Mario Spezi in 2010. Mario Spezi (July 30, 1945 – September 9, 2016) was an Italian journalist, author, illustrator, and caricaturist. He wrote the non-fiction true crime books Dolci Colline di Sangue (2006) and ''Il Mostro di Firenze'' (1983). He was a co-author in the book ''

The Monster of Florence ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

A True Story (2008)'' with American author

Douglas Preston Douglas Jerome Preston (born May 31, 1956) is an American journalist and author. Although he is best known for his thrillers in collaboration with Lincoln Child (including the ''Agent Pendergast'' series and ''Gideon Crew'' series), he has also ...

. Additionally, he was credited by Preston for providing details used in the novel '' Brimstone''. Spezi spent much of his career as a crime reporter for the La Nazione newspaper in Florence, where he reported on the case of the notorious serial killer known as the

Monster of Florence The Monster of Florence ( it, Il Mostro di Firenze) is the name commonly used by the Italian media for an unidentified serial killer active within the Province of Florence between 1968 and 1985. The Monster murdered fourteen victims, usually you ...

. He even spent 23 days in prison on charges of impeding the investigation by prosecutor

Giuliano Mignini Giuliano Mignini (born April 13, 1950)Burleigh 2011, pp. 153–154. is an Italian magistrate. He retired as a public prosecutor in Perugia, Umbria, in 2020. He is known for his involvement as the prosecutor in the investigation of the death of ...

, though the charges were overturned on appeal. It was later decided that he was jailed illegally and without ample evidence of a crime. Later, Spezi even apologized to Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito in the case of the murder of Meredith Kercher, another of Mignini's cases. Spezi also wrote the film ''Il Mostro Di Firenze'' (1986), based on his novel. The film aired in Italy and the United States. Spezi was a Roman Catholic. As a result of a long illness, Spezi died on September 9, 2016. Following his death, Mediaset, an Italian mass media company, described Spezi as journalist who was "able to tell a story and analyze the facts by digging deeper in places where other journalists were afraid to look."

Selected works

In Italian

*''Il Mostro Di Firenze'' (1983) *''Ritratti distratti: atalogo della mostra aFirenze, Loggia Rucellai, maggio-giugno 1988'' (1988) * Dolci colline di sangue, with

(2006)

In English

*'' The Monster of Florence: A True Story'' ("Dolci colline di sangue") with

(2008)

In German

* ''Der Engel mit den Eisaugen'' with Douglas Preston, ed. Knaur, Germany (2008); on Amanda Knox case

References

External links