Murder in Paris '68: A True Story of Death and Glamour

by Edward Chisholm

From the acclaimed author of A Waiter in Paris comes a captivating true crime story about an unsolved murder in 1960s Paris that scandalized a nation.


"Evocative, gripping, and beautifully written. I've recommended this book to everyone I know!" —EMERALD FENNELL


October 1968. When a body discovered on the outskirts of Paris was identified as Stefan Marković, a former bodyguard and friend of the international film star Alain Delon, what began as a simple murder investigation quickly developed into an explosive political scandal known as the Marković Affair.


Police initially arrested a former French resistance fighter turned gangster, who was known to associate with Marković and Delon, but released him when they failed to illicit a confession. Meanwhile, sexually explicit photographs, purportedly showing the wife of the future French president, began circulating around Paris, pointing to a conspiracy of sex, power, and blackmail that implicated celebrities, high-ranking politicians, corrupt policemen, and criminals alike.


Drawing on extensive research and new interviews, Edward Chisholm leads readers into the shadowy world of late ’60s Paris, conjuring a time of glamour, sports cars, casinos, and night clubs. The resulting narrative, perfect for fans of Patrick Radden Keefe, David Grann, and Charlotte Gray, is a masterpiece of investigative journalism that reads like a high-stakes political thriller.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, History, France, Biography, Crime, Paris

478 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 9, 2026

About the author

Edward Chisholm is a British writer based in Switzerland.

He is the author of A Waiter in Paris, an international bestseller shortlisted for the 2023 Ackerley Prize and translated into Chinese, Spanish and Polish, and Murder in Paris ’68, a work of narrative non-fiction exploring the unsolved murder of Stevan Marković and the dark glamour of postwar France.

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moody and mysterious account of the murder of Stevan Marković in 1960s Paris and the murky world of celebrity, politics and organised crime. This reads like the most immersive novel, despite being a carefully researched piece of non-fiction. I absolutely adored it, and was immediately transported into a past age where glamour and beauty met suspicion and threat.

[Hannah L]

A bit overwritten and repetitive sometimes with rather kitschy attempts at crime/suspense writing but interesting enough. Enjoyed most when it delved into the overlap of cinema and life

[Liv Italiano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really struggled to get into this one. After reading London falling and say nothing I thought this would be right up my alley but struggled to get excited to read this. Although interest did pick up towards the end!

[Gabrielle Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sure to be one of the best books of the year; easily the best book I’ve read in a few years.

On the surface, a story about the ‘Markovic affair’ - the murder of Yugoslavian emigré Stevan Markovic in Paris, ‘68. Really, though, this is all-encompassing look at French culture in the sixties. Fatalistic glamour and celebrity, a violent underbelly spreading across Europe, and scandalous sexual affairs that namedrop the brightest stars in culture and politics.

While the book falls under true crime, I feel it sits better in modern French history. Primarily it is wonderfully engaging narrative non-fiction.

‘The ending we know. What came before was the unbearable tension of a shadow leaning too far into the light, and eventually being consumed by it.’

[tori nm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Put this one down and will probably never pick it up again, which I never do - and if I did, I would never normally leave a review. This left a bad taste in my mouth though.

Maybe I am just being paranoid, but there were too many examples of AI-isms in the first few chapters for me to continue (e.g. 'not x, not y, but z', among others, constructions which are AI flags but are also, in any case, kind of trite and irritating). I don't doubt that the author did lots of research for this book- maybe he just used AI to assist for certain chunks of prose. Maybe he didn't use it at all!

I came here to see if other people noticed the same pattern I have, and it seems there are a few others. Not sure why I would bother to read something that no-one could even be bothered to write.

[Kit Nevile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute BANGER. A fascinating historical and political narrative brilliantly told, about one of the most mysterious and alluring stars of the modern era.

[SJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the heart of Edward Chisholm’s Murder in Paris ’68 is the unsolved murder of Stevan Marković, a Yugoslav fixer whose death drew Alain Delon, the French underworld, politicians and the Parisian elite into an extraordinary scandal. But this murder is really only the doorway into a much wider world: the strange, glamorous and increasingly murky orbit around Delon at the height of his fame.

Chisholm brings that world to life. His writing is stylish without feeling overly polished, and he captures a mid-century Paris of smoky bars, nightclubs, beautiful people, sexual freedom and simmering political unrest. It is the Paris of the New Wave, and reading about Delon in this setting, it is hard not to think of the characters he played; the cool, enigmatic men who seemed to exist somewhere between glamour and menace. Delon had an extraordinary ability to inhabit those characters, and Chisholm makes you wonder where the performance ended and the man himself began. There is something uncanny about seeing the mythology of Delon’s films reflected in the circumstances of his real life - and I’ve already begun my foray into Delon’s filmography.

In Delon’s world, life was beginning to imitate art. The actors, gangsters, politicians and lovers all seem to be playing parts, while the films of the period provide an almost surreal mirror to what was happening beyond the screen. Chisholm captures that blurring of cinema and reality beautifully. This is not at all my usual read, but I’m visiting Paris soon and I wanted the glamour and the history. But surprisingly I loved the murder mystery, and what kept me reading was the atmosphere - that intoxicating, slightly sinister glimpse of Delon and Paris at a moment when everything seemed glamorous, dangerous and just a little unreal.

[Indigo Officer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic. True crime via cinema, Yugoslavian and Corsican gangsters, Saint Tropez, May ‘68, weird domestic dynamics, L’Étranger, French political scandal (the best kind), les trente glorieuses, Alain Delon crying that solitary tear in Rocco e i suoi fratelli.

I will say the writing occasionally felt a TAD chatgpt-esque however I was enjoying the content enough to (mostly) overlook that.

[Evan OL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up on a whim in London. Glad I did. Really enjoyed it x

[F.R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had heard something of the bizarre story of how the wife of French President Georges Pompidou was caught up in a dangerous sex scandal with Alain Delon; well, here is the story in great detail. And having read the tale, I feel very sorry for what Claude Pompidou went through.

It took me a little while to get onboard with this example of new journalism. The digressions irritated, rather than informed me. By the end, however, I was riveted.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Literary true crime - fascinating stuff. Marred by typos.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too long imo.

[Ingerlisa]

DNF at 29% … because I’ve lost interest

[Gabi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can post this finally

So long and so bad omgggg it read like a ChatGPT dramatization of an unchangeably boring historical account. I could forgive the historical account thing bc okay if you wanna write a book about something write a book about it, but what is with the dramatic line breaks after EVERY SENTENCE and all the AI-sounding sentence structures? I think this author must just use so much AI that the style has seeped into his own writing and it's not good sorry.

[Sophie Gledstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rise up Hatchardians, we have a winner on our hands

[Sadie McGuire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great story, not great storytelling

[Gordon Barlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled across this one in the bookshop and had to buy it because I loved the design of the cover.

A Patrick Radden Keefe style deep dive into the 'Markovic Affair', the 1968 murder/political scandal involving the death of a friend of Alain Delon, a famous actor. When Stevan Markovic's body is found wrapped in a plastic bag in landfill, police investigate and uncover his close relationship to Delon, links to the Parisian underworld, and even a potential scandal involving the president.

As the title suggests this delves into the glitz, glamour, and crime of Paris in the 60s. It is intentionally slow paced, with the story unfolding gradually, giving you the chance to immerse yourself in that time.

The author Edward Chisolm (from the UK) is obviously a bit of a Francophile, his only other book is about his time working as a waiter in Paris. Some reviews say that the book is a bit bloated, but I think this is intentional as Chisolm has a genuine passion for the subject and a lot to say. This is a book about actors, gangsters, police, and the elite of the time, with the common thread of this murder, rather than the other way around.

The lesson is do judge a book by its cover.

7.5/10 --> 4 stars

[Sharon Jansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling read - a portrait of 1950’s 60’s glamour in France - a kind of dream era of cool elegance and a picture of a murky crossover between high society, criminality and politics. When I began I thought it a bit over eager in its investigation into a little known drama, but was drawn into an intimate and intricate story of those who circled around the extremely beautiful actor Alain Delon and the depth of the scandal it created in France. More mysterious not only for the deaths, but for the relationships between people that still have not ever become clear. A great story, in the end a sad one for all that remains hidden, gotten away with, covered over. It certainly above all is a wonderful immersion into a particular time in place and history.

[Leon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite probably my book of the year.

I had never heard of the Markovic Affair and knew little of Alain Delon but Chisolm beautifully evokes a France long since gone and captures a feel of the frenetic atmosphere of Paris in 1968.

This isn't a history book, albeit that it is well sourced, it is a book about people, both in the glamorous echelons of society and its shady underworld. It is a book about ambition and the lengths people will go to protect status.

Absolutely wonderful.

[Georgette Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This amazing book made me feel as though I had travelled through time. It took me back to France from the 1950s to the 1970s. Before reading it, I never really understood the fascination with French cinema, but now I find myself completely captivated by every film from before and during the Nouvelle Vague.

What makes this book so remarkable is that it isn't a murder mystery—it's about real life. And real life is always filled with love, ambition, dreams, betrayal, hatred, nostalgia, sorrow, and disappointment.

On some level, we are all Stevan Marković. The difference lies in how we choose to play the cards we've been dealt in pursuit of our ambitions. I just hope those ambitions don't end up costing us our lives.

[India Lodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I am in awe of how much research had to have gone into the writing of this book. His exploration of the lines blurred between cinema and reality, and Delon as a representation of characters he played such as Ripley, is completely fascinating. Kind of mad we don’t find out who murdered Markovic but I guess that’s how I goes.

[Steve Marshall]

Such a great read. In the tradition of Truman Capote’s ‘In Cold Blood’, this is a novelisation of a real life murder. But this one includes ‘60s French chic film stars, politicians, revolution and gangsters. I knew nothing of the Markovic Affair, but am now obsessed. My favourite book this year

[Chelsea Telfer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books of the year so far. Amazing.

[Adrian Fingleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as I hoped it would be. A bit meandering and a storyline that was a bit too tenuous to retain my attention. Good sense of time and place though....

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Pearl Chanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought this was really great. Gripping and unsettling with texture - you can smell the cigarettes and coffee and the rain on the cobbled streets-

[annalyse ⋆˙⟡♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s just French people innit

3.5 ⭐️

[Tosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is my review/commentary on Edward Chisholm's "Murder in Paris '68." Read it here:
https://open.substack.com/pub/tosh/p/...

[Pirate · Rating 5 out of 5]

French acting giant Alain Delon played some unsavoury characters. However, perhaps the most unsavoury of all he played was himself. His life ended amidst bitter family infighting and his Japanese lover ejected from the house, rather apt when one reads this book of an earlier episode in his life that for some might have resulted in the end of their careers.
I had heard of the Markovic scandal from the moment I moved to Paris in the mid 90's -- when Delon still possessed his good looks but who had lost the thirst for challenging films and was going through the motions in eminently forgettable fare whilst picking up a huge pay cheque.
However, this superbly written account is an eye opener. I never realised how close Delon came to being charged, that the police set aside how big a star he was and really went after him and that his ties to the French mob went far deeper than 'Ole Blue Eyes' in the US. Sinatra at least was never linked to a hit as Delon was with the murder of Stevan Markovic, his Serbian bodyguard/gopher/lover perhaps and one time friend, though, as Chisholm points out with Delon one could be friends one day and cast aside the next -- unless your name was Francois Marcantoni, former resistant and mob boss and who would be incarcerated for a year on suspicion of murdering Markovic.
The ultimate smoke screen was introduced with the wild claims Georges Pompidou, ex-banker turned politician and seen as the pure as driven snow PM to de Gaulle's president, and his extrovert artistic wife Claude were implicated because of some photographs that were circulating of her at orgies. They had nothing to do with it but time and again someone who claimed to know Markovic or Delon would blacken their names and divert attention away from the film star and his mobster friend.
'St Tropez is over!" the famously fastidious General de G told Pompidou when he first named him PM but Claude would have none of it and ergo why their names became mixed up in the Markovic scandal -- as some parts of the drama were played out in the south of France, including the fatal mistake Markovic made of having an affair with Delon's wife Natalie although the former had said their marriage was over, making it feasible, to those who wanted to believe it, they had become embroiled in the shenanigans.
In the end though the chain smoking Pompidou -- there is barely an image of him without a cigarette in his hand or mouth -- became president and is recalled with great fondness as is his wife. The jury is out on Delon but then would he care? probably not.
This sublime book, which rattles along at a lively pace, will do little for Delon's reputation but it is all the more welcome for being a warts and all telling of a very dark period of French post war history that nearly cost an honourable man the presidency. One wonders whose name would adorn the Pompidou Centre had he been an innocent victim of this affair.....to be discussed!

[jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

format: audiobook

first off, great narration of the audiobook.

this work of narrative non fiction is indeed almost as gripping as a thriller. i was captivated pretty much from start to finish and had quite a few instances of “one more chapter, must know what happens next”.

i very much appreciate the author’s care of trying to bring 1960’s paris to live and explaining the era and its people - without being condescending or judgmental.

i don’t think i agree with the author at the end of the book on stevan marković. just from what i learned through this book, and without any prior knowledge, stevan and milos milos both appeared to be taking advantage of famous/wealthy people, trying to get a free ride. stevan being banned from all the poker circles because he was a known cheat is telling, no? and those letters badmouthing the hand that helped and fed them in order to themselves appear as something they were not aren’t necessarily helping either. then again, they were very young and evidently drawn to the glitz, glamour, and money without understanding that talent and work (and luck) are needed to achieve such status. i am not saying that stevan deserved what happened to him. most definitely not. no one does. but did he really not have a choice to look for a job instead of insisting that money and employment/visa papers are owed to him? unfortunately, it’s next to impossible to know the truth. the earlier letters of stevan are full of posturing, the later letters appear paranoid.

nonetheless, this was a captivating read and the author weaved together all the parts (cinema, politics, culture, the criminal underbelly, loyalties & friendships) so well and made for an absorbing well paced read. truly enjoyed listening to the audiobook and my mind keeps wandering back to it.