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The Unspeakable Crimes of Dr. Petiot Kindle Edition

by Thomas Maeder (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 48 ratings
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The chilling true story of a serial killer who preyed on men, women, and children desperate to escape Nazi-occupied Paris.
 
On March 11, 1944, police were called to investigate foul-smelling smoke pouring from the chimney of an elegant private house near the Arc de Triomphe. In the basement of 21 rue Le Sueur, they made the first of many gruesome discoveries: a human hand dangling from the open door of a coal-burning stove.
 
Proceeding to the rear of the home, detectives found rib cages, skulls, and internal organs strewn across the floor and large piles of quicklime mixed with fragments of bone and flesh. The Gestapo had two offices in the neighborhood—were Hitler’s henchmen responsible for the carnage? Or was it the work of French Resistance fighters purging Paris of traitors and German spies?
 
As the investigation unfolded, a more sinister possibility emerged. The building’s owner, Dr. Marcel Petiot, was a handsome and charismatic physician whose past was littered with bizarre behavior and criminal activity. When he was finally captured eight months later, Dr. Petiot claimed he was a loyal member of the Resistance who helped kill Nazi collaborators. Prosecutors charged that he was a sadistic mass murderer who lured at least twenty-seven innocent people to their deaths with promises of escape. Estimates of the actual number of his victims ran as high as 150 men, women, and children.
 
From the first stages of the investigation to the sensational trial in which Dr. Petiot’s superior intelligence and perverse wit were on full display, author Thomas Maeder meticulously reconstructs one of the twentieth century’s most fascinating and lurid murder cases. Drawing on classified police files and interviews with surviving participants, The Unspeakable Crimes of Dr. Petiot is a riveting true crime saga that that “reads like a shocking psychological thriller” (Newsweek).
 
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  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Open Road Media
  5. Publication date
    June 7, 2016
  6. File size
    5061 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Spellbinding.” —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
 
“Author Thomas Maeder handles his material perfectly. His low-key, matter-of-fact style perfectly frames the horror of the investigation and trial.” —Chicago Sun-Times
 
“Maeder’s book, tight as a drum, is filled with interesting sidelights . . . [that] add to the bizarre appeal of the case.” —The Washington Post
 
“Maeder’s book is about such a remarkable scoundrel, such a tricky bastard, such an extravagantly rotten human being, and is so well-written, with so much involvement, so much tact and wit, that I read it with unwaning fascination and excitement.” —William Steig
 
“First-rate.” —The Buffalo News
 
“A superb Grand Guignol sufficient to horrify the most avid devotee of true crime. Moreover, [Maeder’s] charm and wit make delightful reading. And he provides an unforgettable glimpse of Parisian life during the Occupation and through the post-liberation political comedies.” —The Dallas Morning News
 
“Thomas Maeder’s excellent full-length study of the case makes a complicated story perfectly intelligible, and gives the best possible view of Petiot’s personality.” —Julian Symons, The Times (London)
 
“Lively and readable . . . Gripping. It isn’t easy not to succumb, as his victims did, to the bizarre, bullying charm of Marcel Petiot.” —Julian Barnes, The Times Literary Supplement
 
“With the skill of a novelist, Maeder develops the case around the question that remains unanswered: Were the brutal murders of more than 60 victims the accomplishment of an ardent Resistance leader, as Petiot claimed, or the deeds of a demented and brilliantly resourceful scoundrel?” —Saturday Review
 

Review

"Author Maeder assembles a mass of detail about the shadowy life of the doctor, his victims, relatives and cohorts. Despite the many puzzles that swirled about Petiot's horrors and which persist to this day, the book is first-rate."

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01FTG29DK
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media (June 7, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 7, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5061 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 48 ratings

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Thomas Maeder

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Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
48 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

German Lady
5.0 out of 5 stars Curious Reader
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2011
Verified Purchase
I was surprised to find that the book was an old library book, but that was okay...they all ready the same, and the price was perfect!! The was delivered within the time frame as stated.
One person found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Such a nice well respected Doctor loved by everyone. Who knew?
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2017
Verified Purchase
I'm so glad I stayed with this book through to the end. The first few chapters were confusing to me with the names, nicknames and aliases, of victims and accomplices mixed up and thrown about like confetti. But I blamed my inattentiveness and vowed to slog on with the thought that it would all come together. It did. It became quite interesting with so much detail and information surrounding the killings and the German occupation up into the postwar era. Thankfully, it was not a gore splashed extravaganza, but the simple description of the slaughter house was quite sufficient for the most blood thirsty of readers. The portrayal of the French people citing their resilience and macabre sense of humor was very enlightening. The visit of the jury and public to the slaughter house was worth the price of admission. The trial chaos had aspects of a Peter Sellers Inspector Clouseau episode. The depiction of Dr. Petiot, with his soulless demeanor, was chilling and echoed descriptions of other true crime psychopathic murderers. You just never know- - - - -. .
7 people found this helpful
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monica
3.0 out of 5 stars Probably the best murder trial in the world
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2014
Despite having a title appropriate to a schlock film from the 60's, this isn't a negligible book. To my mind it certainly isn't in the true crime genre; in fact, I'll be shelving it with my history books. What glimpses Maeder gives us of everyday life in occupied Paris and of the occasional impossibility of determining whether an individual was resisting or collaborating with the Nazis are telling ones.

There are a fair few questions about Petiot's murders, the victims, and Petiot himself that remain unanswered, so Maeder's account is in a sense confined and no doubt because of that can occasionally seem simply a series of descriptions of the victims and their encounters with the doctor. (A list in the back of characters and their roles is very helpful.) But again, there are glimpses of much more: the person who decided not to accept Petiot's 'help' because of his dirty hands, the villagers up in arms against/on behalf of Mayor Petiot, the family and acquaintances of Petiot who might have known early on of his murders.

But what makes the book not only solidly informative but delightful is Petiot's trial. I knew that I'd most likely skim the last 100 pages, the ones given over to the trial and including chunks of the transcript, because I always do resort to skimming that sort of thing. Not a bit of it. Farce, chaos, wittiness, unbelievable chutzpah, shouting, assault (Petiot actually threw exhibits of evidence at the clerk), boredom (naps were taken), loopy conspiracy theory as summation, uncontrolled crowds, confusion, autograph-hunting. At some point, it seems, everyone in the court seemed to recognise the absurdity of much of the trial and even the judges and lawyers found it difficult not to join in the laughter of the crowds. Absorbing and sometimes hilarious, and I'm grinning as I sit here remembering it.

If you're as appalled by this lack of decorum as by the murders, Unspeakable Crimes probably isn't the book for you.
8 people found this helpful
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Tink M.
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible Doctor
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2018
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Amazing story that actually occurred
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ScarletM
2.0 out of 5 stars I was so intrigued when I saw this book on ...
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2017
Verified Purchase
I was so intrigued when I saw this book on Amazon that I bought it immediately. I gave up on it a third of the way through because it was just so over detailed that it was impossible to follow who was who and what was going on! #Disappointing
6 people found this helpful
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Jaydogger
4.0 out of 5 stars Dr. Death
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2012
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This book was well written and very thorough (perhaps a little too thorough). If you like history and murder mystery this book has them both. The research that was done on the entire life of Dr. Petoit is impressive and interesting. The author does right by the victims by detailing their lives and circumsatnces during German occupation in France. You learn as much about the victims as you do Dr. Petoit and his exploits. The reader can also dive into occupied France and experience history as it happens. Overall it was a pretty good book and I would recommend it to anyone interested in this era. Casual readers may find parts that seem to drag as the author divulges mountains of information that do not necessarily advance the story but seem to be mentioned more for posterity. Four stars.
7 people found this helpful
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S M Senden
4.0 out of 5 stars Unspeakable
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2017
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wow, hard to believe such a man existed and got away with what he did. Well written look into the life of a despicable, sick man. I got this book for research, it did not disappoint. recommended.
5 people found this helpful
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Pghgrl
1.0 out of 5 stars So Slow
Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2016
Verified Purchase
Although it is obvious that the author thoroughly researched his subject, I found the book to be slow going slogging through the over abundance of detail. In fact at times the details became confusing and only added to my growing dislike of the book. I forced myself to finish, but do not consider it time well spent.
7 people found this helpful
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