the years of Nazi occupation of Paris, Marcel Petiot, a seemingly respectable doctor, murdered an unknown number of people.
Was he a German sympathizer, using his own form of a "final solution" on innocent Jews who merely wanted to escape the city Was he a member of the French resistance, acting as judge and executioner towards those he saw as friendly towards the Nazi occupiers Or was he merely a cunning sociopath who took advantage of the chaos of the times to inflict as much horror and sadistic torture on those victims he managed to convince to walk through his door What follows is a complicated, often convoluted trek through the oppressed streets and shadowy corners of Paris as the author attempts to answer those questions.
While the book does lay out, quite vividly, the incompetence of the French police force and the nearabsolute ineffectiveness of the court system during those crazy, confused times, what the book doesn't do is create a compelling, coherent story.
It's obvious the author did an exhaustive amount of research what's not obvious is some sort of thread binding the story together.
King attempts to illustrate the desperate gaiety exhibited by the glitterati who stayed in Paris despite the tramping of Nazi boots down her vaunted some would say hallowed streets by interspersing chapters detailing the plays put on by Sartre and Picasso in intimate salons for the edification and entertainment of a select few of Paris society he also inserts chapters illustrating the desperate
last stand of the French government and its leaders as they tried to keep German forces away.
However, instead of creating a wellrounded view of this particular era in history, these chapters seem, . . awkward and jarring. They don't fit into the narrative, at least not fluidly, and they certainly don't enhance it,
Speaking of the narrative, I'm very sorry, but it's a snoozefest, I started the book with every intention of becoming absorbed in the tale of a search for a massmurderer who cleverly used the chaos of the times to get away with murder, literally.
A third of the way through, I found myself supremely bored and from then on, I skimmed, The points King presented, illustrating the "progress" of the case, seemed scattershot and more like a courtroom presentation of witnesses and suspects rather than a breathless tale of a chase through the city.
While we do, eventually, get to know Petiot and see him for the delusional maniac that he was although the true scope of his crimes was never fully examined by the court at the time, leaving us, the reader, questioning whether he was truly as diabolical as he was painted or if he got away with more than was discovered, it comes about in a rambling, uneven and excessively namedropping manner.
In the end, while I agree this is a grim and grisly portrait of a disturbed individual, one who perpetrated numerous crimes upon an innocent and unsuspecting populace, it is neither a gripping nor mesmerizing account, as proclaimed by the advertising campaign.
Having read only the ARC, I don't know what the publisher's final plan or layout for the book may be, but I will say I believe the story would be helped by a few photos of the main players, perhaps a map of the city or a plan of the house in which the crimes took place.
As a visual person, I feel such aids would greatly help illuminate the book and perhaps give the story more life.
Ultimately, a bit disappointing.
How could you go wrong with all these elements A serial killer in Nazi controlled Vichy France, who claims to be part of the French Resistance, executing informants and it's a true story!
King's narrative never really finds a good stride, and he takes many a detour and digression on the way through the discovery, investigation, and trial of Dr.
Petiot, the serial killer of the title, Some digressions such as details about the lives of Sartre, Camus, and Picasso during the Vichy regime are more compellingly written than the main narrative.
I found myself wishing for a book just about that topic,
I think if King had focused on one or two characters perhaps Petiot and one of the investigators and told the story from that perspective, the narrative would not have seemed so disjointed.
King's use of every witness and player, and giving every person's story the same weight makes it difficult for the reader to sort out the most important information from the incidental.
I would recommend only to readers who are very interested in WWII themed non fiction, This was a late night read pick and as the title states, this book focuses on the true story of a serial killer in Nazioccupied Paris.
However, the setting occupied Paris does not figure prominently in the narrative, Rather than recreating the context and setting of the killings, the author focuses on detailing the gory details of the killings, which are repeated so many times that it leaves the reader numb.
What an intriguing premise. You have a serial killer, Nazis, the French Resistance, people disappearing, and a doctor who is both known to be unscrupulous and also a beloved doctor of the people.
The book is wellresearched and packed with details, but it ambles around and can be difficult to follow, I would have liked this better if it was streamlined with a goodpages of superfluous information cut out, because the anecdotes of other people detracted from the main story, but this is still a good read that reminds us of the true horrors humans are capable of.
This enthralling book begins with the investigation of a revolting smell emanating from a house in Paris in, Although the city, under occupation, has already seen endless suffering the gruesome discoveries within the house shocked even wartime Paris.
Inside there were body parts in the basement, a lime pit full of bodies and a soundproofed room which resembles a torture chamber.
The house belonged to a doctor Marcel Petiot who briefly put in an appearance to claim he worked for the resistance and was quickly allowed to disappear by police on duty.
Commissaire Massu therefore lost his first battle in his attempt to solve the crime of the century,
Dr Marcel Petiot was a physician who lived with his wife of seventeen years, Georgette, and his fifteen year old son Gerard.
The author outlines Petiot's early life, which shows many worrying signs of what was to come early sadistic behaviour and an interest in pornography, bed wetting, stealing, a loner, expelled from school and yet very intelligent.
He almost had a CV announcing he would be a future serial killer by todays definitions and his behaviour was compounded by WWI which left him institutionalised for three years and not discharged until.
However, his ambition was remarkable and he started his medical career and stood as mayor in his career, Even at this early stage though, there were accusations of stealing, lovers who disappeared or died in mysterious circumstances.
The book goes on to look at the evidence and the victims found in Petiot's house, his eventual arrest and then his trial, which started on Marchth.
It was expected to be, "the most sensational criminal trial in modern French history" and actors, film and ladies of high society flocked to the courtroom.
The evidence for the prosecution weighed a ton, including so many suitcases left behind by those that had passed through Petiot's house, that the courtroom had the appearance of a station waiting room.
Petiot was accused of the murder of twenty seven people, the only ones from the body parts that could be identified and who included Jews fleeing occupied Paris, gangsters and prostitues.
During the trial, Petiot seemed thoroughly at ease, verbally sparring with the prosection and making the crowd laugh, signing autographs and seeming to enjoy himself hugely.
Petiot himself argued that he was a member of the resistance, who had been held by the Gestapo and had only killed Germans and collaborators.
This is not only a great true crime book, but an interesting view of wartime Paris, Petiot's crimes were aided by the time, where people disappeared daily and many were living under assumed identities, When human life was declared sacred during the trial, those in the court openly laughed, It was a time when life was indeed cheap and there were those who took advantage of others desperation.
This is an extremely interesting read and well researched, Lastly, I read the kindle editon of this book and illustrations were included at the very end, .