LibGuides: True Crime Book Club: Oct. 2024

About the Author: Douglas J. Preston

Douglas J. Preston is an American author known for his contributions to the thriller and adventure genres. Born on May 26, 1956, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he grew up in Wellesley and graduated from Pomona College in Claremont, California, with a degree in English literature.

Preston began his writing career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, where he worked as a writer and editor for the museum's magazine. This position allowed him to collaborate with Lincoln Child, another author with whom he later co-wrote numerous novels.

Some key points about Douglas J. Preston's life and career include:

Collaboration with Lincoln Child:
- Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child formed a successful writing partnership, and together they co-authored a series of bestselling techno-thrillers, including the Pendergast series.
Pendergast Series:
- The Pendergast series features FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast, a character known for his intelligence and eccentricities. The series has gained a dedicated fan base and includes titles like "Relic," "The Cabinet of Curiosities," and "The Book of the Dead."
Solo Work:
- In addition to his collaborations with Lincoln Child, Douglas Preston has written several solo novels, including works of non-fiction and standalone thrillers.
True Crime:
- Preston has also delved into the true crime genre. "The Monster of Florence," co-written with journalist Mario Spezi, explores a real-life serial killer case in Italy.
Other Writing Ventures:
- Beyond his novels, Preston has written for various publications, including The New Yorker, Smithsonian, and National Geographic.
Personal Life:
- Douglas J. Preston is married to Christine Preston, and they have three children. The family has lived in various locations, including New Mexico, Maine, and Italy.
Adventure and Exploration:
- Preston has a keen interest in adventure and exploration. He has participated in archaeological expeditions and explored remote and challenging terrains.

Agent Pendergast (with Lincoln Child) 1. The Relic (1995) 2. Reliquary (1997) 3. The Cabinet of Curiosities (2002) 4. Still Life with Crows (2003) 5. Brimstone (2004) 6. Dance of Death (2005) 7. The Book of the Dead (2006) 8. The Wheel of Darkness (2007) 9. Cemetery Dance (2009) 10. Fever Dream (2010) 11. Cold Vengeance (2011) 12. Two Graves (2012) 12.5. Extraction (2012) 13. White Fire (2013) 14. Blue Labyrinth (2014) 15. Crimson Shore (2015) 16. The Obsidian Chamber (2016) 17. City of Endless Night (2018) 18. Verses for the Dead (2018) 19. Crooked River (2020) 20. Bloodless (2021)	Aloysius X. L. Pendergast: A Mysterious Profile (2022) 21. The Cabinet of Dr. Leng (2023) 22. Angel of Vengeance (2024)
Wyman Ford 1. Tyrannosaur Canyon (2005) 2. Blasphemy (2007) 3. Impact (2010) 4. The Kraken Project (2014)	Gideon Crew (with Lincoln Child) 1. Gideon's Sword (2011) 2. Gideon's Corpse (2012) 3. The Lost Island (2014) 4. Beyond the Ice Limit (2016) 5. The Pharaoh Key (2018)
Nora Kelly (with Lincoln Child) 1. Old Bones (2019) 2. The Scorpion's Tail (2021) 3. Diablo Mesa (2022) 4. Dead Mountain (2023)	Novels Jennie (1994) Mount Dragon (1996) (with Lincoln Child) Riptide (1998) (with Lincoln Child) Thunderhead (1999) (with Lincoln Child) The Ice Limit (2000) (with Lincoln Child) The Codex (2003) Fourteen Days (2023) (with others) Extinction (2024)
Novellas and Short Stories Gaslighted (2014) (with Lincoln Child and R L Stine)	Non fiction Dinosaurs in the Attic (1986) Cities of Gold (1992) Talking to the Ground (1995) The Royal Road (1998) (with Jose Antonio Esquibel) The Monster of Florence (2008) (with Mario Spezi) Trial By Fury (2013) The Forgotten Killer (2014) (with John E Douglas) The Lost City of the Monkey God (2017) The Lost Tomb (2023)
Series contributed to Thriller: Stories to Keep You Up All Night Gone Fishing (2017) (with Lincoln Child)	Mysterious Profiles Aloysius X. L. Pendergast: A Mysterious Profile (2022) (with Lincoln Child)

MLN Materials

book
large print book
spoken CD

Synopsis

In the nonfiction tradition of John Berendt (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) and Erik Larson (The Devil in the White City), New York Times bestselling author Douglas Preston presents a gripping account of crime and punishment in the lush hills surrounding Florence, Italy.

In 2000, Douglas Preston fulfilled a dream to move his family to Italy. Then he discovered that the olive grove in front of their 14th century farmhouse had been the scene of the most infamous double-murders in Italian history, committed by a serial killer known as the Monster of Florence. Preston, intrigued, meets Italian investigative journalist Mario Spezi 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.

And then, in a strange twist of fate, Preston and Spezi themselves become targets of the police investigation. Preston has his phone tapped, is interrogated, and told to leave the country. Spezi fares worse: he is thrown into Italy's grim Capanne prison, accused of being the Monster of Florence himself. Like one of Preston's thrillers, The Monster Of Florence, tells a remarkable and harrowing story involving murder, mutilation, and suicide-and at the center of it, Preston and Spezi, caught in a bizarre prosecutorial vendetta.

Discussion Questions

True Crime Genre:
- How does "The Monster of Florence" fit into the true crime genre? In what ways does the author engage with the conventions of true crime storytelling?
Italian Culture and Society:
- Discuss the portrayal of Italian culture and society in the book. How do cultural factors influence the investigation, media coverage, and public perception of the crimes?
Media Influence:
- Explore the role of the media in shaping the narrative of the Monster of Florence case. How does the media impact the investigation, public opinion, and the lives of those involved?
Legal System in Italy:
- Examine how the Italian legal system is portrayed in the book. What challenges and strengths does the system exhibit in handling a complex case like the Monster of Florence?
Psychological Profiles:
- Analyze the psychological profiles of the investigators, journalists, and other key figures involved in the case. How do their motivations and personal experiences affect their roles in the story?
Impact on the Community:
- Discuss the impact of the Monster of Florence case on the local community. How does fear and suspicion affect relationships, daily life, and the sense of security among the people of Florence?
Serial Killers and Motivations:
- Explore the motivations and characteristics of serial killers, as discussed in the book. How do the actions of the Monster of Florence compare to other notorious serial killers?
Ethical Dilemmas:
- Examine the ethical dilemmas faced by the investigators and journalists in the course of the investigation. How do they navigate the balance between pursuing justice and respecting individual rights?
Cultural Sensitivity:
- Consider the cultural sensitivity of the author in presenting the events and characters in the book. How does the narrative handle cultural differences and potential stereotypes?
Unresolved Questions:
- Reflect on any unresolved questions or lingering mysteries presented in the book. How do these uncertainties contribute to the overall impact of the story?
Comparisons to Fictional Crime Stories:
- Compare "The Monster of Florence" to fictional crime stories. In what ways does the true crime genre offer unique insights, and how does it differ from fictional portrayals of crime?

Fact vs Fiction: The Monster of Florence

"The Monster of Florence," co-written by Douglas J. Preston and Mario Spezi, investigates a real-life series of murders that occurred in the hills surrounding Florence, Italy, between the late 1960s and the 1980s. The case involved a series of gruesome killings, and the perpetrator became known as the "Monster of Florence."

The Monster of Florence was never conclusively identified or apprehended, and the case remains unsolved. The killer targeted young couples who were parked in cars in secluded lovers' lanes, and the murders were characterized by brutality and a degree of ritualistic behavior. The investigation into these crimes faced numerous challenges, including the involvement of multiple investigators over the years, media sensationalism, and a complex web of theories and suspects.

The book delves into the intricacies of the investigation, the impact on the community, and the various theories surrounding the identity of the Monster of Florence. It explores the cultural and social context of Italy, the challenges faced by law enforcement, and the potential influence of the media on the case.

While the Monster of Florence case remains officially unsolved, the book provides a detailed and captivating examination of the events, personalities involved, and the lasting impact on the region. The authors, Preston and Spezi, bring their journalistic and investigative skills to unravel the complexities of this compelling true crime story.

TV & Movies: Douglas Preston

The Relic (1997)

Thrilling tale about a deadly creature at large in the Chicago Field Museum. Following several grisly murders, a policeman teams up with a biologist to find the demonic force stalking the corridors of the museum. With the museum's gala opening being imminent, they face a race against time to track down the creature before it strikes again.

Superfire (2002)

A disgraced pilot offers to join the Oregon smoke jumpers as they work feverishly to contain a raging wildfire before it consumes an entire town.

Trace by Rachael Brown
Call Number: 364.1523 Brown
After a strange phone call with his ex-wife, John James had sensed something was wrong and raced over to her house. As he stood in her bedroom doorway, transfixed by the sight of her body, the killer was almost certainly just a breath away, hiding behind the door. Had John walked in, he could have been the next victim. Instead, he left to call the police. The culprit escaped, taking with him the secret of a shocking murder that has shown no sign of being solved for nearly 40 years--until now. Based on the international #1 podcast,Trace re-examines the 1980 murder of Maria James--the single mother of two sons, one with a disability--revealing abuse in the Catholic Church, cult activities, and claims of incompetence and corruption at the highest levels. Investigating possible conspiracies and uncovering fresh evidence, Rachael Brown's riveting investigation has won multiple media awards and may lead to the reopening of this chilling case.
American Predator by Maureen Callahan
Call Number: 364.1523 Callahan
Israel Keyes was one of the most ambitious and terrifying serial killers in modern history. The FBI considered his behavior unprecedented. Over the course of fourteen years, Keyes would fly to a city, rent a car, and drive thousands of miles in order to kill. He would break into a stranger's house, abduct his victims in broad daylight, and kill and dispose of them in hours. And then he would return home to Alaska, resuming life as a quiet construction worker devoted to his daughter. When journalist Maureen Callahan first heard about Israel Keyes she was captivated by how a killer of this magnitude could go undetected for over a decade. And so began a project that consumed her - uncovering the true story behind how the FBI ultimately caught Israel Keyes, and trying to understand what it means for a killer like Keyes to exist.
Last Call by Elon Green
Call Number: 364.1523 Green
The gripping true story, told here for the first time, of the Last Call Killer and the gay community of New York City that he preyed upon. The Townhouse Bar, midtown, July 1992: The piano player seems to know every song ever written, the crowd belts out the lyrics to their favorites, and a man standing nearby is drinking a Scotch and water. The man strikes the piano player as forgettable. He looks bland and inconspicuous. Not at all what you think a serial killer looks like. But that's what he is, and tonight, he has his sights set on a gray haired man. He will not be his first victim. Nor will he be his last. The Last Call Killer preyed upon gay men in New York in the '80s and '90s and had all the hallmarks of the most notorious serial killers. Yet because of the sexuality of his victims, the skyhigh murder rates, and the AIDS epidemic, his murders have been almost entirely forgotten. This gripping true-crime narrative tells the story of the Last Call Killer and the decades-long chase to find him. And at the same time, it paints a portrait of his victims and a vibrant community navigating threat and resilience.
The Lazarus Files by Matthew McGough
Call Number: 364.1523 McGough
A deeply-reported, riveting account of a cold case murder in Los Angeles, unsolved until DNA evidence implicated a shocking suspect - a female detective within the LAPD's own ranks. On February 24, 1986, 29-year-old newlywed Sherri Rasmussen was murdered in the home she shared with her husband, John. The crime scene suggested a ferocious struggle, and police initially assumed it was a burglary gone awry. Before her death, Sherri had confided to her parents that an ex-girlfriend of John's, a Los Angeles police officer, had threatened her. The Rasmussens urged the LAPD to investigate the ex-girlfriend, but the original detectives only pursued burglary suspects, and the case went cold. DNA analysis did not exist when Sherri was murdered. Decades later, a swab from a bite mark on Sherri's arm revealed her killer was in fact female, not male. A DNA match led to the arrest and conviction of veteran LAPD Detective Stephanie Lazarus, John's onetime girlfriend. The Lazarus Files delivers the visceral experience of being inside a real-life murder mystery. McGough reconstructs the lives of Sherri, John and Stephanie; the love triangle that led to Sherri's murder; and the homicide investigation that followed. Was Stephanie protected by her fellow officers? What did the LAPD know, and when did they know it? Are there other LAPD cold cases with a police connection that remain unsolved?
Boys Enter the House by David B. Nelson
Call Number: 364.1523 Nelson
As investigators brought out the bagged remains of several dozen young men from a small Chicago ranch home and paraded them in front of a crowd of TV reporters and spectators, attention quickly turned to the owner of the house. John Gacy was an upstanding citizen, active in local politics and charities, famous for his themed parties and appearances as Pogo the Clown. But in the winter of 1978-79, he became known as one of many so-called "sex murderers" who had begun gaining notoriety in the random brutality of the 1970s. As public interest grew rapidly, victims became footnotes and statistics, lives lost not just to violence, but to history. Through the testimony of siblings, parents, friends, lovers, and other witnesses close to the case, Boys Enter the House retraces the footsteps of these victims as they make their way to the doorstep of the Gacy house itself.
How to Catch a Killer by Katherine Ramsland
Call Number: 364.1523 Ramsland
There are two parts to every crime story: how they did it and why they got caught. This book is about the second part, and how it changes the way we catch serial killers. No two stories about the capture of a serial killer are the same. Sometimes, the killers make crucial mistakes; other times, investigators get lucky. And the process of profiling, hunting, and apprehending these predators has changed radically over time, particularly in the field of criminal forensics, which has exploded in the last ten to 15 years. Laser ablation, video spectral analysis, cyber-sleuthing, and even DNA-based genetic genealogy are now crucial tools in solving murders, including the recent capture of the so-called Golden State Killer. This book in the new Profiles in Crime series tells the history of forensics through the "capture stories" of some of the most notorious serial killers, going back almost a century.
Helltown by Casey Sherman
Call Number: 364.1523 Sherman
Before Charles Manson, there was Tony Costa-the serial killer of Cape Cod 1969: The hippie scene is vibrant in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Long-haired teenagers roam the streets, strumming guitars and preaching about peace and love... and Tony Costa is at the center of it all. To a certain group of smitten young women, he is known as Sire-the leader of their counter-culture movement, the charming man who speaks eloquently and hands out hallucinogenic drugs like candy. But beneath his benign persona lies a twisted and uncontrollable rage that threatens to break loose at any moment. Tony Costa is the most dangerous man on Cape Cod, and no one who crosses his path is safe. When young women begin to disappear, Costa's natural charisma and good looks initially protect him from suspicion. But as the bodies are discovered, the police close in on him as the key suspect. Meanwhile, up-and-coming local writers Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer are locked in a desperate race to secure their legacies as great literary icons-and they both set their sights on Tony Costa and the drug-soaked hippie culture that he embodies as their next promising subject, launching independent investigations that stoke the competitive fires between two of the greatest American writers. Immersive, unflinching, and shocking, Helltown is a landmark true crime narrative that transports us back to the turbulent late 1960s, reveals the secrets of a notorious serial killer, and unspools the threads connecting Costa, Vonnegut, and Mailer in the seaside city that played host to horrors unlike any ever seen before.
I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara; Gillian Flynn (Introduction by); Patton Oswalt (Afterword by)
Call Number: 364.1532 McNamara
For more than ten years, a mysterious and violent predator committed fifty sexual assaults in Northern California before moving south, where he perpetrated ten sadistic murders. Then in 1986 he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area. Three decades later, true crime journalist Michelle McNamara was determined to find the violent psychopath she called "the Golden State Killer." Michelle pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was. At the time of the crimes, the Golden State Killer was between the ages of eighteen and thirty, Caucasian, and athletic--capable of vaulting tall fences. He always wore a mask. After choosing a victim--he favored suburban couples--he often entered their home when no one was there, studying family pictures, mastering the layout. He attacked while they slept, using a flashlight to awaken and blind them. Though they could not recognize him, his victims recalled his voice: a guttural whisper through clenched teeth, abrupt and threatening. This book--the masterpiece McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death--offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind.
The Lost Girls by Jessica Chiarella
Call Number: FICTION Chiarella
Eight-year-old Marti Reese watched her sister Maggie get into a car-- and she never returned. Twenty years later, after countless false leads, Marti has abandoned her marriage, is drinking to forget, and documents her never-ending search via a true-crime podcast. When the podcast becomes an unexpected hit, a woman calls offering new information that could lead her down a dangerous path. Fighting to overturn her brother's murder conviction, Ava Vreelandar find similarities between that murder and Maggie's disappearance. The more Marti digs, the more she's shaken by the answers she might find, and what it is she's even searching for.