Read More: Death in the City of Light

Update: My opinion on this book differs a bit from Kristin's. I decided to read the book, despite her advice not to bother with it, and was happy that I did. The first 3/4ths of the book were definitely more interesting, but I didn't find the trial section as tedious as she did. It was written in a way that I couldn't guess if he would be convicted or acquitted. I do think it could have been written in a more concise fashion, but it didn't bother me much. There were many questions that remained unanswered, but speculation is half the fun!

- Megan Leigh

This was a random read. I picked up Death in the City of Light on a trip to the library to get some other books--it was in the new releases section.

It is about a serial killer who haunted Nazi-occupied Paris. You know how I love my Eric Larson books, so I figured this historical crime book might be fun too. Also, the critics apparently loved this book, so that was a good sign. Perhaps it was time to give another true-crime author a chance. But was this a fun read, you ask? It was just so-so.

The story is a compelling one. An elegant Parisian townhouse hides grisly secrets. A sadistic doctor is accused of a staggering number of murders, hiding within the chaos of war-time Paris. It sounds like the plot of a promising horror movie, right? All of the elements are there, and the book starts out with a lot of promise. But it starts to really drag midway through, and by the end it gets really bogged down in descriptions of the court case. Over all, this book was easy and mostly enjoyable to read. But I'm not sure I would recommend it. It's so long, and in the end very little is resolved.

One plus is that I learned a lot about Nazi-occupied France. Did you know that France was occupied for four years? Four years! I had no idea. And that Hitler ordered Paris destroyed, with explosives ready to blow up the Eiffel Tower and all of the other prominent buildings in Paris? The Nazi general in charge of Paris refused to follow orders though, and luckily the Allied Forces came to the rescue before the whole city was in absolute ruins. These are the kinds of things we should all learn in history class!

-Kristin