The Monster of Florence

I like Douglas Preston. I like him especially when he’s writing with his co-author Lincoln Child in what apparently is called the Agent Pendergast series.

I like true crime books. While I may quibble with Ann Rule’s canonization of victims, I’ve read everything she ever wrote. I like Capote’s In Cold Blood far more than Breakfast at Tiffany’s and think Mikal Gilmore’s Shot in the Heart is one of the best true crime books ever written, next to Norman Mailer’s The Executioner’s Song. I think Gilmore's book is better than the more celebrated book by James Ellroy: My Dark Places. And there's your nickel tour of literary true crime.

Given all that I was very intrigued that Douglas Preston had written a true crime book with co-author Mario Spezi called The Monster of Florence.

The Monster of Florence is about a serial murder case that is not much known of here in the States. The Monster killed seven couples between the years 1974 and 1985 while they were what we shall euphemistically call “parking” in and around the environs of Florence, Italy. The FBI even provided a psychological profile to the Italian authorities. This book details the private investigation and reporting by star journalist Mario Spezi and Douglas Preston’s involvement with him and their run-in with the official investigators.

As occasionally happens, the authors become part of the story – Preston was indicted and Spezi actually arrested during their hunt for the truth. The book is their stories as well.

I categorize true crime books into three main types, depending on the result of the investigation. The first type are those many of us aficionados are used to: culprit is found and prosecuted. The second type, typified by the various books about the Black Dahlia or Jack the Ripper are what I call “I know who did it” books where a solution is supposed or proved but not legally. The third type are the ones with no solution.

The Monster of Florence is of the second type. Preston and Spezi are sure they know who did it but it remains legally unproven. Furthermore, I am not sure I agree with their conclusions. They are intriguing and plausible but possibly not convincing. Some of the leading investigators disagree with them, as well.

It is not what I'd call literary true crime. Still, I highly recommend this book. I finally found out the difference between the Italian police (civil) and the caribinieri (military) and how the two do and don’t work together. I learned much about the history of Florence, some about its vital role in the gestation of the Renaissance, and some about its labyrinthine legal system. In a brief section Preston mentioned the connection to the more recent case of with interestingly similar lines of inquiry by the Italians.

There's a waiting list for it so order it soon. See if you agree with the authors.