The Unspeakable Crimes of Dr. Petiot

by Thomas Maeder

Book Overview

Was he a sadistic mass killer who lured innocent people to their deaths, or a hero of German-occupied Paris who liquidated members of the Gestapo and helped persecuted Jews escape from tormented France? This was the question as one of the twentieth century's most sensational murder cases came to trial in Paris in 1946. Thomas Maeder meticulously reconstructs one of the most horrifying true stories in the annals of crime: the vile crimes themselves...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 156663797X
• ISBN13: 9781566637978
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Ivan R. Dee Publisher
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Entertaining Historical Nonfiction

This is an entertaining and easy-to-read book on a fascinating case in Paris in 1944. Dr. Petiot, a former mayor and physician with almost Barnum & Bailey ringmaster overtones is put on trial for the murder of 27 people who were found, or should I say pieces of them were found, at one of his residences.The book, based on fact, covers the events and trial. The book is just the right length, not overstuffed with tedium and not so short you feel cheated of a real story. It's well-written and precise and strangely compelling.Was Dr. Petiot actually killing Nazis and french traitors as he claimed or was something else involved? It's a chilling episode within the context of one of the most important periods of our times.