Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris

I read this book with great anticipation having scanned the reviews and gleaned an idea for this story's potential. Undoubtedly the true crime saga of Marcel Petiot in Nazi-occupied Paris is fascinating and I give the author great credit for what looks (and reads) like thorough and balanced research. There are lots of details that pull the reader in, raising uncomfortable questions about the nature of the crime - and the barbarity of the times.*Some spoilers!*Yet I can't help feeling disappointed by this book. Unfortunately, while the writing is largely crisp and uncluttered, the storytelling itself is a mess. By this I mean that the fairly complex path of Petiot's crimes is made considerably more muddled by disjointed passages and shoddy exposition. To his credit, the best sections of the book lay the groundwork for an understanding of the killer's milieu - the demimonde of pre-war Paris, and the everpresent anxiety of living under the Nazi occupation. Yet in this, King doesn't go nearly far enough. He gives a compelling view of the Germans taking Paris, but once that act is complete, little is added to understand broadly what life was like in this environment. Moreover, too often key plot points in the story are lost in the muddle of less important details. As the narrative unfolds, we are often unable to distinguish between important characters and unimportant characters. One area of extreme importance - the history, structure and customs of the French Resistance -- is touched upon in scattershot fashion. Without a proper introduction to establish this all-important background, we find ourselves uncertain as to the provenance of key plot points - particularly as the killer himself provides a questionable view of this world with which the writer's point of view must compete.Another example: King does a terrific job of setting up the killer's nemesis, inspector Masu - yet two-thirds of the way through the book, Masu is waylaid by an accusation and taken off the case. With precious little explanation or foreshadowing, a key perspective we've invested in through half the book is altogether dropped. Worse, the major climaxes of the story - the killer's capture and eventual conviction - both happen rather quickly and with insufficient background or reflection. Key players in each of these events are introduced with little or no background and disappear once their role is played out. It's frustrating to pursue Petiot for 300 pages only to have the conclusion wrapped up so hastily.Last, and most gratuitiously, the driving mystery behind this true crime story is the nature of the crimes themselves. Ultimately, King cannot be blamed for the fact that there still remains considerable mystery behind Petiot's methods, madness and motives. But as the storyteller, he has organized the telling of what we do know about the crimes and pursuit of the killer in such a way as to muddle the mystery further rather than to present possibilities in a compelling way for us to decipher for ourselves. The most egregious example of this is the book's conclusion; King departs from his even-handed reportage to speculate on what exactly happened in Petiot's charnel house. As a reader, I was screaming "Yes! Finally!" His speculation is based on a contemporaneous account of a young man who was lured in by Petiot and yet survived. Even with the proviso that this account is not verifiable, it is, nonetheless, excruciatingly close to satisfying the mystery behind these crimes. Yet even here King drops the ball and it's maddening for the reader. We are taken blow by blow through one of Petiot's crimes as described by a surviving witness. We go all the way to the secret death chamber and Petiot going in for the kill, the eye-witness on the verge of certain death. And then the book ends. We are never told what happens next -- how this eye-witness survived to tell his tale! If this fact is unknown then this entire account is questionable at best. If this fact IS known, then we are never told why this vital information is withheld from us. So very frustrating.In sum: Great research. Chilling slice of history. Potentially fascinating characters. Botched and incomplete narrative.If you don't know this story I might still recommend the book because it's a one-of-a-kind crime by a thoroughly diabolical character. But if you're looking to understand this crime or even for masterful storytelling along the lines of Devil In the White City, you will likely be as disappointed as I was.

Death in the City of Light is one of those nonfiction books whose premise seems impossible to believe: a serial killer in Paris during the height of the Nazi occupation. It sounds like it could just as easily be the plot of some sleazy exploitation film, whose garish movie poster promises the Gestapo, Girls, and Gore.The truth, though, is far more chilling and tragic than any B-movie fare as author David King traces the life and crimes of the frighteningly devious and disturbingly sociopathic Dr. Marcel Petiot, whose townhouse at No. 21 rue Le Sueur was discovered to be an abattoir of dismembered, burned, and decomposing bodies complete with a strange triangular room -- sound-proof, hung with hooks from the ceiling, and including a false door and a curious observation viewer that many suspected of being nothing less than a sadist’s torture chamber. This is a book that is certainly gruesome, but as author King expertly unfolds the story of Dr. Petiot with twists and turns worthy of the best fictional thrillers, it is the tragic identity of the doctor's victims that is truly heartrending.This is a story that is certainly complex and crowded with a number of real-life characters. But the author is able to manage that complexity with dexterity and deliver not only an easily followed plot, but plenty of drama. More importantly, King expertly connects Petiot’s story to the historical backdrop of the Occupation -- and that’s not just for atmosphere. Like many other stories of the Second World War that seem to orbit larger-than-life personalities, from Churchill, Roosevelt, Hitler or Patton (just to name a few), this story begs the age-old question, “Does man make the times or do the times make the man?” Petiot’s story is no different. Petiot’s grisly business (and the later justification he made for his actions) seem inseparable from the conditions made prevalent by Hitler’s ambitions and the occupation of Paris. King wisely makes the times in which this novel take place as much a force in this story as its human players.King also delivers a credible theory as to exactly what happened at No. 21 rue Le Seur and, while there will always be a bit of lingering mystery to the case since many of its players (not the least of whom was Petiot himself) carried their secrets to the grave, the author does an admirable job of filling in the gaps created by both the fog of the Second World War and Marcel Petiot’s own lies and half-truths, which the physician spins as artfully as a spider in a web. Perhaps the only negative to this book is that, while important, the trial of the physician does not carry quite the same intensity as the early chapters of the book and seems to bleed a bit of the momentum off the plot. However, that’s small potatoes in light of Death in the City of Light’s obvious strengths. This is a book that belongs not just on the shelf of fans of true crime, but also on the shelf of every historian. It is as much about the age of the occupation -- as it is about the monster that was enabled by it.

This enthralling book begins with the investigation of a revolting smell emanating from a house in Paris in 1944. 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 1919. 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 March 18th 1948. It was expected to be, "the most sensational criminal trial in modern French history" and actors, film stars 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.

It is a very good book, but it does leave you with many questions unanswered. What was the motive for all this carnage? How many people really fell victim to Dr. Marcel Petiot? Why were the bodies disposed of in so many different ways? And what actually happened before they met their deaths. At the end the author does try to give us some idea based on a recently found personal experience of someone who apparently escaped, but even here we are left with questions. How did he escape and not all the others?Did Petiot have connections to the Gestapo? We never really know.While the story itself is fascinating as any horror story would be, the author does get bogged down into the tiniest details regarding resistance movements and Petiot's experience with them. Sometimes this can get tedious to read, but despite this the book reads quickly and I was able to finish it in about 24 hours. You don't really want to put it down until you know the murderer is caught, tried, and executed.Four stars. Worth a read.

A very good read, but does leave some questions unanswered. Most other books I've read on Petiot had him guilty in the first chapter! At least this book gives him the benifit of doubt THEN takes his story apart. All my other books on SOE, SIS, F Section and RF section etc never mention "his" resistance unit (but to be fair unknown units are still coming to light) and the author had access to the police criminal files for the first time; one would assume if there were any truth in Petiot's claims, David King would have found them. The bibliography points to many more books showing the depth of the collaboration between many of the French and the Nazi regime.Read it!

Brilliant book really revealing about the complex situation in war time France you did,nt really know who to trust or who to believe no wonder this man could carry out these murders for profit

Excellent product, arrived safely on time and exactly as described, I am we'll pleased with this purchase and would buy from this seller again.