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105th out of 226 books
—
886 voters
Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris
by
David King
Death in the City of Light is the gripping, true story of a brutal serial killer who unleashed his own reign of terror in Nazi-Occupied Paris. As decapitated heads and dismembered body parts surfaced in the Seine, Commissaire Georges-Victor Massu, head of the Brigade Criminelle, was tasked with tracking down the elusive murderer in a twilight world of Gestapo, gangsters, r...more
Hardcover, 416 pages
Published
September 20th 2011
by Crown
(first published January 1st 2011)
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Hmmm....valid member of the French Resistance or sick, twisted serial killer?? Or both perhaps??
Ah, either way the guy is sick, which is why we we're reading about him in the first place, RIggghhhttt?? There are comparisons to "Devil in the White City", and those are valid, I think, but I actually liked this better because it was straight talk about the deranged dude and didn't include a lesson on architecture which I found boring, and at times, overdone.
I found it to be a smooth read from the...more
NO SPOILERS!!!
ON COMPLETION:
When you decided to read this book it is important to realize that this is a work of nonfiction. Although a verdict was reached at the trial, there remain numerous unanswered questions. The author has scrupulously investigated all the known facts and clearly presents them to the reader. Througout the book he made evident what is known fact and what is speculation. In the epilogue he presents his own speculations concerning the questions that remain unanswered. I appre...more
ON COMPLETION:
When you decided to read this book it is important to realize that this is a work of nonfiction. Although a verdict was reached at the trial, there remain numerous unanswered questions. The author has scrupulously investigated all the known facts and clearly presents them to the reader. Througout the book he made evident what is known fact and what is speculation. In the epilogue he presents his own speculations concerning the questions that remain unanswered. I appre...more
13 likes · like · see review
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 Picas...more
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 Picas...more
One of my strangest guilty pleasures is reading true crime nonfiction. (Brandon calls me the “black widow.”) I think there’s a part of all of us that is fascinated by the extent to which people can snap and do insane, unthinkable things.
The serial killer in this book, Dr. Marcel Petiot, is a particularly nasty case of crazy. The authorities weren’t sure exactly how many people fell victim to him—the number ranges from 27 to over 100—and the cause of death has never been determined either. (Theor...more
The serial killer in this book, Dr. Marcel Petiot, is a particularly nasty case of crazy. The authorities weren’t sure exactly how many people fell victim to him—the number ranges from 27 to over 100—and the cause of death has never been determined either. (Theor...more
Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi Occupied Germany
by David King
This book left me feeling…
like my fingers couldn’t Google the name Dr. Marcel Petiot, the serial killer, fast enough.
Story Line
This is a work of non-fiction that reads like a story, which is fantastic, because I read little non-fiction and often hesitate to pick up a dreary, fact-laden read. Set in Nazi-Occupied France, the author braids in details of Dr. Petiot’s gruesome killings and dismemberments of at least 2...more
by David King
This book left me feeling…
like my fingers couldn’t Google the name Dr. Marcel Petiot, the serial killer, fast enough.
Story Line
This is a work of non-fiction that reads like a story, which is fantastic, because I read little non-fiction and often hesitate to pick up a dreary, fact-laden read. Set in Nazi-Occupied France, the author braids in details of Dr. Petiot’s gruesome killings and dismemberments of at least 2...more
I love these kind of history books where the reality is more unbelievable than fiction. This book manages to incorporate true crime, Nazis, the French Resistance and Paris into one macabre tale of a serial murder and has a public trial and execution at its conclusion. I'm just amazed that this hasn't been turned into a movie or at least a mini-sreies.
The book tells the story of Dr. Marcel Petiot, a French doctor, who sets up his own mini death camp inside of a clinic in Paris during the Nazi occ...more
The book tells the story of Dr. Marcel Petiot, a French doctor, who sets up his own mini death camp inside of a clinic in Paris during the Nazi occ...more
I loved this book; it was probably the best impulse buy at my local bookshop I have ever made. This book has everything you could possibly want in a serial killer case: an occupied city with under totalitarian rule, an indeterminate number of victims, lots of circumstantial evidence, one very creepy prime suspect and a supporting cast of refugees, Resistance fighters, criminals and opportunists. The author does a good job of recounting the facts of the case and the unfolding police investigation...more
Part CSI, part Criminal MInds and part history lesson, Death in the City of Light is David King's book about an actual serial killer committing his crimes amid the horrors of the Nazi occupation of Paris.
This book, however, is not just an historical textbook outlining the gruesome details of a crazed mind working the streets of 1940's Paris. David King has made this an exciting and hard to put down tale of the lives of Parisians during the Nazi Occupation and how some turned to the Resistance to...more
This book, however, is not just an historical textbook outlining the gruesome details of a crazed mind working the streets of 1940's Paris. David King has made this an exciting and hard to put down tale of the lives of Parisians during the Nazi Occupation and how some turned to the Resistance to...more
It's humbling to think of all that went on during World War II...
Anne Frank was hiding from the Nazi's in an annex in Amsterdam...(The Diary of Anne Frank)
The American hero Louie Zamperini was adrift in a raft at sea for over 40 days while being simultaneously attacked by Japanese bombers and sharks... (Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand)
Starving Americans soldiers were imprisoned in horrific POW camps in Japan... (Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides)
A group of young Jewish people made a harrowing esca...more
Anne Frank was hiding from the Nazi's in an annex in Amsterdam...(The Diary of Anne Frank)
The American hero Louie Zamperini was adrift in a raft at sea for over 40 days while being simultaneously attacked by Japanese bombers and sharks... (Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand)
Starving Americans soldiers were imprisoned in horrific POW camps in Japan... (Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides)
A group of young Jewish people made a harrowing esca...more
It must have been an early spring day, when windows were opened for airing, that someone, in an urban residential area of Paris, could no longer stand the unknown stench, and called the fire department, who then called the police, who then called the gravediggers. In the building, many dismembered bodies were about, including some being burned in the furnace. A search for the owner of the property commenced. During the search for the property owner, Dr. Marcel Petiot, many strange discoveries we...more
A sordid true story that never really gets going and never really gets anywhere either. Main characters just drift off in to the side stories and the never ending names can take a bit of following. The real villain of the story comes across not so much as a monster as a slightly misguided half decent bloke. If you get the chance, don't bother.
What I did enjoy in this book though, was the description of life in Paris under the Third Reich. I had previously read a few things like the (unsanctioned...more
What I did enjoy in this book though, was the description of life in Paris under the Third Reich. I had previously read a few things like the (unsanctioned...more
It could have been good. Everything is there: Nazi's, a mad doctor, murder, intrigue, a massive body count and a huge batch of new supposedly revelatory documents. But remember how in 8th grade English they told you that you should end each piece of writing with a "why", well apparently David King missed that bit. He does a great job of narrating the events surrounding the mystery, and builds tension as the book heads to the trial of Peitot. This is where the reader expects something to be revea...more
Another dull serial killer book. How do they do that?
This one involves a physician who, during the period of Nazi occupation in Paris, lured rich Jews and French gangsters with the promise of using the Resistance to aid their escape to Argentina. Instead, he gassed them in a little triangular room, chopped them up, tossed the parts into a lime pit or his woodstove and used the money gleaned to buy real estate and art works.
Marcel Petoit was not a nice man, but a witty one, who jousted with judg...more
This one involves a physician who, during the period of Nazi occupation in Paris, lured rich Jews and French gangsters with the promise of using the Resistance to aid their escape to Argentina. Instead, he gassed them in a little triangular room, chopped them up, tossed the parts into a lime pit or his woodstove and used the money gleaned to buy real estate and art works.
Marcel Petoit was not a nice man, but a witty one, who jousted with judg...more
So, when I was walking through the bookstore, looking for something good to read and came upon a true crime book that not only was about a serial killer, but was about a serial killer during the Nazi Occupation of France during World War II, I practically did a little dance in the book aisle. Overall, I am really glad that I picked up this book. It cured my need to read something about a serial killer, preferably someone no one has really talked or heard about, and it was actually a really fun r...more
This book is a fairly pedestrian affair, setting out the main features of the case, the investigation and the trial. Despite having access for the first time to the classified French files, it is unclear what new insights King brings to the story. And despite the focus on Petiot, he remains somewhat an enigma as there are still so many holes to his biography and very little concerning his motives, other than broad speculation. The narrative also suffers from some odd asides. For example, the mat...more
I was recommending this book to a friend and when I went to check my Goodreads review, I found that I had forgotten to rate the book or to write a review. Not the first time I have done that but this book was really good and I am making amends a year later. Death In the City of Light relates a story of a serial killer murdering over 100 in Nazi-occupied Paris during WWII. I have read quite a few books both fiction and nonfiction relating to this period and King’s book presents a totally differen...more
On the one hand I am tempted to suggest that it is comforting to learn another culture screws up high-profile cases too. On the other hand, the surreal circumstances of serial killer Marcel Petiot are too astonishing not to know--for seventeen years I've taught a WWII unit as a companion piece to a month with the Diary of Anne Frank. My students not only read Anne's diary but they self-select two other books of interest about the period. In all of my digging through fiction and nonfiction, poetr...more
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher.
In Death in the City of Light, David King examines the story of Marcel Petiot, a doctor who, under the guise of helping Jews and other persecuted persons escape Nazi-occupied Paris, perpetrated a slew of murders of the already desperate people. This is no fictional tale, so there are no spoilers to worry about. Instead, this is a well-written, compelling account of a serial killer who used one of the most brutal periods in history to attempt to h...more
In Death in the City of Light, David King examines the story of Marcel Petiot, a doctor who, under the guise of helping Jews and other persecuted persons escape Nazi-occupied Paris, perpetrated a slew of murders of the already desperate people. This is no fictional tale, so there are no spoilers to worry about. Instead, this is a well-written, compelling account of a serial killer who used one of the most brutal periods in history to attempt to h...more
After all the Erik Larson I read this year, you'd think I'd be tired of historical murderers, but it seems not. If you like Larson, this will be right up your alley.
A doctor seems to be helping Jews escape from Nazi-occupied Paris, but no one he helps is ever heard from again aside from one awkwardly written letter that claims to confirm their arrival at the destination. When a number of dismembered corpses are found in his townhouse, things begin to take a grim turn.
If you're like me you've go...more
A doctor seems to be helping Jews escape from Nazi-occupied Paris, but no one he helps is ever heard from again aside from one awkwardly written letter that claims to confirm their arrival at the destination. When a number of dismembered corpses are found in his townhouse, things begin to take a grim turn.
If you're like me you've go...more
Don't be mislead by the cover art for "Death in the City of Light", this is no graphic novel, nor is it a work of fiction. I saved this review for Halloween because I think there's nothing more macabre than the sick twisted horrors of what takes place in the real world.
David King's book opens on a street in the fashionable 16th arrondissement neighborhood of Paris, where neighbors are complaining of thick black smoke permeating the area along with a nauseating stench filling the air. It's a grea...more
David King's book opens on a street in the fashionable 16th arrondissement neighborhood of Paris, where neighbors are complaining of thick black smoke permeating the area along with a nauseating stench filling the air. It's a grea...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
DEATH IN THE CITY OF LIGHT: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris. (2011). David King. ****.
This is the well-told and rigorously researched story of Marcel Petiot, the well-known serial killer who was active primarily during the Nazi occupation of Paris from 1940 to 1944. Petiot had many aliases, but principly acted under his own name while practicing as a doctor. Initial investigations and leads to the ultimate capture of Petiot were made by Commissaire Massu of the Paris police. It is inte...more
This is the well-told and rigorously researched story of Marcel Petiot, the well-known serial killer who was active primarily during the Nazi occupation of Paris from 1940 to 1944. Petiot had many aliases, but principly acted under his own name while practicing as a doctor. Initial investigations and leads to the ultimate capture of Petiot were made by Commissaire Massu of the Paris police. It is inte...more
It is March of 1944. Paris is under its fourth year of occupation from the Nazis.
On one particular night, in the fashionable district of the 16th arrondissement, black smoke is pouring from a town house. The smell is putrid. Nobody can get in and the owner is away. Firemen break a window and follow the disgusting odor to the basement. A roaring fire is burning in the coal stove. Dismembered body parts are strewn throughout. It gets worse. More nightmares are discovered.
The main suspect is Dr. M...more
On one particular night, in the fashionable district of the 16th arrondissement, black smoke is pouring from a town house. The smell is putrid. Nobody can get in and the owner is away. Firemen break a window and follow the disgusting odor to the basement. A roaring fire is burning in the coal stove. Dismembered body parts are strewn throughout. It gets worse. More nightmares are discovered.
The main suspect is Dr. M...more
Absolutely enjoyed this book and I can't wait for the author's next one. Here's a short review; for a longer one, click on through.
First, a thank you to Crown for the ARC of this book, and an apology for taking so long to get to it.
On March 11, 1944, the air on the rue Le Sueur was filled with thick black smoke, smelling of "burnt caramel, burnt rubber, or a burnt roast of poor quality." The smoke had been coming out of a townhouse at number 21, and had been going for five days, but on that d...more
First, a thank you to Crown for the ARC of this book, and an apology for taking so long to get to it.
On March 11, 1944, the air on the rue Le Sueur was filled with thick black smoke, smelling of "burnt caramel, burnt rubber, or a burnt roast of poor quality." The smoke had been coming out of a townhouse at number 21, and had been going for five days, but on that d...more
2 likes · like · see review
I put off reading this book, because traditionally I don’t enjoy non-fiction, but I do like stories with a historical basis. I wish I hadn’t put it off, because once I started it, I really wanted to keep reading and just didn’t have as much time on my hands. The author writes non-fiction in a very narrative style, which surprised me and made me wish other non-fiction was written this way. He does a great job of painting a picture of the crime scenes, courtroom, people etc. that makes you feel li...more
True crime + the Gestapo + occupied Paris + creepy psychopathic serial killer + pathetic victims dying horrible deaths.. . I know: what's not to like, right?
The Twitter version is: Dr. Marcel Petiot, a classic serial killer-childhood-cat-torturer, runs a ring wherein he attracts desperate victims with the funds to escape to South America via Portugal. As he aids them, they come to horrible end in his medical building and he ends up with several dozen suitcases and body fragments. Only one person...more
The Twitter version is: Dr. Marcel Petiot, a classic serial killer-childhood-cat-torturer, runs a ring wherein he attracts desperate victims with the funds to escape to South America via Portugal. As he aids them, they come to horrible end in his medical building and he ends up with several dozen suitcases and body fragments. Only one person...more
Sep 04, 2011
Ronald Roseborough
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
non-fiction,
mystery-adventure-thriller
This book presents a very detailed look at a part of history that took a back seat to the World War raging through out the 1940's. With all the death and destruction occurring in France attributable to the war, it is almost unimaginable that a serial killer ran amok in Paris at this time already so filled with sorrow and misery. French citizens were under constant scrutiny during the occupation from many sources including German military, German Gestapo, spies, French Gestapo, French Resistance,...more
It's possible that true crime just isn't my thing. I'm on p. 153, and I'm giving up because I've been bored for the last 130 pages.
The writing style is more "history" than thriller, and the author clearly did a lot of research. Overall, King is a reasonably good author, although he ends far to many sections with the same formula: "He would soon have good reason to be skeptical", "He would soon learn that there were many more", "The police would soon have an answer, and it was not what he expecte...more
The writing style is more "history" than thriller, and the author clearly did a lot of research. Overall, King is a reasonably good author, although he ends far to many sections with the same formula: "He would soon have good reason to be skeptical", "He would soon learn that there were many more", "The police would soon have an answer, and it was not what he expecte...more
2 likes · like · see review
http://livetoread-krystal.blogspot.co...
This is one of the most interesting nonfiction books a reader can come across. It chronicles the evil and murders of Marcel Petiot. Petiot may be held accountable for over one hundred murders, making him one of the most diabolical murderers of all time (who was not, of course, a war lord). He operated under the guide of aiding Jews during World War II; instead, he brutally killed them. He plucked some victims off the street, leaving their families to wonde...more
This is one of the most interesting nonfiction books a reader can come across. It chronicles the evil and murders of Marcel Petiot. Petiot may be held accountable for over one hundred murders, making him one of the most diabolical murderers of all time (who was not, of course, a war lord). He operated under the guide of aiding Jews during World War II; instead, he brutally killed them. He plucked some victims off the street, leaving their families to wonde...more
While Paris (and the world) is distracted by WWII, serial killer Marcel Petiot begins murdering and dismembering at least 26 people (but possibly as many as 150). The doctor not only killed patients, but set up a fake escape network for Jews in which they were lured to his little murder factory, executed, and he kept the valuables they were attempting to flee Nazi-occupied Paris with.
The subject matter of this book is fascinating in a dark, disturbing way, which is why I am giving it four stars...more
The subject matter of this book is fascinating in a dark, disturbing way, which is why I am giving it four stars...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville-Madiso...: Death in the City of Light | 1 | 6 | Jul 12, 2012 06:29pm | |
| Creative Reviews: Death in The City of Light (Review) | 1 | 7 | Dec 16, 2011 08:31am | |
| Around the World ...: Chrissie recommends Death in the City of Light | 1 | 12 | Oct 01, 2011 12:21pm |
David King is the author of "Finding Atlantis", "Vienna 1814", and, most recently, "Death in the City of Light".
A Fulbright Scholar with a master's degree from Cambridge University, King taught European history at the University of Kentucky before becoming a full-time writer.
More about David King...
A Fulbright Scholar with a master's degree from Cambridge University, King taught European history at the University of Kentucky before becoming a full-time writer.
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“How do you think that the great fortunes and colonies have been made? By theft, war, and conquest.”
“Then morality does not exist?”
“No,” Dr. Marcel Andre Henri Felix Petiot answered, “it is the law of the jungle, always. Morality has been created for those who possess so that you do not retake the things gained from their own rapines.”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…
“Then morality does not exist?”
“No,” Dr. Marcel Andre Henri Felix Petiot answered, “it is the law of the jungle, always. Morality has been created for those who possess so that you do not retake the things gained from their own rapines.”
Dec 17, 2011 09:19am