A captivating true crime story about an unsolved murder in 1960s Paris that scandalized a nation.
When a body discovered on the outskirts of Paris is identified as a former bodyguard and friend of the enigmatic film star Alain Delon, what begins as a simple murder investigation quickly develops into an explosive political scandal known as the Marković Affair.
With a shady past and a taste for bad company, Alain Delon, dubbed the ‘most beautiful man in the world,’ lives a life on the edge. That Delon shot to international stardom playing the stylish and murderous Tom Ripley does not go unnoticed. Is art imitating life or is life imitating art? And who killed Stevan Marković?
Edward Chisholm, acclaimed author of A Waiter in Paris, draws readers into the shadowy world of late ’60s Paris, conjuring a time of glamour, sports cars, casinos and night clubs inhabited by alluring actresses, petty criminals, high-level gangsters and compromised politicians. The resulting true-life drama is a masterpiece of investigative journalism that reads like a high-stakes thriller.
A captivating true crime story about an unsolved murder in 1960s Paris that scandalized a nation.
When a body discovered on the outskirts of Paris is identified as a former bodyguard and friend of the enigmatic film star Alain Delon, what begins as a simple murder investigation quickly develops into an explosive political scandal known as the Marković Affair.
With a shady past and a taste for bad company, Alain Delon, dubbed the ‘most beautiful man in the world,’ lives a life on the edge. That Delon shot to international stardom playing the stylish and murderous Tom Ripley does not go unnoticed. Is art imitating life or is life imitating art? And who killed Stevan Marković?
Edward Chisholm, acclaimed author of A Waiter in Paris, draws readers into the shadowy world of late ’60s Paris, conjuring a time of glamour, sports cars, casinos and night clubs inhabited by alluring actresses, petty criminals, high-level gangsters and compromised politicians. The resulting true-life drama is a masterpiece of investigative journalism that reads like a high-stakes thriller.
| Published By | House of Anansi Press Inc — Jun 9, 2026 |
| Specifications | 320 pages | 5.5 in x 8.5 in |
| Keywords | True Crime; Hollywood Stories; My Favorite Murder; Cold Cases; Historical True Crime; Hollywood and Crime; La Piscine; Le Samourai; Purple Noon; Talented Mr. Ripley; Say Nothing; Killers of the Flower Moon; The Massey Murder; Parisian Stories; Parisian Murder; Parisian Scandal; A Murder in Hollywood; May 68; |
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Excerpt |
| Written By |
EDWARD CHISHOLM was born in Dorset, England, and moved to Paris in 2012 where he worked all manner of low-paid jobs, from waiting and bar work to museum security and market hand, while trying to build a career as a writer. His memoir, A Waiter in Paris, has sold over 100,000 copies and has been translated into several languages. Now, Chisholm makes a living as a creative director, author and screenwriter, based in Switzerland. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian and the Financial Times magazine. |
| Written By |
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EDWARD CHISHOLM was born in Dorset, England, and moved to Paris in 2012 where he worked all manner of low-paid jobs, from waiting and bar work to museum security and market hand, while trying to build a career as a writer. His memoir, A Waiter in Paris, has sold over 100,000 copies and has been translated into several languages. Now, Chisholm makes a living as a creative director, author and screenwriter, based in Switzerland. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian and the Financial Times magazine. |
“A stylish, intelligent page-turner, as gripping as a thriller film script.” —The Sunday Times
"Orgies, a film star and a body in the woods – the killing that bewitched France. It's a hell of a story.” —The Telegraph
"[A] remarkable book, utterly gripping" —Mail on Sunday
“The murder in question…[is] described with a stylishness appropriate to the air of mystery and danger that Delon radiated." —Strong Words Magazine
“Evocative, gripping and beautifully written. I’ve recommended this book to everyone I know!” —Emerald Fennell
”“Highly original, atmospheric and brilliantly conceived, Murder in Paris ’68, a true story, reads like a tremendous thriller: fascinating, disturbing and shrewdly compelling.” —William Boyd
”“Chisholm's gripping book takes us into a world of gangsters, violence and underworld Parisian conspiracies. It’s a portrait of an entire culture at a single moment in its history, one that is now half-forgotten. A magnificent read.” —Lawrence Osborne
”“A compelling, cinematic real-life noir which reads like a novel, a story which involves sex, politics, media and France’s greatest ever film star. Read it before they make the film.” —Dylan Jones
”“An engrossing book. As in A Waiter in Paris, Edward Chisholm pierces the glitter to find the city’s seamy underside. And unlike the police of the time, he seems to have cracked the case.”—Simon Kuper
”“A tremendous achievement, genre-defining, sexy, supple, scary. Chisholm gets us into the heads of all the characters, with the noir of Ripley and the street style and ineffable cool of the New Wave.” —Jason Solomons
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