The Monster of Florence (by Douglas Preston)

This books was good in many ways and not so good in many ways. This books is non-fiction and details the story of "The Monster of Florence" - a person who killed couples as they messed around in cars in the Florence country-side. The book is very descriptive about the crimes and the investigations concerning the crimes. This book follows Douglas Preston - a journalist who moves to Florence and meets Mario Spezi (another journalist in Florence who had been following the Monster of Florence case from the beginning). The author describes Mario Spezi's investigation and personal dealings with the Monster of Florence. The book also beautifully describes the Florence country-side and gives you a glimpse into Italian culture, police work, and societal norms. That part was very interesting. The part which became a little tedious was the descriptions of the on-going investigations and false accusations that ran rampant during the 30 year pendency of the case (which remains unsolved). As far as historical non-fiction goes it was pretty enlightening, other than the slow parts which were easliy skimmable.

Rating: Good

Up next: Columbine (by Dave Cullen) and In the Woods (by Tana French - for book club!)