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Martyn and the Monster of Florence (a true story of tenacious quality)
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I have "The Devil in the White City" on my to read shelf. I rather like this kind of non fiction. Sensasionalized reality!! Scary to have been possibly close to a killer.
I really enjoyed Fincher's Zodiac film and have been curious to read Graysmith's Zodiac book. It's got a good reputation. . .
Kerry wrote: "I really enjoyed Fincher's Zodiac film and have been curious to read Graysmith's Zodiac book. It's got a good reputation. . ."zodiac is fucking scary! movie was dumb. i mean, it was fine... but it wasn't scary. that book is scary. holy shit. highly recommended!
The movie scared me Ben! But I'm a wuss when it comes to scary movies.
I don't really have any favorite non fiction serial killer books to recommend, but I really enjoyed talking to Dave Reichert about the Green River Killer. I have a friend who used to be an assistant DA for King County, and I met Reichert through him. Reichert was the head of the Green River Killer task force for almost twenty years, and saw the whole thing through from beginning to end. If you somehow get the opportunity, I can tell you he is an amazing tale spinner. . . . it's just too bad that he's turned into such a crappy congressman in recent years.
There's always "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Red Dragon" if you're into Hannibal Lecter. Michael Connelly's "The Poet" is better, I think.
Chris wrote: "There's always "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Red Dragon" if you're into Hannibal Lecter. Michael Connelly's "The Poet" is better, I think. "Michael Connelly is underrated. He's a good writer and Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch is great character. The Poet... nice!
Also you can try Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates. It's a little story told by the viewpoint of a serial killer. Twisted little tale it is.
The Green River Killer is my flatmate's cousin or uncle - I can never remember which. Always freaks me out to know that she has a serial killer in the family.
Anyway, in 2002, I was in Florence, at Santa Maria Novella train station when I boarded the wrong train to Ronta (my destination, around 15 miles or so in the Mugello valley). I realised on the train that I didn't recognise the surroundings...so I got off at a town called Borgo San Lorenzo. I didn't know about Il Monstro di Firenze at this time...his first set of killings happened in Borgo San Lorenzo in 1968!
Anyway, I spent some time asking when the next train to Ronta was...only to be told that there wasn't any...I followed this by repeating 'sono inglese'...just because I didn't want to be lumbered with the impression I was an American!
There I was, under the lurid, blood-red evening sun, dusk falling...I walked into a cafe and sat and had a beer. Luckily, the owner spoke English and I told her of my plight!
She told me that there were no taxis and no trains so late at night. I was disheartened and did enjoy the prospect of sleeping like a hobo in the town park...dangerous, but exciting!
The cafe owner told me that her husband would drive me to Ronta...for nothing!
I was happy because it meant I didn't have to sleep rough...I must point out that my mobile phone was dead and I had about 10 euros on me...which I spent on beer, naturally!
So anyway, this guy shows up in a beat-up red Fiat...and he didn't speak a word of English...so we conversed in my poor Italian.
He didn't speak much for the entire journey...and played thrash metal on the stereo at very high volume...he drove like a lunatic along dirt roads through the Tuscan countryside...
Was this man the Monster of Florence? Who knows...he didn't kill me and I didn't end up with my throat cut and raped in a ditch....I left him at a road near my hotel mouthing 'molte grazie' and he sped off...I never saw this man again.
Recently I read Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi's excellent The Monster of Florence...a story so bizarre that it ends up with the writers becoming involved in the actual case!
I highly recommend the book. I don't recommend Patricia Cornwell's Jack the Ripper book...it's beyond insane...and so daft.
Anybody else like serial killer books...any to recommend?