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A Fulbright scholar with a master's degree from Cambridge University, David King is the author of the acclaimed Finding Atlantis, Vienna 1814, and Death in the City of Light. He lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with his wife and children.
David King's website
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A serial killer in Paris during the Nazi occupation? This sounds like fiction. How much is made up?
None of it is fiction. There are no imagined scenes whatsoever. As in my previous books, every bit of dialogue and every description comes from the sources - in this case, Paris police reports, newspapers, diaries, memoirs, correspondence, or other eyewitness accounts.
How did you get interested in this story?
It was during my first year teaching history at the University of Kentucky. I was preparing to give a lecture on World War II. At one point I took a break, went browsing in an antiquarian bookshop, and stumbled upon a book by a wartime spy that described these horrific murders - the chopped-up bodies, the cut-off faces, and the many unanswered questions about the case. I could not get this out of my mind. It was one of the most disturbing and frightening stories I had ever heard.
How did you research this book, and did you have any memorable experiences?
I'm obsessive. I want to read everything. I made several research trips to Paris, a city I have long known and loved from my years living in Europe. I tracked down the sites associated with the book - from Dr. Petiot's haunts to the hotspots of Nazi-occupied ...
John Boyne was born in Ireland in 1971. He is the author of eleven novels for adults, five for younger readers and a collection of short stories. His 2006 novel The Boy In the Striped Pajamas sold 9 million copies worldwide ... (more)
If you enjoyed:
Death in the City of Light
Try:
A Ladder to the Sky
by John Boyne
Kurt Brown is the author of four books of poetry and editor of numerous anthologies. He used to teach at Sarah Lawrence College and lived in New York City. He died in 2013. (more)
If you enjoyed:
Death in the City of Light
Try:
Killer Verse
by Kurt Brown (editor)
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