the authors insight into the cultural view points of Italians themselves. Something we don't hear or learn about much.
The crimes of "The Monster of Florence" are gruesome and have gone unresolved by the Italian Government. The authors make a great case as to whom they think the real "The Monster of Florence's" identity really is. I would have to say that with all the information Douglas Preston & Mario Spezi have presented in their book about "The Monster of Florence", I would have to agree with their summation of the serial killer's identity. Surely they are closer to the truth of the matter then the police/investigators are.
Fascinating... July 8, 2008
Tracy L. (USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I'm not normally a reader of non-fiction, but having heard a little about this story previously, I decided to give this book a try.
I was totally fascinated with the story. Preston and Spezi have done a magnificent job in providing enough details of the murders without bogging it down with confusing forensic details and unnecessary speculation, although they do have their own theory as to who the killer is.
Ultimately, this is not so much a story of the murders themselves, but of the botched investigation and the insanity surrounding those who were supposed to find the killer and bring justice to the victims, people who were more concerned with their own career status that they were willing to go to any lengths to manipulate the outcome to suit their own personal gain.
For those like me who are not normally non-fiction readers, I recommend this book highly, especially for those who like crime/drama fiction.
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