The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/books/chi-monster-of-florence-review-080612-ht,0,6714696.story
Nonfiction
Mario Spezi is a reporter for La Nazione, one of the most respected newspapers in Florence, Italy. In 1981, he became intrigued with the brutal murder of two young people. Soon this murder was connected to an earlier crime. Murders in 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985 made the Monster of Florence THE topic of conversation and the most notorious criminal of the day. Although many lives were ruined by scandal and rumor and several people were put on trial and even imprisoned, the murders were never solved and the Monster of Florence is still among us.
What I didn’t like:
I wish the author had waited just a little while before publishing the book so that the reader would know the outcome of the final accusations against Mario Spezi.
What I liked:
The book has the feel of a novel. It’s hard to believe that this could have really happened – especially the comedy of errors created by the Italian justice system. I liked knowing a bit about the city and the surrounding country-side. I wish I had known about the Monster when I visited Italy. I would have paid more attention to the various sites where the vicious murders occurred.
