The Monster of Florence

De: Douglas Preston, Mario Spezi

Narrado por: Dennis Boutsikaris

In the nonfiction tradition of John Berendt and Erik Larson, the author of the #1 NYT bestseller The Lost City of the Monkey God presents a gripping account of crime and punishment in the lush hills surrounding Florence as he seeks to uncover one of the most infamous figures in Italian history.
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. Preston, intrigued, meets Italian investigative journalist Mario Spezi to learn more.
This is the true story of their search for--and identification of--the man they believe committed the crimes, and their chilling interview with him. And then, in a strange twist of fate, Preston and Spezi themselves become targets of the police investigation. Preston has his phone tapped, is interrogated, and told to leave the country. Spezi fares worse: he is thrown into Italy's grim Capanne prison, accused of being the Monster of Florence himself.
Like one of Preston's thrillers, The Monster of Florence, tells a remarkable and harrowing story involving murder, mutilation, and suicide-and at the center of it, Preston and Spezi, caught in a bizarre prosecutorial vendetta.©2008 Splendide Mendax, Inc. and Mario Spezi; (P)2008 Hachette Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

Named by USA Today as a Top True-Crime Book of All Time

"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, Amazon's Best of the Month-June 2008

"This bit of real-life Florence bloodletting makes you sweat and think, and presses relentlessly on the nerves."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The co-authors expertly and entertainingly guide the reader though an epic, colorful cast of characters and the stranger-than-fiction machinations of a Byzantine Italian judicial system."—Washington Post

"Preston's account of the crimes is lucid and mesmerizing."—TIME Magazine

"Remarkable true-crime story...passionately describes the investigations gone wrong....Preston knows how to load his storytelling with intriguing evidence and damning details. His feverish style keeps the reader turning with the hope of uncovering the killer's identity. In the book's most chilling moment, Preston and Spezi come face-to-face with their most likely suspect."—USA Today

"As taut and tense as any of the author's bestselling thrillers...fascinating, stomach-churning...nerve-tingling action and vivid writing...The Monster of Florence is a gripping tale, filled with shocking crimes, boldly drawn characters, and the careening suspense of the ultimate whodunit."—Dallas Morning News

"An exquisite nonfiction page-turner."—Time Out New York

"One of the most fascinating criminal cases in recent memo—New Orleans Times-Picayune

"A dark and fascinating landscape of horror that deserves to the shelved between In Cold Blood and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."—Bookviews101

"The writing is evocative, and the two collaborators skillfully weave the narratives back and forth to create, at times, a razor's edge of tension."—Chicago Tribune

"A gripping tale."—Denver Post

"One of the best true-crime mysteries I've ever read... Nonfiction doesn't get any better than this."—Kansas City Star

"A most unconventional thriller, a real life murder mystery in which the authors become the suspects... Fascinating."—Associated Press

"A riveting true story involving murder, suicide, rumor, poisoning, body parts sent by mail, prosecutorial vendettas, and even satanic sects."—Tucson Citizen

"Tightly calibrated suspense."—Entertainment Weekly

"A propulsive account."—Los Angeles Times

A good (slightly confusing) read!

I really enjoyed this book. After reading some of the reviews regarding the "bad" Italian accent of the narrator, I hesitated to purchase it, but since I've never been to Italy and wouldn't know a good Florentine accent from a bad one, I rolled the dice. Aside from a few times where he dropped it when he shouldn't have, I was not bothered at all by his narration.

The story itself was interesting, shocking, confusing, and kept me wanting to know what happened next. The only reason I give this 4 stars instead of 5 is because by chapter six I was honestly lost. This is not the fault of the writers, rather the actual events were hard to follow no matter how clearly explained. Ultimately, I was able to follow generally everything that occurred and the few areas I was lost did not affect my overall understanding of the book.

I do have to say, regardless of who the actual Monster is, I am appalled at the Italian judicial system and am interested to read, as another reviewer suggested, the Amanda Knox story.

Must read for crime fans!

This is a story of amazing events and amazing judicial incompetence and idiocy or even lunacy. And it’s all true. The Amanda Knox tie-in is a bonus. I think we can all be assured that she was innocent, based on how ridiculous the outdated judicial system left over from the Communists operates in Italy.

Definitely makes me want to go back and visit Italy again. Also, as a lawyer, let me advise you: NEVER SPEAK TO THE POLICE WITHOUT A LAWYER!

A Chilling piece of Recent History

When I purchased this audio book I had a small understanding of what to expect. Being a fan of the Thomas Harris character Hannibal Lector and recently the television interpretation of that world, the Monster of Florence caught my eye.

But this fictional knowledge of the Monster is nothing compared to the facts.

This book is a chilling insight into the killings of Italian couples over a decade long spree. It details the evidence, connections, and various theories of the case. And presents it's own opinion on who the killer is. It also shows the affect these murders have had on the people of Florence and others involved, even to this day.

If you are interested in the darkest side of man and ponder how these horrible crimes can be committed, read or listen to this audio book. But know it will affect you too.

Excellent

It's not often that I can hang with a 9 hour book straight from beginning to end without straying into other books. This was different. It was a great story. I acknowledge all the other reviewers beefs with this book. But they were not problems for me. Sure, pictures would have helped keep suspects straight. But I did not need them. Sure, it resembles a documentary, but I like documentaries - so no problem there either. In the end, it's just a great story. In my opinion, the story is so compelling, I had no problem with the narrator speaking with an Italian accent at points in the book that require dialogue. At first it was slightly annoying, but I got used to it quickly. Overall, great story. I guess truth is indeed sometimes stranger than fiction.

Incredible lack of application of law for some levels

Dark Human minds shocking acceptance of evil. Chilling and dangerous for truth tellers. Held reader interest by incredible reality.

Yes

Love the accent! Check it out, interesting story. Also, nice to have interview at the end.

Great Story, but needs a better reader.

The story of the Monster of Florence is horrific, but not as horrific as the reader of this book. He use of a stupid Italian accent for so much of the book really took me out of the story in parts. The rest of the book is great!! Preston really pulls us into the investigation and missteps of the investigators.

fantastic

Extremely fascinating, hard to put down
Enjoyed the extra conversation with Douglas Preston after the book

Very engrossing book with good narration

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book! Given the subject matter, I expected it to be somewhat difficult to get through at points, but this was not the case.

This book is well written; almost novel-like in how entertaining it is at times.
The narration of this book is fits the book perfectly; very well narrated.

Almost Unbelievable

As an American reader, I found this book both fascinating and horrifying. Horrifying, not because of the brutal crimes, but the absolutely stunning incompetence and vindictiveness of the Italian judicial system. It's quite literally almost impossible to believe that this story could occur in a civilized country. Definitely has me rethinking some of my vacation plans.