The Paris Train Killer

About the book

About The Paris Train Killer

A daring criminal terrorizes train passengers on the Paris-Mulhouse railway line in mid-19th century France. Among his victims are a Russian professor of medicine and a high-ranking Parisian judge. One tenacious police commissioner, Élie Singer, won't stop until he discovers the man's true identity, but can he catch him before he kills again? A master of the art of disguise, Charles Jud could appear as an attractive woman or an athletic man. Using his charm to befriend unsuspecting travelers, he'd steal their valuables and assume their identities. Uncatchable, he repeatedly taunted the French detectives trying to stop him, sending them letters and mocking them by leaving clues behind before vanishing into thin air. A real-life Arsène Lupin, without the moral code to stop him from committing the most horrific crimes. Charles Jud became a railway legend and inspired a generation of French writers-influencing Émile Zola in his novel La Bête humaine and inspiring Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre to create the title character of the famous Fantomas French crime novel series. He also fascinated journalists, who attributed all the unsolved crimes on trains to him over the course of many years. The fear that he inspired in travelers forced authorities to install alarm signals in all the train cars in France. In this account of a criminal investigation with fascinating characters and many twists and turns, true crime novelist Viviane Janouin-Benanti has once again assembled all of the components for a wonderfully compelling narrative. Hop aboard and immerse yourself in the incredible true story of the Paris Train Killer!

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