Landru, 6h10 temps clair

He is the most famous serial killer in France’s history. And yet he almost escaped justice. Henri-Désiré Landru (1869-1922) slipped through everyone’s fingers and was only caught through the insight of inspector Belin, who saw through the many fantastic disguises -Guillet, Frémiet, an insurance agent, a garage mechanic, etc. – the monster woman-killer. Landru would bait them by proposing to marry them through small ads in the press. He would eliminate them before selling their goods. The exhibits that were used to condemn him are shown and published in this catalogue, in particular his small notebook in which he wrote the victims’ names and his small, detailed sheets. When he retired to his sinister villa of Gambais, in the Yvelines area, Landru bought a round-trip ticket for himself, a one-way for the sweetheart of the day… Unfortunately though the most famous charges against him – the famous stove in which it seems he burned his victims’ bones was sold at an auction following Landru’s trial, it was bought by a fairground owner and has not been seen since…

• Landru, 6h10 temps clair, by Eric Yung, éditions Télémaque/Musée des lettres et manuscrits, 2013, 256 p., €24.90