The Crimes of Paris: A True Story of Murder, Theft, and Detection [Hardcover]

Dorothy Hoobler (Author), Thomas Hoobler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 27, 2009

Turn-of-the-century Paris was the beating heart of a rapidly changing world. Painters, scientists, revolutionaries, poets--all were there. But so, too, were the shadows: Paris was a violent, criminal place, its sinister alleyways the haunts of Apache gangsters and its cafes the gathering places of murderous anarchists. In 1911, it fell victim to perhaps the greatest theft of all time--the taking of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre. Immediately, Alphonse Bertillon, a detective world-renowned for pioneering crime-scene investigation techniques, was called upon to solve the crime. And quickly the Paris police had a suspect: a young Spanish artist named Pablo Picasso....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa serves as the centerpiece for the Edgar Award–winning Hooblers' (In Darkness Death) unwieldy account of life and crime in belle époque Paris. But the Hooblers devote so much time to the history of detection, in both fiction and real life, that the prized painting's disappearance soon slips the reader's mind. The authors locate the French obsession with the painting's disappearance in a general fascination with crime, from the fictional thief Arsène Lupin, the hero of popular serials, to real 19th-century figures such as Vidocq, a former criminal turned investigator who inspired Poe—and Alphonse Bertillon, whose criminal identification system based on body measurements was a precursor to the science of biometrics. A lengthy look at the Parisian art scene is overly digressive, though Picasso and his pal Apollinaire's tenuous connection to the Mona Lisa theft provides one of the book's rare dramatic sections. When the painting is finally recovered in Florence in 1913, the reader is left as unsatisfied by the Hooblers' scattered history as by the Italian-born thief's dubious rationale for the theft. 16 pages of b&w photos. (Apr. 3)
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Review

"[An] engrossing forensic history...[its] lively portraits...[and] anecdotes buzz with energy." (The Washington Post )

"... A thorough and at times disturbing view of turn-of-the-century Paris, and its crimes and passions...Francophiles and true-crime lovers will find the book a fascinating read...a fulfilling read for those of us who like to stalk the wild side from a cozy armchair, perhaps with a side of pâté." (Minneapolis Star-Tribune )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (April 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316017906
• ISBN-13: 978-0316017909
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #139,341 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pay close attention to the title, April 10, 2009

By 

K. Huff (Radnor, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Crimes of Paris: A True Story of Murder, Theft, and Detection (Hardcover)

The Crimes of Paris is a book about just that: the crimes that took place in and around Paris from about 1880 to the beginning of World War I. The book's "hook" is the theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911, but the bulk of the book deals with famous murders, murderers, detectives, and gangs of fin de sicle France. The 19th century was an era in which France, beset by numerous revolutions, changed drastically, and the urban landscape with it. The way that people interacted with each other changed, too, hence the number, and variety, of crimes that were carried out. Changes in technology and scientific thinking enabled detectives and the police to solve crimes that had previous remained unexplained.

If you come to this book expecting it to be solely about the theft of the Mona Lisa, you'll be disappointed (watch out: the story of the theft itself is sort of a doozy). One of the crime's suspects, briefly, was Picasso. You wonder why he was considered a suspect in the first place; he had no motive for stealing the painting, nor was he anywhere near the scene of the crime at the time it happened.

The book's strength lies in its descriptions of other famous (and not so famous) crimes). The reader is introduced to a host of historical figures: Vidocq, France's first real detective; Bertillon, who developed the science of anthropometry; the Bonnot gang, anarchists who were the first to escape the scenes of their crimes via car; Meg Steinheil, who murdered her husband in cold blood; and many more. As I've said, the "hook" of the book is the theft of the Mona Lisa, in reality unconnected to the other crimes related in this book. It would have been better had the book been described as it really was. Also, the authors make flimsy, superfluous connections between the theft and the murders. But other than that, I mostly enjoyed my trip to turn-of-the-century Paris. The book is accompanied by 14 pages of black and white reproduction photographs.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intrigue in Paris, May 2, 2009

By 

Thomas Randleman (Ohio) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Crimes of Paris: A True Story of Murder, Theft, and Detection (Hardcover)

What starts out as the theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre Museum in Paris progresses as a fascinating series of "portraits" and little know facts about the criminals and crimes of Paris in the post Haussmann city.

The writing is first-rate and one is carried along on a roller coaster of famous and infamous characters indirectly and directly involved with the theft of the famous painting and the crime raging Paris in the nineteeth century.

Particularly interesting are the portions which tell about public executions before the guillotine was retired for good. The "portraits" of the various characters are beautifully defined and they seem to come off the page with vivid imagery. At times it has the atmosphere of "Film Noir" and this is interesting as what we know as "Film Noir" had not yet been invented.

It is hard to put this book down. Each chapter tantalized and mesmerizes with a Paris none now could have known but is every much a part of how it evolved as a city of great fascination for generations of visitors.

I was impressed by the author's lack of the use of hyperbole and gushiness which is so often a disappointing feature of this kind of book.
One if left with many images and thoughts about Paris and Parisians not usually of the travel book variety. A absolutely wonderfully put together "real life" story with "real life" people. So many times I thought of Inspecter Maigret and Georges Simenon. First rate!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Reading, April 13, 2011

By 

Thomas Grover (Naples, Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Crimes of Paris: A True Story of Murder, Theft, and Detection (Paperback)

In addition to the theft of the Mona Lisa this book describes several other sensational crimes of the late 19th and early 20th century in Paris. This is an enjoyable book and the reader will be introduced to a number of memorable characters and/or villains.