Little Demon in the City of Light (Levingston) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
Levingston has unearthed a whopper of a story, and lovingly crafted a dense, lyrical yarn that hits the true-crime trifecta of setting, story and so-what. Such books remind us that times may change, but the human animal does not.
New York Times


Levingston, who is nonfiction book editor of the Washington Post and knows a good story when he sees one, has given it a richly enjoyable telling. Its lurid and improbable plot twists are expertly transposed into a breathless true-crime thriller set against a sumptuous evocation of the boulevards, nightclubs and boudoirs of Belle Epoque Paris."
Wall Street Journal


An engaging—and finally chilling—portrait of an uneasy era and a city of more shadow than light.
Washington Post


Fascinating.... A rich portrait of the period, as well as the intriguing story of a notorious murder case, with its strange (and often amusing) cast of characters.
Boston Globe


Equal parts period piece, forensic manual, and legal thriller, the book is a strong entry in the 'fascinating case in a fascinating time' genre.
Daily Beast


A terrific story well told.
Seattle Times


Readers are well-served by his reimagining of this amazing true story.
Minneapolis Star-Tribune


[T]he book is lovingly constructed from available sources, including newspapers, memoirs, and secondary histories, and immerses the reader in a period whose newfound obsessions—science and pseudo-science of the mind, criminal forensics, mass media, the macabre, and fame—have a seminal connection to our own time.
Publishers Weekly


[A] fascinating and easy-to-read true crime story about a sensational murder connected with hypnotism in late 19th-century Paris. [Levingston] weaves historical details of the grisly murder of a court official by a con man and his mistress...with background information about the rise of hypnotism in the scientific world.... Levingston's writing is entertaining yet informative, and clearly produced from years of research. —Amelia Osterud, Carroll Univ. Lib., Waukesha, WI
Library Journal


Levingston's smartly chipper prose and fine attention to detail...add an entertaining and authentic sensibility to this re-creation of a culture, a crime, and "the first time an accused murderer had put forward a hypnotism defense. —Eloise Kinney
Booklist


[Steven] Levingston uses the story of a murder by a foolish girl and her lover to illustrate another side of belle epoque Paris. The author foregoes the tabloid excesses and exploitation of lurid details from that time and focuses on the debate as to whether a person is capable of committing a crime under hypnosis or even post-hypnotic suggestion.... [A] well-constructed, informative work by a talented author.
Kirkus Reviews