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Douglas Preston opens this non-fiction book with his childhood vacation to Italy. This vacation inspires him to move to Italy, where he settles down on a country farm. While doing research for a new mystery novel, Preston meets reporter Mario Spezi. Spezi knows all of the inside information regarding the carabinieri as he has much first-hand experience. It is from him that Preston first hears of the 'Monster of Florence', a serial killer who targeted courting couples found in lover's lane. The first half of the book relates the history of the Monster of Florence and a broad history of Florence's changing fortune. While Florence was once the center of the world during the Renaissance, it slowly become known for chilly and slightly snobbish behavior. As with any class-conscious society, the thought of a serial killer being not an outsider but one of their own terrified Florence. This fear led to false accusations and numerous arrests. All of the people arrested for these murders were ultimately released as the true killer killed again while they were in custody. Preston finds this story interesting, especially as a double murder took place very close to his new home, and asks Spezi to help him write some articles for US newspapers. After exploring the criminal investigation itself and all of the possible tangents and suspects, Preston and Spezi decide to set about identifying the true Monster of Florence. Events slowly begin to conspire against them until they find themselves as suspects in a police investigation. Both Preston and Spezi are able to view first hand some of the corruption and harshness that can exist in a police department. Yet this cannot stop their desire for the truth. THE MONSTER OF FLORENCE is the latest book in a slowly developing true crimes sub-genre. This sub-genre focuses on crimes that were never solved that the author then decides to set out to investigate. At times the situations and characters seem fictional and unbelievable, yet the people and places are real. Ultimately my opinion of this book is mixed. For the most part THE MONSTER OF FLORENCE reads as smoothly one of Preston's fictions; however, some of the events and actions described become frustrating to read about as they happened to real people rather than to fictional characters Preston created. Also I frequently had to flip back to the beginning of the book, where Preston supplied the name and brief description of everyone involved in the investigation. One of the nice things about fictional mysteries is that there is a limited number of characters so there are fewer names and situations you need to remember. For fans of true crime, THE MONSTER OF FLORENCE is a must read. Fans of crime fiction will find much to like about THE MONSTER OF FLORENCE as well. While I did have some problems with the book, overall it is very readable and informative.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, May 2008
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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