Chalk this one up as another must-read novel for fans of nonfiction true crime and investigative journalism. It’s an incredible story about a serial killer in Italy that began in the late 1960s and has yet to be identified to this day—and likely never will be. In this book, a local crime reporter teams up with an American writer of thriller crime novels in the early 2000s to see if they can solve the mystery once and for all. The Monster of Florence explores life and the beautiful scenery of Italy, which serves as the backdrop to the horrendous killings; the hunt for the killer, spanning decades, that eventually ruins many people’s lives, including the two authors of the book; and, more importantly, how the Italian justice system failed so miserably.

Not being able to catch the serial killer is one thing, but it’s the lack of professionalism and, at times, extremely shoddy police work and flawed lines of thinking and deduction that can be more infuriating. This is a crime where the police at times seem to be employing the throw-anything-at-the-wall-to-see-what-sticks strategy. For the most part, it is completely understood that there was an enormous amount of pressure put on the judicial and criminal institutions to solve this case, and this is where the balance tipped. Once that happened, it was incredibly hard to turn back, and as the authors note, Italians never like to lose face, especially lead investigators and judges.

Both Mario Spezi and Douglas Preston have gone through so much, especially the former, in trying to bring the Monster of Florence case to rest. It was a case that not only gripped Italy itself but soon spread to many other countries as well. It was during the early years when serial killers were just starting to emerge. It was also during this time that the FBI had only just established the Behavioral Analysis Unit to profile serial killers. Regardless of that context, the story of the investigation is unbelievable at times. The range of suspects and the investigators’ lines of thinking are worthy of a TV series. In fact, it actually became one, with a four-episode limited series on Netflix.

I’m glad the authors were able to get this book out. Towards the end, there were definitely people who wouldn’t have wanted that. The book is split into two major sections, with about 30 chapters dedicated to Mario Spezi’s story and the later 30 chapters dedicated to Douglas Preston. Each chapter is bite-sized enough that soon, you’ll find yourself having read four to five chapters in just one sitting due to its suspense.