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Little Demon in the City of Light
Little Demon in the City of Light: A True Story of Murder and Mesmerism in Belle Epoque Paris | Steven Levingston
3 posts | 4 read | 2 to read
A delicious account of a murder most gallic—think CSI Paris meets Georges Simenon—whose lurid combination of sex, brutality, forensics, and hypnotism riveted first a nation and then the world. Little Demon in the City of Light is the thrilling—and so wonderfully French—story of a gruesome 1889 murder of a lascivious court official at the hands of a ruthless con man and his pliant mistress and the international manhunt, sensational trial, and an inquiry into the limits of hypnotic power that ensued. In France at the end of the nineteenth century a great debate raged over the question of whether someone could be hypnotically compelled to commit a crime in violation of his or her moral convictions. When Toussaint-Augustin Gouffé entered 3, rue Tronson du Coudray, he expected nothing but a delightful assignation with the comely young Gabrielle Bompard. Instead, he was murdered—hanged!—by her and her companion Michel Eyraud. The body was then stuffed in a trunk and dumped on a riverbank near Lyon. As the inquiry into the guilt or innocence of the woman the French tabloids dubbed the "Little Demon" escalated, the most respected minds in France debated whether Gabrielle Bompard was the pawn of her mesmerizing lover or simply a coldly calculating murderess. And, at the burning center of it all: Could hypnosis force people to commit crimes against their will? From the Hardcover edition.
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StaceyKondla
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join the fun if you want.
This is day 6 #bookstoread #tbrpile

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Tex2Flo
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Part of my book haul from the Rains County Library Friends book sale this weekend. Had to have the rest of them shipped cuz they wouldn‘t fit in luggage. #bookhaul

KarenUK That is a great haul! 🙌 6y
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RebeccaRoo7
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Even though the temps have been much warmer in Kentucky, I am so excited to see my flowers in bloom! #dyingtoread #astudyinsherlock #girlagainsttheuniverse #therobberbride #summerreads #colorful #sunshine #whattoread