Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Douglas Preston & Mario Spezi - The Monster of Florence

This is a remarkable tale about two men who set out on a quest to uncover the mystery behind the Monster of Florence - Italy's own Jack the Ripper - but end up being arrested as the main suspects instead. With all the twists and turns throughout the entire saga, it would be easy to think this is just a made-up story, but as with most things, truth is stranger than fiction.The first half was a little more interesting because it provided the background and history of the Florence killings. The second half focused on the bungled investigation by the Italian police force and the seemingly inept judicial system, especially when the police turn on the authors, accusing Mario Spezi to be the Monster himself and Douglas Preston an accomplice. This section could be a little dry at times but helped to highlight the incredulousness of the situation. In the end, the Monster of Florence remains a mystery and is unsolved to this day. I'm not really a true crime fan, but overall, I thought this was an intriguing read.

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