Book Log 2008 #55: The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi

Preston, an established mystery writer, moved his family to Florence looking to enjoy Tuscany and write his next book. Shortly after the move he met Spezi, a local journalist who mentioned that an olive grove next to Preston's house was the scene of one of a string of murders that targeted young couples parked in the countryside doing what couples do when parked in the countryside. With killer still at large, Preston found himself drawn to the case and to helping Spezi continue his investigation, which is detailed in the first half of this book.

The second half becomes something out of Kafka, as a combination of local law enforcement and conspiracy-minded cranks react to Spezi and Preston's investigations with arrests and other harrassment. While not in the same league as serial killing, the second half is shocking in its own way, at least to me as someone who takes freedom of speech and of the press pretty much for granted. The level of incompetence by the local authorities is also pretty staggering.

I can't say it's the best-written book in the world (I found something vaguely off-putting about the first half, and of course couldn't put my finger on it), but it's not like you can find this sort of true crime story just anywhere, so it's worth a look.