|
|
List Price: $25.99 Amazon.com's Price: $17.15 You Save: $8.84 (34%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Binding: HardcoverDewey Decimal Number: 364.1523 EAN: 9780446581196 ISBN: 0446581194 Label: Grand Central Publishing Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 336 Publication Date: June 10, 2008 Publisher: Grand Central Publishing Release Date: June 10, 2008 Studio: Grand Central Publishing Editorial Review: Amazon.com Review: Amazon Best of the Month, June 2008: When author Douglas Preston moved his family to Florence he never expected he would soon become obsessed and entwined in a horrific crime story whose true-life details rivaled the plots of his own bestselling thrillers. While researching his next book, Preston met Mario Spezi, an Italian journalist who told him about the Monster of Florence, Italy's answer to Jack the Ripper, a terror who stalked lovers' lanes in the Italian countryside. The killer would strike at the most intimate time, leaving mutilated corpses in his bloody wake over a period from 1968 to 1985. One of these crimes had taken place in an olive grove on the property of Preston's new home. That was enough for him to join "Monsterologist" Spezi on a quest to name the killer, or killers, and bring closure to these unsolved crimes. Local theories and accusations flourished: the killer was a cuckolded husband; a local aristocrat; a physician or butcher, someone well-versed with knives; a satanic cult. Thomas Harris even dipped into "Monster" lore for some of Hannibal Lecter's more Grand Guignol moments in Hannibal. Add to this a paranoid police force more concerned with saving face and naming a suspect (any suspect) than with assessing the often conflicting evidence on hand, and an unbelievable twist that finds both authors charged with obstructing justice, with Spezi jailed on suspicion of being the Monster himself. The Monster of Florence is split into two sections: the first half is Spezi's story, with the latter bringing in Preston's updated involvement on the case. Together these two parts create a dark and fascinating descent into a landscape of horror that deserves to be shelved between In Cold Blood and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. --Brad Thomas Parsons Product Description: In the nonfiction tradition of John Berendt ("Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil") and Erik Larson ("The Devil in the White City"), New York Times bestselling author Douglas Preston presents a gripping account of crime and punishment in the lush hills surrounding In 2000, Douglas Preston fulfilled a dream to move his family to Italy. Then he discovered that the olive grove in front of their 14th century farmhouse had been the scene of the most infamous double-murders in Italian history, committed by a serial killer known as the Monster of Florence. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Entirely unique in true crime, from the story that inspired Silence of the LambsI think the authors might overdo the mentions of Thomas Harris in the book, but it is an interesting footnote that Harris extensively researched the Monster of Florence killer for his "Hannibal" series. The Monster of Florence is unique in several ways I think. Many of you know, if you read my reviews, that I love true crime. I'd rate this the most unique yet. You have an unsolved case, and an attempt by two past journalists to solve the crime. These two journalists end up arrested themselves. I'm ... Read More Rating:  - Unfocused and often dull view of a murder caseIn reading this book I can't tell if Mr. Preston's goal was to tell the story of the Monster of Florence or his and Mr. Spezi's run in's with the Italian authorities over this case. Either way the result is a work that is very muddled and in many aspects is dull and confusing. The story lacks clear structure and does not leave the reader with any feeling that anything has been resolved or if there is a final confusion. At the end of this book we are clear of two things. First we have ... Read More Rating: - Terrifying, but not in the way you thinkIn terms of writing this is, as someone else noted, journalistic rather than richly written. But the most terrifying thing in it is not the serial killer, but the Kafkaesque mindsets of the police and public of Tuscany. It gets more and more frightening as you go on, and not because you fear the serial killer, but because you think you are beginning to lose your sanity. Rating: - Wonderful TaleThis book has everything and more that a crime story should have, objectivity, irony, tension, unexpected turns, etc. Well written and a engaging story of a serial murderer who keeps on killing not through his wiles and intellect but through the abominable incompetence of Italian law enforcement. The book is populated with a host of characters that could have stepped out of one of Fellini's films, over inflated public officials, a village idiot or two, legitimate nutters ... Read More Rating: - A Great Mystery of Our TimeThis was not only an entertaining read but also brought back some intriguing memories of my youth. During the 1970s, before marrying, my bride to be and I did the obligatory camping holiday around Europe. One of our best memories was sitting alone together in the hills, under the stars and entertained by fireflies, as we gazed down on the gorgeous Duomo in Florence. Little did we know that during the same period a serial killer was murdering young couples doing just that! The ... Read More |
