author writes the tale because she found him “ghoulishly fascinating” – she “does not analyse or judge him” just "leaves the reader to make up their own mind”. I had never heard of the man before – but reading this book which recounts how a full blown psychopath operated in plain sight for years unchecked is like watching the proverbial train crash in slow motion.
In March 1944 police receive reports of dreadful burning smells coming from an empty building. Things are sensitive it lies next door to a Gestapo garage in occupied Paris. 2 police investigate and find the house strewn with partly opened suitcases with clothes and belongings and in the back area they discover human body parts being burnt, more in a pit covered in quick lime and others in heaps. They report it – and then decide to strategically disappear until after the war.
With German permission the situation will be investigated and a daily account is given here of the police attempts to determine what has been going on and who the (possibly hundreds of) bodies were. Various claims are made of killing of collaborators and Gestapo spies, but it becomes clear that it was a house used for some years in a mock “escape line” used by rich Jews, career criminals and others as the German grip on the City became tighter. The early victims were dumped elsewhere, but ironically as Dr Petiot was imprisoned by the Gestapo bodies began to build up in the house so by 1944 attempts were made to get rid of them.
Flash back to the early life of Dr Petiot – his early childhood abusing animals, erratic and violent behaviour, service in WW1 until he was apparently injured and used “shell-shock” to get himself out of the front line and into a war pension. Life in asylums morphed into supposed training (not) as a doctor. He sets up a rural practice leaving a trail of missing inconvenient people and on to Paris to set up a successful practice where it seems he was involved in illegal practices, tax avoidance, drug misuse and more deaths before he moved onto “greater” extremes.
By the time the reader reaches details of the trial of 27 murders – more boasts Petiot – it is increasingly hard to process the extent of what was happening, the casual extinction of dozens of people. But also the number of people who knew what was happening and did nothing to stop it.
It is clear from the research that whenever challenged he proved both an unscrupulous and extravagant liar. But nevertheless got away with his crimes again and again. Together this makes an extraordinary tale of a violent psychopath killing without constraint or restraint. He was identified as mentally unstable a number of times; but always left free to operate. Often with the collusion of family and associates who must have understood at least part of what he was doing.
You could read this as a classic of the failure of systems to record, identify, or prevent crime over many decades – a justice system that was patently flawed and unfit for purpose. But with the Second World War the new “rules” meant that Dr Petiot had even more opportunities to flourish as an amoral criminal. Yes, he tried to avoid conviction and execution by a combination of lies, bluster and counter attacks when caught. But as he said under investigation against the scale of the killings elsewhere where was his crime?
Overall this is a strange read – peering into the depths of a psychopath. But behind that is the history of failure of legal and police procedures that allowed him to thrive for so long. He lived within broader communities that also failed to prevent his behaviour as it became more and more extreme. It could be said that both the wars have him the chance to flourish and escape justice, but analyse the evidence and you might find it much more than that.

Die in Paris is an exhaustive look at a heinous killer in France. Tomlins provides excruciating details into the macabre murders performed by the doctor, who appeared as an average citizen. Almost too detail is given. Sometime I felt as if I were swimming in a sea of facts. It was Interesting to read the details of his execution by guillotine.

One of the most atrocious crimes occurring in occupied France was revealed on the evening of Saturday, March 11, 1944. A constant rolling of smoke from an empty house on one of the best streets in Paris was revealed to be from the biting of tens of corpses. The criminal-an attractive doctor by the name of Petiot with a history of mental defect. As a boy he showed all the signs of a serial killer: bed wetting, starting fires, animal cruelty, parental dysfunction was high. What made his crime all the more despicable was he claimed to be with the Resistance. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I especially love anytime I can read a recounting of a French court case! It's so unlike the United States. Tomlins was very detailed in her narrative. I appreciated her involvement. I felt like telling this tale was a part of her life for quite some time. I don't see how she could have left anything out. Excellent job!

Die in Paris was a very interesting read about an individual I had never heard of. I enjoyed reading about Petiot's childhood and upbringing and how that shaped him into the awful man that he was.

Thank you to Netgalley and Raven Crest Books for this ARC!

The author's painstaking research and attention to detail is obvious in the writing of this book. The author laid out the information in a manner that allowed the reader to form their own opinion.

Engrossing, scary. Nicely written, keeps you wanting more. Written in a logical and methodical manner, it fills in the reader with as much real time history as necessary to understand how it was when Nazis ran Paris (temporarily). The killer takes full advantage. Many of his victims were wealthy (or not) Jews who were roped in expecting to pay, and then be transported out of there before it was too late. But it was already too late because this Parisian monster took the money, furs, jewels and then took their lives.