3. Death in the City of Light

Buckle up, y'all.

For book #3 of my year in books, I went dark. Dark. Death in the City of Light is the true story of a Parisian doctor who becomes a serial killer, all while the city is under Nazi control in World War II.

This ain't rainbows and unicorns.

As soon as I read the jacket of this book, it was a no-brainer. I have somewhat of a fascination with both serial killers and Nazis (in literature, people, not reality.) My only apprehension was that these books sometimes tend to move slowly through the minutia of history. I didn't know if I had that kind of time. This one, though, took off right out of the gate and grew in intrigue and complexity all the way through the end.

That guy right there? That's Dr. Marcel Petiot. Charming physician by day, sinister madman by night. His downfall begins when people living near his townhouse report a foul-smelling smoke coming from his chimney. The smoke is the stench of bodies, burning inside. What investigators discover is a macabre display of bodies in various stages of destruction and decomposition and a room that appears designed for torture. The discovery sets off a manhunt that culminates in the most bizarre trial you've ever heard of.

The subject matter is disturbing, yes. But, fascinating in its detail and absurdity. Dr. Petiot maintains, until he takes his last breath, that those he killed were traitors to France. He maintained he was part of the resistance and that each killing, many more than for which he was charged, was justified. In reality, though, his motives were far more sinister. People came to him believing he was part of a group that would help them escape the Nazi regime and give them safe passage to South America. He was, in fact, killing them and stealing the belongings they'd packed for what they believed was a new life abroad.

The crimes were disturbing, the victims extremely vulnerable; but, it's the trial of Dr. Petiot that steals the show here. This thing makes the O.J. Simpson trial look like traffic court (there's even a "if it doesn't fit, you must acquit" nod involving one victim's hat.) Because of the court rules in France at the time, Petiot is allowed to interrupt, question witnesses and cause a general spectacle that even Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne would find absurd (Kimmy Schmidt, anyone?) The trial drew spectators, some of whom were women proposing marriage to the man on trial for 27 murders. It's a trial where the defendant yells "fuck you" at the attorney and draws caricatures of him while the court hears arguments that he should be put to death.

It's a trip.

Dr. Petiot preyed on the patriotism and fear of those living under Nazi control and maintained his innocence until the guillotine forced his final breath. The author saves his most fascinating detail for the very end, uncovering new evidence of how the doctor carried out his atrocities.

Should you read it? I can't really tell everyone they should read a book that describes, in graphic detail, the mutilation of bodies. But, if that doesn't turn you off on principle, give it a shot. It's a story of WWII you've never heard and a fascinating look at a criminal madman.