The Monster of Florence

Infobox Book |
name = The Monster of Florence


image_caption =
author = Douglas Preston,
Mario Spezi
country = United States
language = English
genre = True crime
publisher = Grand Central Publishing
release_date = 2008
media_type = Hardcover
pages = 336
isbn = ISBN 0-446-58119-4
preceded_by = Blasphemy
followed_by = —

"The Monster of Florence" or "The Monster of Florence: A True Story" is a non-fiction, True crime work by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi that was released on June 10, 2008. [ [http://www.prestonchild.com/solonovels/preston/monster/index.html Info from official website] ]

Plot

Bestselling author Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi give an account of crime and punishment near Florence, Italy. Preston moved his family to Italy in 2000. Upon arrival, 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.

Reviews

*"The fascinating story unfolds with memorable characters and dizzying plot twists that could come off as far-fetched if the book was fictional. 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"." from the Chicago Tribune. [ [http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/books/chi-monster-of-florence-review-080612-ht,0,6714696.story Chicago Tribune- 10 June 2008] ]

* The book received a B rating from "Entertainment Weekly". [ [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20204775,00.html Entertainment Weekly Archives retrieved 6/13/2008] ]

Film Version

film studio United Artists will produce a film version of novel. Tom Cruise will produce and possibly star in the film.

Footnotes

References

* [http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200606u/preston-interview The Journalist and the Murderer]
* [http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2006/03/18/trapped_in_his_own_thriller/ The Boston Globe: Trapped in his own thriller]