--- product_id: 12501729 title: "Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris" price: "26378CFA" currency: XOF in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.sn/products/12501729-death-in-the-city-of-light-the-serial-killer-nazi store_origin: SN region: Senegal --- # Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris **Price:** 26378CFA **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris - **How much does it cost?** 26378CFA with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sn](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/12501729-death-in-the-city-of-light-the-serial-killer-nazi) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris [King, David] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris Review: History transformed into a page-turner of a book - Not having heard of the case of Dr. Marcel Petiot, I had to stop several times as I was reading Death in the City of Light to turn back to the cover and assure myself it was, in fact, a true story. The book, especially in its early pages when neighbors report a sickening odor from a chimney and police discover burned bodies in a boiler and a pit of decomposing bodies covered by lime in the courtyard, seemed more like the product of a screenwriter's over-heated imagination. But the details are true. So, too, are the details of the investigation and trial. Even the most creative screenwriter would be hard-pressed to concoct a villian like Petiot and turn him loose during the Nazi occupation of Paris. But that's exactly what happened. In a city where people "disappear" on a routine basis - some to escape, many ground up in the Nazi death machine - Petiot found it easy to procur victims. Many of the victims identified by police were either Jews or gangsters and their girlfriends seeking to escape. Officially, Petiot was convicted of 26 such killings, but clearly police suspected him in many more. Just as fascinating as the crimes is the trial. Petiot managed to elude authorities until after Paris was liberated. With France once again free, Petiot was put on trial. For his defense, Petiot and his attorney claimed that he had "liquidated" 63 people, but they were Nazis and collaborators. Petiot even claimed to be part of the Resistance, though his claims were doubted by many. Author David King turns court documents into a gripping page-turner. He even manages to stir up some sympathy for Petiot over the question of whether he received a fair trial in the post-liberation atmosphere of Paris. If the book leaves anything unresolved its because the case itself remains unresolved. There was never any indication how exactly Petiot killed his victims. Many have suggested Petiot gave his victims injections of poison, telling them the "vaccinations" were necessary for traveling abroad. King has another theory that the doctor actually may have drugged then with Morphine or peyote and then gassed his victims with hydrogren cyanide. He makes an interesting case for this, as he does for Petoit's dealings with the Paris underworld; but the world may never know for certain what happened in Petoit's strange triangular room. The only quibble I have with King's book is his occasional foray into unrelated details. Some of these, such as stories about what famous Paris residents such as Picasso were doing at the time, seem particularly jarring. It's not that the details weren't interesting. They just seemed to be inserted at random points rather than integrated into the book. Despite that, for those who are interested in the history of Paris during the occupation Death in the City of Light makes for riveting reading. Review: Incredible detail and research of hideous crimes in Nazi-occupied Paris - I highly recommend this multi-layered book on the crimes of the evil Dr. Petiot of Nazi-occupied Paris. The gruesome nature of the murders, the vulnerability of the victims (most being Jewish people wanted to escape the Nazis, and being fooled that the good doctor was helping them) and the intrigue of Nazi-occupied Paris makes for a very complex case. Ultimately, why did he murder numerous people (the numbers range from 23 to over 50)? For money. To steal the money and valuables of the people desperate to escape the Nazi regime. Just sickening. The money and valuables were never recovered, either. Dr. Petiot's wife and brother, along with a few enabling cronies in his scam, all escape facing justice in court. There was something about Petiot that reminded this reader of Ted Bundy: the famous psychopathic stare, relishing the limelight, trading witty barbs in court. Although the sensationalism and circus atmosphere of the trial almost ends in mistrial - and thankfully it did not, the author admits he feels that Petiot did not get a fair trial. However, the author also admits that Petiot certainly was guilty (pretty difficult to explain away numerous corpses and body parts in your house). In anyone deserved to have his head guillotined and roll "into the wicker basket with a thump", it was the evil Dr. Petiot. The book also demonstrates the wide range of human behavior highlighted during the time of a war - one can witness incredibly brave and admirable behavior, and then one can see the lowest, opportunistic, despicable and murderous behavior like that of Dr. Petiot. The author does an outstanding job of research of this complex and fascinating crime and trial during one of the most trying times in France's history. Highly recommended. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,056,733 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1,112 in French History (Books) #1,165 in Serial Killers True Accounts #2,152 in German History (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars (606) | | Dimensions | 5.19 x 1 x 8 inches | | Edition | Reprint | | ISBN-10 | 0307452905 | | ISBN-13 | 978-0307452900 | | Item Weight | 12 ounces | | Language | English | | Print length | 440 pages | | Publication date | June 5, 2012 | | Publisher | Crown | ## Images ![Death in the City of Light: The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81rFOQfuD+L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ History transformed into a page-turner of a book *by W***Y on December 16, 2011* Not having heard of the case of Dr. Marcel Petiot, I had to stop several times as I was reading Death in the City of Light to turn back to the cover and assure myself it was, in fact, a true story. The book, especially in its early pages when neighbors report a sickening odor from a chimney and police discover burned bodies in a boiler and a pit of decomposing bodies covered by lime in the courtyard, seemed more like the product of a screenwriter's over-heated imagination. But the details are true. So, too, are the details of the investigation and trial. Even the most creative screenwriter would be hard-pressed to concoct a villian like Petiot and turn him loose during the Nazi occupation of Paris. But that's exactly what happened. In a city where people "disappear" on a routine basis - some to escape, many ground up in the Nazi death machine - Petiot found it easy to procur victims. Many of the victims identified by police were either Jews or gangsters and their girlfriends seeking to escape. Officially, Petiot was convicted of 26 such killings, but clearly police suspected him in many more. Just as fascinating as the crimes is the trial. Petiot managed to elude authorities until after Paris was liberated. With France once again free, Petiot was put on trial. For his defense, Petiot and his attorney claimed that he had "liquidated" 63 people, but they were Nazis and collaborators. Petiot even claimed to be part of the Resistance, though his claims were doubted by many. Author David King turns court documents into a gripping page-turner. He even manages to stir up some sympathy for Petiot over the question of whether he received a fair trial in the post-liberation atmosphere of Paris. If the book leaves anything unresolved its because the case itself remains unresolved. There was never any indication how exactly Petiot killed his victims. Many have suggested Petiot gave his victims injections of poison, telling them the "vaccinations" were necessary for traveling abroad. King has another theory that the doctor actually may have drugged then with Morphine or peyote and then gassed his victims with hydrogren cyanide. He makes an interesting case for this, as he does for Petoit's dealings with the Paris underworld; but the world may never know for certain what happened in Petoit's strange triangular room. The only quibble I have with King's book is his occasional foray into unrelated details. Some of these, such as stories about what famous Paris residents such as Picasso were doing at the time, seem particularly jarring. It's not that the details weren't interesting. They just seemed to be inserted at random points rather than integrated into the book. Despite that, for those who are interested in the history of Paris during the occupation Death in the City of Light makes for riveting reading. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Incredible detail and research of hideous crimes in Nazi-occupied Paris *by H***F on October 9, 2012* I highly recommend this multi-layered book on the crimes of the evil Dr. Petiot of Nazi-occupied Paris. The gruesome nature of the murders, the vulnerability of the victims (most being Jewish people wanted to escape the Nazis, and being fooled that the good doctor was helping them) and the intrigue of Nazi-occupied Paris makes for a very complex case. Ultimately, why did he murder numerous people (the numbers range from 23 to over 50)? For money. To steal the money and valuables of the people desperate to escape the Nazi regime. Just sickening. The money and valuables were never recovered, either. Dr. Petiot's wife and brother, along with a few enabling cronies in his scam, all escape facing justice in court. There was something about Petiot that reminded this reader of Ted Bundy: the famous psychopathic stare, relishing the limelight, trading witty barbs in court. Although the sensationalism and circus atmosphere of the trial almost ends in mistrial - and thankfully it did not, the author admits he feels that Petiot did not get a fair trial. However, the author also admits that Petiot certainly was guilty (pretty difficult to explain away numerous corpses and body parts in your house). In anyone deserved to have his head guillotined and roll "into the wicker basket with a thump", it was the evil Dr. Petiot. The book also demonstrates the wide range of human behavior highlighted during the time of a war - one can witness incredibly brave and admirable behavior, and then one can see the lowest, opportunistic, despicable and murderous behavior like that of Dr. Petiot. The author does an outstanding job of research of this complex and fascinating crime and trial during one of the most trying times in France's history. Highly recommended. ### ⭐⭐⭐ Great story with sub-par storytelling... *by A***Y on January 17, 2012* 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. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sn/products/12501729-death-in-the-city-of-light-the-serial-killer-nazi](https://www.desertcart.sn/products/12501729-death-in-the-city-of-light-the-serial-killer-nazi) --- *Product available on Desertcart Senegal* *Store origin: SN* *Last updated: 2026-09-29*