The Killer of Little Shepherds

A True Crime Story and the Birth of Forensic Science

By: Douglas Starr

Narrated by: Erik Davies

Length: 12 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

A riveting true crime story that vividly recounts the birth of modern forensics.

At the end of the 19th century, serial murderer Joseph Vacher, known and feared as “The Killer of Little Shepherds”, terrorized the French countryside. He eluded authorities for years - until he ran up against prosecutor Emile Fourquet and Dr. Alexandre Lacassagne, the era’s most renowned criminologist. The two men - intelligent and bold - typified the Belle Époque, a period of immense scientific achievement and fascination with science’s promise to reveal the secrets of the human condition. With high drama and stunning detail, Douglas Starr revisits Vacher’s infamous crime wave, interweaving the story of how Lacassagne and his colleagues were developing forensic science as we know it. We see one of the earliest uses of criminal profiling, as Fourquet painstakingly collects eyewitness accounts and constructs a map of Vacher’s crimes. We follow the tense and exciting events leading to the murderer’s arrest. And we witness the twists and turns of the trial, celebrated in its day. In an attempt to disprove Vacher’s defense by reason of insanity, Fourquet recruits Lacassagne, who in the previous decades had revolutionized criminal science by refining the use of blood-spatter evidence, systematizing the autopsy, and doing groundbreaking research in psychology. Lacassagne’s efforts lead to a gripping courtroom denouement. The Killer of Little Shepherds is an important contribution to the history of criminal justice, impressively researched and thrillingly told.

©2010 Douglas Starr (P)2010 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Eloquent.... Starr creates tension worthy of a thriller.” ( Publishers Weekly)

“Starr’s heavy immersion into forensics and investigative procedure makes interesting reading.... [A] well-documented mix of forensic science, narrative nonfiction, and criminal psychology.” ( Kirkus)

Very boring unless into birth of forensics

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

More focus on the one interesting case.

What do you think your next listen will be?

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Which character – as performed by Erik Davies – was your favorite?

Don't know

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Killer of Little Shepherds?

Too many

Any additional comments?

If you want to listen to hours of forensics you'll like this book. I thought it would be a little of that then focus on the main murderous character.