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Murder Without Pity
Paris, France at the beginning of the second dark with fog, riots over police killings, and Far Right demagogues frightening the confused. Such is the milieu surrounding dogged state criminal investigator Stanislas Cassel at the Palace of Justice. However, this grandson of a French propagandist for the Nazis during their Occupation, ashamed of his family's infamy, avoids anything political. Instead he buries himself tracking down perpetrators of small crimes, which he calls his Little Miseries. One current dossier involves a pensioner's bizarre murder. During his pursuit for the killer/s, Cassel meets a beautiful Jewish woman, whose family was shipped to a death camp in 1942. Haunted by man's inhumanity, she tries to alert him to the Far Right's reemergence, but to no avail. Only when tragedy strikes does he awake to his blindness and understand a a larger evil beyond his Little Miseries as the Occupation portended, lurks. Murder Without Pity mixes historical fact with fiction. A story about the past, the present, betrayal, murder, and redemption, it is not your everyday mystery novel.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 7, 2021
This is a slow moving suspense which action takes place against a background of violence and riots in Paris after an Austrian right winger was acquitted by jury. State criminal investigator, Stanislas Cassel, grandson of a French propagandist for the Nazis during WW11, looks into the bizarre murder of a pensioner... what will his investigation uncover?
Drawn from tragic lives of actual people this story is nevertheless fictional it’s a mix of mystery about the past, the present and about a little of everything: murder, betrayal, redemption and particularly of “who- dun-it”. This is a convoluted drama that brings to light how suffering and violence continue long after the war ended. . It may be a plus to be familiar with the Vichy Government politics during the war years and what the French citizens had to face.
The story centres mainly on Stanislas Cassel with all his faults and qualities especially his determination to get to the bottom of this case. In the course of his investigation he finds out the murdered man was keeping boxes of notes, documents and folders in German. Was this man a traitor? Why was he killed? Of course you will have to read the book to find out...
I had a hard time getting into this book it was all over the place and in no time it had lost interest. They were too many characters popping out of nowhere and too many treads that did not match...or was it that I had lost all interest by then. Yes I read it to the last words and today writing my thought I still question why did I last so long with a story that seemed at first interesting but that soon turned out to be a painful college English assignment.
This definitely was not a preferred book but it may be yours so don’t take my words have a look for yourself
Drawn from tragic lives of actual people this story is nevertheless fictional it’s a mix of mystery about the past, the present and about a little of everything: murder, betrayal, redemption and particularly of “who- dun-it”. This is a convoluted drama that brings to light how suffering and violence continue long after the war ended. . It may be a plus to be familiar with the Vichy Government politics during the war years and what the French citizens had to face.
The story centres mainly on Stanislas Cassel with all his faults and qualities especially his determination to get to the bottom of this case. In the course of his investigation he finds out the murdered man was keeping boxes of notes, documents and folders in German. Was this man a traitor? Why was he killed? Of course you will have to read the book to find out...
I had a hard time getting into this book it was all over the place and in no time it had lost interest. They were too many characters popping out of nowhere and too many treads that did not match...or was it that I had lost all interest by then. Yes I read it to the last words and today writing my thought I still question why did I last so long with a story that seemed at first interesting but that soon turned out to be a painful college English assignment.
This definitely was not a preferred book but it may be yours so don’t take my words have a look for yourself
dnf
April 28, 2017I am DNFing this book. I just have not been able to get into and my mind wanders while I'm reading and then I have to go back and reread a page because I get lost. So I'm giving up on it.
May 4, 2020
Too Convoluted .
The plot is good but the construction is so convoluted and characters popping in without clear introduction make this book difficult to follow. Unclear transitions.
The plot is good but the construction is so convoluted and characters popping in without clear introduction make this book difficult to follow. Unclear transitions.
March 25, 2018
MURDER WITHOUT PITY is a mystery of “who done it” proportions that defies the readers’ sense of reality. In France, where the German occupation still injures and tears apart families and foes, alike, an inspector works in a world of impending violence to root out the criminals in the post-war era. The inspector calls his cases “little miseries” as he remains tethered to their dangers and intrigue.
Yet, this same inspector has a family secret that impels him to be surrounded by body guards who follow him everywhere. Witnesses come out of the shadows, each bearing the hidden knowledge of crimes and sorrows from the war. No one is untouched by the German occupation and the ideological, political mix-ups that shaped the thinking of its murderous participants.
Boucher, a well-off citizen who is investigated for his war participation, is a crafty dodger of the law, as the inspector dogs him relentlessly. There is a certain sympathy that grows for this Boucher character because the author reveals his fears, uncertainty, and urges to flee, as he instead, faces his fate, The foreshadowing of his prediction is well-expressed by the author when Boucher takes a walk one evening.
“Near the start of its muddy footpath, he hesitated. Branches of enormous oaks had sagged near their tops under the onslaught of dew; far below blotches of mist near the ground menaced into swirls. He scolded himself for his child’s fears and tramped ahead through the muck”.
Murder Without Pity does a good job of showing how suffering and violence continue long after a war is over. One disappointment: although the book hints at desires and promising rendezvous’s, romance never heats up. Perhaps romance would lighten the mood and give a reprieve from the agony of the political unrest and constant danger in the book. Yet, for mystery readers who enjoy suspense and constant conspiracies, this book delivers.
Yet, this same inspector has a family secret that impels him to be surrounded by body guards who follow him everywhere. Witnesses come out of the shadows, each bearing the hidden knowledge of crimes and sorrows from the war. No one is untouched by the German occupation and the ideological, political mix-ups that shaped the thinking of its murderous participants.
Boucher, a well-off citizen who is investigated for his war participation, is a crafty dodger of the law, as the inspector dogs him relentlessly. There is a certain sympathy that grows for this Boucher character because the author reveals his fears, uncertainty, and urges to flee, as he instead, faces his fate, The foreshadowing of his prediction is well-expressed by the author when Boucher takes a walk one evening.
“Near the start of its muddy footpath, he hesitated. Branches of enormous oaks had sagged near their tops under the onslaught of dew; far below blotches of mist near the ground menaced into swirls. He scolded himself for his child’s fears and tramped ahead through the muck”.
Murder Without Pity does a good job of showing how suffering and violence continue long after a war is over. One disappointment: although the book hints at desires and promising rendezvous’s, romance never heats up. Perhaps romance would lighten the mood and give a reprieve from the agony of the political unrest and constant danger in the book. Yet, for mystery readers who enjoy suspense and constant conspiracies, this book delivers.
June 11, 2017
This is certainly not a fast or easy read. I even feel I might benefit from re-reading the book to cover some of the points I missed. It helped that I have read a lot of books dealing with France and Belgium during the war years and have some familiarity with some of the Vichy Government politics during that period. The book describes some of the conflicting feelings people have even 40 years or more after the war and that not everything is black or white, a lot of grey areas in between.
July 21, 2012
Steve Haberman’s debut novel is a mystery with interesting twists and turns that keeps the reader engaged.
Set in Paris, France Inspector Stanislas Cassel is tasked with an investigation to solve the murder of Leon Pincus and elderly pensioner. After being warned to back off of the questioning of a prominent witness to the murder Cassel is more determined to solve the case no matter the possible threat to his well being.
Ashamed of his family’s history of collusion with the Nazi’s Cassel does everything to keep out of the public’s scrutiny in order to for fear of reprisal. When he meets Anna Attali, a woman whose entire family was taken and killed by Germans for being Jewish Cassel finds himself more ashamed of his ties to his grandfather.
In the course of the investigation Cassel finds the murdered man was keeping boxes of documents, books and newspapers in a storage locker and folders for two prominent men filled with moments of meetings and telegrams with notes in German scrolled across the pages. Against his better judgement Cassel calls in Anna Attali to translate the documents which reveal the suspect in Pincus’s murder is a traitor to France using his position as a civil servant to help the Germans hunt down anti-Nazi’s. In becoming involved with the investigation surrounding Leon Pincus’s murder Anna becomes the next victim of the murderer.
Stepping up the investigations into the two murders, Cassel gets close enough to solving the case that he too is targeted in an effort to keep him silent and narrowly escapes an attempt on his life. More determined than ever Cassel pieces together the clues and moves to arrest the guilty parties before they can kill again to keep their secret.
While the story was well executed I found myself unable to make a connection with the characters. The background given for the main players was a little flat, with only the basic information mainly focusing on their family ties to WWII. Fog played a large role in each of the settings but the mention of it so often overrides the focus on the more important details.
All in all for a first novel Steve Haberman shows his talent in the mystery genre. He provides a great read with a storyline you can sink your teeth into. The book is a quick read and would be one that you could easily enjoy while sitting on the patio or snuggled under a blanket on a rainy day and come away satisfied.
ISBN: 9780983983705 (paperback) 978-1410740526(eBook) B0080UM456 Genre: Mystery (320 pages) Publisher: Circumspect Press Price: $18.95/$3.25
Disclaimer:'Murder Without Pity' was given to me by the author for an honest review.
Set in Paris, France Inspector Stanislas Cassel is tasked with an investigation to solve the murder of Leon Pincus and elderly pensioner. After being warned to back off of the questioning of a prominent witness to the murder Cassel is more determined to solve the case no matter the possible threat to his well being.
Ashamed of his family’s history of collusion with the Nazi’s Cassel does everything to keep out of the public’s scrutiny in order to for fear of reprisal. When he meets Anna Attali, a woman whose entire family was taken and killed by Germans for being Jewish Cassel finds himself more ashamed of his ties to his grandfather.
In the course of the investigation Cassel finds the murdered man was keeping boxes of documents, books and newspapers in a storage locker and folders for two prominent men filled with moments of meetings and telegrams with notes in German scrolled across the pages. Against his better judgement Cassel calls in Anna Attali to translate the documents which reveal the suspect in Pincus’s murder is a traitor to France using his position as a civil servant to help the Germans hunt down anti-Nazi’s. In becoming involved with the investigation surrounding Leon Pincus’s murder Anna becomes the next victim of the murderer.
Stepping up the investigations into the two murders, Cassel gets close enough to solving the case that he too is targeted in an effort to keep him silent and narrowly escapes an attempt on his life. More determined than ever Cassel pieces together the clues and moves to arrest the guilty parties before they can kill again to keep their secret.
While the story was well executed I found myself unable to make a connection with the characters. The background given for the main players was a little flat, with only the basic information mainly focusing on their family ties to WWII. Fog played a large role in each of the settings but the mention of it so often overrides the focus on the more important details.
All in all for a first novel Steve Haberman shows his talent in the mystery genre. He provides a great read with a storyline you can sink your teeth into. The book is a quick read and would be one that you could easily enjoy while sitting on the patio or snuggled under a blanket on a rainy day and come away satisfied.
ISBN: 9780983983705 (paperback) 978-1410740526(eBook) B0080UM456 Genre: Mystery (320 pages) Publisher: Circumspect Press Price: $18.95/$3.25
Disclaimer:'Murder Without Pity' was given to me by the author for an honest review.
June 20, 2017
Reviewed For Readers Favourite by Grant Leishman
Murder Without Pity by Steve Haberman takes us to the Paris of today, a city struggling to come to terms, like many European Cities, with its multi-ethnic and multi-cultural melting pot. There is a strong populist movement of the Far Right gaining notoriety and ascendancy in Paris. State criminal investigator Stanislas Cassel is well noted around the Palaces of Justice for his dogged determination and inability to be swayed by rhetoric. Facts and evidence are the grist of his life. Haunted by the stain of his grandfather’s propaganda on behalf of the Nazi’s during World War II, Cassel knows well that memories in France are long and bitter, especially when collaborators with the Nazi’s are concerned. Little does he realise when he begins his latest “little misery” investigating the strange death of a nondescript pensioner, what doors and problems will be opened along the way.
I found the setting of Haberman’s Murder Without Pity to be dark and gritty, perhaps reflecting the same feelings of the people of France as they came to terms with the rise of political violence and the emergence of a powerful Far Right movement. Paris, it seemed, was eternally shrouded in a damp, clinging and chilling fog and this fit in perfectly with the tone of the story. This book was almost totally about the main character, Stanislas Cassel and I found the author did an excellent job of painting this character, with his limp and his permanent tiredness, but also his determination to seek the truth in this particular case. I was surprised that the anti—collaborator sentiment was still so strong amongst the people, despite the war being so many years ago, but not being French, I guess that could well be the case. Murder Without Pity was a good, solid, mystery, well worth solving.
Murder Without Pity by Steve Haberman takes us to the Paris of today, a city struggling to come to terms, like many European Cities, with its multi-ethnic and multi-cultural melting pot. There is a strong populist movement of the Far Right gaining notoriety and ascendancy in Paris. State criminal investigator Stanislas Cassel is well noted around the Palaces of Justice for his dogged determination and inability to be swayed by rhetoric. Facts and evidence are the grist of his life. Haunted by the stain of his grandfather’s propaganda on behalf of the Nazi’s during World War II, Cassel knows well that memories in France are long and bitter, especially when collaborators with the Nazi’s are concerned. Little does he realise when he begins his latest “little misery” investigating the strange death of a nondescript pensioner, what doors and problems will be opened along the way.
I found the setting of Haberman’s Murder Without Pity to be dark and gritty, perhaps reflecting the same feelings of the people of France as they came to terms with the rise of political violence and the emergence of a powerful Far Right movement. Paris, it seemed, was eternally shrouded in a damp, clinging and chilling fog and this fit in perfectly with the tone of the story. This book was almost totally about the main character, Stanislas Cassel and I found the author did an excellent job of painting this character, with his limp and his permanent tiredness, but also his determination to seek the truth in this particular case. I was surprised that the anti—collaborator sentiment was still so strong amongst the people, despite the war being so many years ago, but not being French, I guess that could well be the case. Murder Without Pity was a good, solid, mystery, well worth solving.
September 24, 2012
Stanislas Cassel in the French justice department has been persuaded by thugs with German accents to give a certain witness, Louis Boucher, an easy time when he is interviewed about a murder case. Which, of course, as well as scaring him, only makes him investigate further. So he redoubles his attempts to find out why seemingly harmless pensioner Léon Pincus was murdered. He begins to unearth connections that go back to the occupation. This becomes difficult for Stansislas, himself the grandchild of a collabo, and he realises he is opening himself to danger and criticism. Up to now he has tried to keep a low profile, and busy himself with dealing with minor crimes. But he has to meet this challenge for the sake of justice and redemption. As a friend quotes, “But if I am for myself only, then what am I?” There is a greater good.
Based on actual events, the action takes place against a contemporary background of violence and riots in Paris due to Austrian right winger being acquitted by jury. The far right is rising again and causing a lot of unrest. There is tension and a dark, brooding atmosphere throughout the novel. The story’s character’s develop. Cassel seems dry and remote to start with, but his personality and moral goodness emerge. Other people are gradually revealed in their true colours, with some surprises for the reader. There is a respectable, almost old fashioned feeling to the writing initially, to match Cassel himself, but like him, its power soon becomes apparent. This is an unusual and gripping novel, superbly written and a thought-provoking pleasure to read.
Based on actual events, the action takes place against a contemporary background of violence and riots in Paris due to Austrian right winger being acquitted by jury. The far right is rising again and causing a lot of unrest. There is tension and a dark, brooding atmosphere throughout the novel. The story’s character’s develop. Cassel seems dry and remote to start with, but his personality and moral goodness emerge. Other people are gradually revealed in their true colours, with some surprises for the reader. There is a respectable, almost old fashioned feeling to the writing initially, to match Cassel himself, but like him, its power soon becomes apparent. This is an unusual and gripping novel, superbly written and a thought-provoking pleasure to read.
April 26, 2017
This is a very fast moving murder mystery set in Paris, France. The city of love isn't so much in this book.. For a first time novel this is quite a good story I will be excited to read the next book he writes Thank you Steve!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews