The Killer of Little Shepherds

A True Crime Story and the Birth of Forensic Science

By: Douglas Starr

Narrated by: Erik Davies

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

At the end of the nineteenth 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.

Master Story Teller

Would you consider the audio edition of The Killer of Little Shepherds to be better than the print version?

Did not read print

What did you like best about this story?

The valuable information he was able to convey.

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

My favorite character in the book was the man who defended his wife from the attack of the serial killer, and bought the criminal to justice.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

A great book filled with valuable history and information.

Great reading!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Sure, I have forensic friends , I have recommended this book to them

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Mr Lacassagne way of thinking is a very interesting aspect of the story, he's very Smart and simple at the same time. I cannot remember anything non-interesting

What about Erik Davies’s performance did you like?

Not really too much, sometimes his voice is very relaxing

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

not really, but it made me think on the early forensic science and thinking on that time

Any additional comments?

The book talks on the Dreyfuss affair but it never deepens on it, I would like to have that extra background in the early chapters

Impressively Researched and Thrillingly Told

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

At the end of the nineteenth 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.

Not Ann Rand!

I've read a few true crime novels before and this heavy tome was no supermarket paperback true crime rag. This book was a very thorough examination of the cultural and scientific "stew" in which a serial killer murdered nearly a dozen people in France over a three years period in the late 1890's. The author switches between the killer's story and the lead investigator's story every chapter. It isn't confusing, though. The break between the vicious and sickening crimes of the killer is needed. Overall I thought it was very interesting and extremely well researched. The author did a good job of couching the development of forensic science within the killer's crime spree. My one caveat is that unless you speak French, I wouldn't really recommend the audiobook version of this book. The narrator uses French pronunciations and speaks French words throughout the audiobook. I don't speak any French and I thought about quitting the book a bunch of times because of the heaviness of the use of French. I couldn't even tell you the killer's name! (It sounds like "Vache). For example, the narrator would say "Pair-ee" when referring to Paris. The good news is that I did finish the book and have a lot better understanding of the development of forensic science.

poor narration detracts from good history

The narrator speaks in a voice which I describe as a loud whisper. The writing is in English, but the speaker uses French more often than necessary. For example, he calls Paris, "Paree". The French accent is so heavy it sounds like he needs to clear his nasal passages. I finally regretted buying this book and will return it.