When I first heard about Douglas Preston’s Italian journalist pal Mario Spezi being imprisoned for their investigation into a serial killer, I’ll admit I thought I smelled a hoax — an effort to build buzz for what would be a forthcoming thriller. THE MONSTER OF FLORENCE is that novel, only it’s not a novel at all. Oh, it may read like one, but its contents are remarkably, sadly, startlingly true.

Primarily in the ’80s, Florence was terrified by the gruesome killing spree of the so-called “Monster of Florence,” who slew only couples making love in their cars under the fragrant Tuscan night. The male half of the quotient was removed immediately, so that the criminal could concentrate on his female victim — not raping her, but killing her certainly, and sometimes taking off with a prize, such as her left breast or vaginal canal.

Understandably, the natives are restless, especially when Italian culture has it that children live with their parents until they marry, and hey, hormones are hormones. The case grips the capital city in a fist of fear, despite heavy investigation by law enforcement, but seemingly heavier footwork from Spezi, a veteran crime reporter for the La Nazione newspaper.

As the years pass, the Monster strikes again and again, and his crimes are tied to even earlier ones, suggested his reign is longer than anyone first thought. But that’s only half of the story. Like ZODIAC, the real drive of this narrative is the work the authors put in themselves … and at what price.

Preston, who impulsively moved to Italy with his family in 2000 out of sheer love of the surroundings, and his friend Spezi were astounded by the farciful actions of a handful of authorities who ignored key evidence — and thus likely perpetrators — and instead bet all their cards on obvious scapegoats. Even the prosecutor for one of these men was in disbelief, saying, “This investigation, if it weren’t so tragic, would put one in mind of the Pink Panther.”

As Preston writes, “Neither the press nor Italian public opinion seemed skeptical of the idea that three quasi-illiterate inebriates of marginal intelligence could have successfully killed fourteen people over a period of eleven years with the goal of stealing the women’s sex organs.”

The sniffing around of the hard-nosed Spezi and his American writer friend doesn’t sit well with authorities, who accuse them of planting evidence and interfering with the investigation. In 2006, Preston gets off easy; he’s told — in so many words — never to return to Italy, but Spezi is jailed and even deemed a suspect in the very murders he’s tried for years to help solve.

So many twists and turns are embedded in this tale that it’s tough not to read it all in one sitting. As you prepare to do so, however, a word of advice: Skip the timeline and cast of characters that preface the story — not for spoiler reasons, but because so much detail exists, that if you try to process it all, you’ll be too intimidated to continue. Have faith that Preston will introduce each person on a need-to-know basis, and that one will remain clear from the others; that’s exactly how it plays out.

After all, you’re in the hands of a man who knows how to craft a damn good thriller. (Granted, this is just one side of the story, but I have no reason to doubt their word, given their credibility.) That this tale has the virtue of being true makes it all the more remarkable. THE MONSTER OF FLORENCE goes far beyond the standard realm of the stale true-crime genre, given the storytelling skills and hard-news doggedness of its authors, as well as their unintentional involvement, which raises the stakes in spades. —Rod Lott

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OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF DOUGLAS PRESTON:
• BLASPHEMY by Douglas Preston
• THE BOOK OF THE DEAD by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
• DANCE OF DEATH by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
• TYRANNOSAUR CANYON by Douglas Preston
• THE WHEEL OF DARKNESS by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

BOOKGASM INTERVIEW WITH DOUGLAS PRESTON:
• Q&A with THE WHEEL OF DARKNESS’ Douglas Preston