I was first exposed to the Monster of Florence in an interview with Daria Nicolodi published in the 1996 publication "Spaghetti Nightmares." In the interview, Nicolodi (Dario Argento collaborator in producing films as well as Asia Argento) is asked to speak about her native city of Florence and a rash of unsolved murders committed in the surrounding countryside from the mid-Seventies through the mid-Eighties. She reacts to the question with a mixture of enthusiasm for the subject matter (she'd intended to produce a film based on the story) and reluctance to say too much, whether out of fear of the murderer or of the people investigating the murders left rather unclear in this reader's mind.
As a person with an admittedly morbid fascination with complex true crime stories, I was able to come up with only a sparse understanding of the case and a curiosity to learn more. The case of the Monster of Florence has been sparsely covered in the US, but it's something of a national fixation in Italy. The murders of seven couples who were making love in parked cars at the times of their deaths evokes the unsolved crimes of the Zodiac, while the post-mortem mutilations of the female victims brings to mind Jack the Ripper. Until recently, the only English-language summation of the case I had read was the Monster of Florence entry in Crime Library.
2008 has seen the publication of what may become the definitive book on the case in any language--Douglas Preston and Mario Spezzi's "The Monster of Florence." The case has as many unexpected turns as the wildest of gialli, with the kind of political intrigue, far-out speculation, and colorful characters one might expect from a mid-Seventies fictional thriller.
I'd always posited that the fictional representations of Italian police as disorganized and bumbling fell into the same category as the Keystone Kops--exaggerated comedic portrayals with little relation to real-life investigators. Reading the true-life antics of the police at work on the Monster case (to make no mention of the more recent "Foxy Knoxy House of Horrors" case taking place in Perugia) is enough to make me reconsider this stance. In both cases, a fairly straight-forward if sensational crime is blown entirely out of proportion. While Occam's Razor might suggest that the simplest and truest solution to the Monster case is that a lone sexual psychopath with more luck than brains is committing the crimes, the theories in the press that are seriously considered by police, to the point of putting people on trial, center around a Satanic cult run by wealthy men (including an Italian prince) seeking to expand their power and based out of a hilltop chateau. This is to make no mention of the discarded theories of mad gynecologists and demented butchers that were at one time considered relevant. The Italian concept of dietrologia, the story behind the official story, plays a crucial role here--in Italian culture, it's considered vital to keep digging past the point of reason to uncover the true truth, not the simplest and likeliest answer.
The Preston/Spezzi book makes for an excellent read. It's well-structured, telling Spezzi's story first (he is a journalist who has followed the case from its early days) and then picking up with Preston's arrival in Tuscany in 2000. There's a bit too much attention paid to the case's connection to the Thomas Harris film and book "Hannibal" (the frame-by-frame explanation of how a certain building relates to the real-life case is kinda overkill, for example), but when the narrative is centered around the Italy-centric occurences, it snaps along at an admirable pace. As with many an unsolved crime account, the authors put forward their key suspect in the case, which is backed up with some pretty compelling evidence. Unlike any other unsolved crime account I've read, the authors wind up as Persons Of Interest in the case as a result of their persistent investigations.
As a snapshot of real-life Italian police procedure, this book serves as a great companion to the completist giallo fan. "The Monster of Florence" also works as an immersive and fascinating account that belongs in every true crime library.
7 comments:
I find that true crime books are often very poorly written, as though the authors rely on the story (and not on their talents) for the "easy sell." After reading your endorsement of this title, I am wondering if it's too late to add it to my Giftmas List?
I've had the same observation regarding the quality of most true crime writing, Kitty! You're so spot-on regarding the reliance on a story's shock value as opposed to quality writing and research. Douglas Preston is a capable writer who's published novels as well as several articles in "The New Yorker." The experience of reading "the Monster of Florence" is a lot more like reading a long-format investigative journalism piece, as opposed to the hackey bit of exploitation you tend to get from a lot of mass-market paperback TC stuff. While this isn't "Devil in the White City" brilliant, it's certainly John Gilmore's "Severed" good.
Kate, It's interesting that you mention Hannibal since that was the first time I'd heard of the Monster of Florence case. I'll be interested in seeking out this book based on your endorsement. Also, I like the cover design featuring the Rape of the Sabine Women (one of the great statues most folks miss during their visit to the Acadamia in their made dash to go ogle David's package and bum). To date, the only TC book I could say I "enjoyed" (if that is the correct terminology) was Vincent Bugliosi's Helter Skelter (which also ranks as one of the best books ever written by an attorney -- don't get me started on the crap that has made John Grisham and Scott Turow millionaires).
My wife and I spent part of our honeymoon in Florence and came to an observation about the Italian police. The difference between the local police and the Carabinieri (the state police) was that the latter got cooler uniforms, drove nicer cars and vespas and got to hit on prettier women. Every night, and our way back to the hotel, we had to pass the local Carabinieri branch where most of the officers were hanging out, smoking and whistling at women as they passed by (keep in mind this was one year after 9/11). Based on this, I am shocked, shocked, that they still have not solved the Monster of Florence mystery.
Fred, this book is more about cultural issues and attitudes in Italy than about ghoulish details of the crime. "Helter Skelter" is one of the most meticulous courtroom procedurals I've ever read, and yet it held my interest from cover to cover. It's an amazing document of how the Manson case was structured, leading to a pretty incredible verdict on Bugliosi's part. The man is pretty much a genius!
It always gives me the warm fuzzies when someone else 'outs' themselves as a true crime buff... I always find myself wondering upon meeting new people 'Can I discuss murder with them?'
I find a good ice-breaker is to refer to the amount of dead hooker storage the trunk of my car has... If I get a chuckle I know I can proceed, if I get an odd look I'm not likely to hear from them again...
OCKerouac, I am pretty "out" with my true crime fandom. I will confess to spending more hours than is entirely healthy in front of the Investigation Discovery Channel. I'm sort of hooked on the "Most Evil" show and its arbitrary Evil Scale.
I hear you on the "dead hooker" test--I tend to use the "Soylent Green" test as a good measure of whether I want to continue a particular chatup. If you don't know what "Soylent Green" is made of, I can safely end the conversation without feeling like I'm missing out on much ;)
I've wondered for a while if the (as I remember it - correct me if I'm wrong) first murder in Torso were inspired in any way by the "Monster of Florence" murders which began five years or so before it was made.
Post a Comment