Book description
The Monster of Florence, which was shortlisted for the
prestigious CWA Gold Dagger Award for Non Fiction in 2010, is a true
account of brutal serial murder in idyllic Florence. After settling in
Italy in 2000, Douglas Preston discovered that the olive grove in
front of his family's new home had been the scene of one of the most
infamous double-murders in Italian history, committed by a serial
killer who had never been found and was known only as the Monster of
Florence. Preston, intrigued, met Italian journalist Mario Spezi, who
had followed the case since the first murders in 1974, 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. It's also the story of how Preston and Spezi
themselves became embroiled in the case. Like one of Preston's
bestselling thrillers, The Monster of Florence tells a gripping
and harrowing story of murder, mutilation, suspicion and ruined lives
- and at the centre of it, two brave writers trying to uncover the
truth at all costs. This latest edition includes an explosive
afterword about the much-publicised murder of a British student,
Meredith Kercher, and its connection to the monster case.
Douglas Preston is a renowned author of both fiction and
non-fiction, including The Codex, Relic and The Book
of the Dead (co-written with Lincoln Child), which topped the
New York Times bestseller list for six weeks. He has written
articles for The New Yorker, Reader's Digest,
National Geographic, Harper's, Smithsonian and
Atlantic. He also worked for the American Museum of Natural
History as managing editor of Curator magazine.
Mario Spezi is an Italian journalist writing for La Nazione,
who has been investigating the Monster of Florence case since the
first murders in 1974.
