Assassination in Vichy
An engrossing World War II ”who done it” and a well-researched historical study of France’s deep political divisions and wartime choices, Assassination in Vichy analyses the impact of right-wing extremism in wartime France.
About the book
During the night of July 25th, 1941, assassins planted a time bomb in the bed of former French Interior Minister Marx Dormoy. In 1937, Dormoy headed an investigation of a violent ultra-right-wing terrorist organization, the “Cagoule” who were bent on revenge. The explosion of the Cagoule’s bomb 1:50 a.m. July 26th launched a two-year police investigation that traced the plot to murder Dormoy to the highest echelons of the Vichy regime.
Based on a meticulous examination of thousands of documents, Assassination in Vichy tells the story of Dormoy’s murder and of the investigation, led by courageous Police Superintendent Charles Chenevier, who insisted on hunting down Dormoy’s killers despite opposition from both Vichy and pro-Nazi collaborationists in Paris. A book about France’s deep political divisions, wartime choices and post-war memory, Assassination in Vichy analyses the impact of fascistic extremism on France’s history and explains why after the war none of Dormoy’s assassins were punished for his murder. At the heart of this book lies the exploration of a true crime that was sensational in its day but overshadowed by the war. It will attract scholars and students from a wide range of disciplines as well as readers of police procedurals, fiction and true-crime alike.
What are people saying?
"An engrossing read from start to finish, Assassination in Vichy revisits the grisly murder of a neglected but vital defender of France’s Third Republic. Attentive to the fraught character of wartime justice, this book combines first-rate sleuthing and masterful portraits of its subjects – ranging from Marx Dormoy himself to his killers, and the officials who tracked them – with sophisticated analysis of the historical context. For those concerned about far-right threats to democracy, this is a vital study."
Sean Kennedy
UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK
"This is a riveting account of an overlooked episode in the history of the French Occupation. The authors act at once as historians and detectives, piecing together the tragic final act of Marx Dormoy's life and the conspiracy of fascist terrorists responsible for his killing, while demonstrating why scholars of France should care about this story."
Chris Millington
Manchester Metropolitan University
"Assassination in Vichy provides a strong and compelling examination of the continuation of the Cagoule's intrigues and machinations into the 1940s, and places these within the larger context of factional rivalry within the Vichy Regime. Brunelle and Finley-Croswhite use their story to explore the difficulties for the French in coming to terms with the memories of Vichy and France's role in the Second World War."
William Cormack
University of Guelph
Where to buy
Take a journey with us into the past.