Scenes from a Vacation

This is natural springs-created lake in my hometown. The water is so clear (3X cleaner than EPA regulations) that one can see all the way to the bottom of the lake, which is 25+ feet deep in some places. I didn't really appreciate the beauty of this place when I was younger (ok, when I was a surly teenager) but seeing it all with D as he experienced it for the first time made me realize that yeah, it's pretty incredible.

A Year of Books: The Monster of Florence

On the plane ride to Texas I devoured The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston and his Italian coauthor crime journalist Mario Spezi. You guys, this book was the perfect airplane read. First of all, it was thrilling and scary and kind of sexy, the perfect page-turner for a two-hour flight. Second of all, it was really compelling. I wanted to keep reading and reading, to the point where D was ready to watch our Netflix movie by himself if I didn't put that book down already. Third, this is a true story, which makes it all the more gripping (and horrifying). Did I mention I'm loving nonfiction right about now?

The book starts when Douglas Preston, an established crime writer, moved his family to Florence in 2000 with intentions to write a novel set in the city. He met journalist Mario Spezi and soon after became enthralled with the story of a serial killed dubbed "the monster of Florence" who had killed two of his victims just feet from where Douglas and his family lived. Preston was intrigued and decided to write about it. The work snowballed into a book that may have prompted accusations against Mario Spezi and launched the crimes into the international spotlight.

Apparently much of the story of the monster of Florence is already well-known, but I didn't know anything about it. Preston details how in 1974, a couple having sex in a car at a lookout point in the countryside around Florence were murdered. The man was shot in the car and the woman was shot and dragged outside the car where the murderer then mutilated her breasts and pubic area. The murders remained unsolved and then, in the 1980's, the monster struck again. He killed twice in 1981 and then again in 82, 83, 84, and 85. Each time the victims were a young, unmarried couple having sex in a car parked in the countryside around Florence. The women were always mutilated. The murder weapon was always the same gun. Spooky, huh?

Preston tells it much better than I do and I'm still a little murky on the details but you guys, this book is worth a read. Just don't read it at home alone at night or you won't be able to sleep. Other than detailing the crimes, Preston also delves into the murder investigations and subsequent fallout. Like I said, PAGE TURNER.

Next up: Stones into Schools, the sequel to Three Cups of Tea.