The Monster of Florence

True crime, well written

Douglas Preston is a great writer of mysteries and brings all his skills to this true story. Such great descriptions of the beauty of Italy and the people involved in this fiasco. A serial killer on the loose and the Italian police go in so many directions that it's crazy. And some of those directions will surprise you. Sure makes you wonder about the Amanda Knox case.....and that is even brought up at the end of the book. I think this a great read.

10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

Insight into Italian culture

I thought the contrast with the romanticized Italian countryside, Tuscany, wine culture, art, and so on that we associate with Italy was marked in the true story of Italian murder and mystery. I was hooked and involved immediately and finished the book swiftly. The afterword about the Amanda Knox case is fascinating and timely. I hope international attention forces a look at the Italian version of justice. Power corrupts...

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Interesting Story

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I like books involving crimes and mysteries and this book incorporated both. I also found myself wanting to look up additional information regarding these serial killings in florence. The only issue I had with the book was that it was a little lengthy in some sections. Nonentheleess, I would recommend this book.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

A provocative "Sleeper"

read this, initially, due to Douglas Preston's name as co-author-- came to appreciate it at another level as the story behind the story, the cover-up, international intrigue, Italian politics, culture relative to Florence, press involvement, etc. unspiraled in an incredible fashion-- thought it would all be too much detail and I would forget key elements due to the sheer volume of information, but Preston and Spezi presented it artfully-- I found it to be a page-turner I was willing to lose sleep for in order to extend reading opportunities!-- thank you, authors: your expertise and integrity shine

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Had to get this book

I saw someone reading this book for two days poolside on vacation and she could not put it down. After she finished it on the second day, I asked her about it and she recommeded it. I had seen the cover and assumed that it was a novel. The is the most amazing non-fiction book I have read in a long time. The story starts out with elements that bring to mind the David Berkowitz case of the 70's. This serial killer
strikes in the Tuscan countryside, so the setting is beautiful, contrasted with the violence of the crimes. The story is spellbinding.
There are so many twists and turns and the fact that both authors become involved with the investigation, adds to the intrigue. I think the authors have done an incredible job both researching and writing this book. I will be recommending it to everyone. One look at the cover also intrigues you. I think the cover is probably what hooked me
originally as I watched someone devour the book in two days.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Incredible!

Preston and Spezi take the reader deep into the case of an old Italian murder mystery. An incredible first hand account of Spezi's involvement in the case, draws the reader to be more and more interested with each and every page. Through the detailed crime scenes, to the intriguing investigations, Spezi is able to draw a beautiful picture in your head. This book is filled with shocking suspects and unbelievable verdicts.The Monster of Florence is guaranteed to keep you wanting more.
10 out of 10.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Not recommended

I was excited to read this book, thinking it would be a gorgeous portrait of Italy as well as a murder mystery. Unfortunately, I found the writing stilted and the plot uneven, and I left with little understanding of the real Italy. Very disappointed.

2 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

amazing!!

INCREDIBLE BOOK!! ONE OF THE BEST IVE READ!

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

The Title captured my interest as did the photograph on the cover

I purchased this book for my husband, an retired policeman, who enjoys good literature. I read it before giving it and truly enjoyed the mystery. I especially enjoyed the setting since I lived in that very area of Tuscany on a painting trip. The inefficacies of the justice system brought memories of my brief encounter with the law when my wallet was stolen...archaic and inefficient! The novel is very well written and I will seek out more books by the same author. Really enjoyed the investigative and personal relationships of Mario Spezi and Douglas Preston.

Since the names in this novel are so similar to the unfamiliar reader, a listing of the characters and their connection to each other would be helpful.

My friend also read the book before my giving it to my husband. She agrees with my comments. My husband enjoyed the book, especially the well-written text but found all the similar names difficult to keep in check. All in all, it was a very good book which many of us enjoyed. It is already on my friends' "borrowing list".

Lorraine Boucher

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

HORRIBLY WRITTEN BOOK

I can't believe I paid for this trashy book. It's written by an author who is supposedly well known and has been a good seller? You would never know it by the way it was written. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME. Read the internet version by real journalists. MARIO SPEZI wrote most of this book and it shows - his English is nil and he keeps repeating the same ideas and the same crap over and over in each chapter.

Reading this book - I wanted the Monster to go after him - and guess what (spoiler alert) he did!

1 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

The Monster of Florence

Great book! Hard to put down.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Required Reading!

Wonderfully researched, captivating, and enlightening. The authors are not only experts on the case, [the twisted] Italian judiciary practice, and the human psyche in general, but they are also fantastic writers. It will be interesting to see how the Monster of Florence story, the Sardinian Trial, and the Meredith Kercher case will all be played out once this book becomes read world-wide. This book she be a required reading!!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Worth the read!

This was a great book. I didn't even know that there was a Monster of Florence. It was great fun to speculate who could have done it. I wish that I had the time and money to go and investigate it a bit myself!

The book was well written and researched. Preston went to one of the greatest sources of the story and was right to include him; Spezi was awesome.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Would have given this 5 stars but . . .

This is a great book because it is not the typical detached telling of a set of monstrous crimes. It is a true detective story, Spezi and Preston have their hands elbow deep in the action. My only complaint is editorial in nature . . . on page 25, the author states that 'the city was founded by Julius Caesar in AD 59'. Caesar was dead for over 100 years by that time. The true date of Florence's founding is 59 BC. Hopefully this glaring error will be changed in the paperback version. Otherwise, the book was outstanding!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Disappointing Read

I thought this book was going to be a great read, but was disappointed and forced myself to finish it about 3/4 f the way through it. It starts strong and pulls you in and then drags on and on. Preston acts a bit like he's got a man- crush on another author with the number of times this well known American author is mentioned in the book. Bottom line... Get it from the library... don't buy it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Book!

Picked this up on the clearance table at B & N cuz I am going to Tuscany and Umbria in June and also enjoy reading non-fiction books written by journalists. This is a fascinating crime story and an even more interesting look at the criminal justice system in Italy. Moreover, it truly highlights certain cultural and national traits of Italy and Italians. After reading it, I realized why Amanda Knox was locked up for four years: the Public Prosecutor is a power-hungry loony-toons! I highly recommend this book.

I would not receommed this book

I am a big fan of Douglas Preston and have read most of his books. But, I did not like this books. It was very confusing and too much detailed information about the people involved. I understand the necessity relating to it being a true story.

Great read

Fantastic!

Great read, detailed but ended abruptly

After living in Italy & understanding their culture i totally understand. Think book ended abruptly given the details. I still enjoyed. Would like a post script.

Very Good Book

We are currently living in Florence and it makes this story (true story) even more interesting. If you have never lived in Italy, you will find it hard to believe, but I can assure you all of the things that are in the book are true. Not just the story itself, but all of the little tidbits about the Italian culture. It is a fascinating story, and I agree with the authors, the guilty party is still out there in my opinion...