Description
In Murder in the MA (c)tro, Gayle K. Brunelle and Annette Finley-Croswhite unravel Toureaux's complicated and mysterious life, assessing her complex identity within the larger political context of the time. They follow the trail of Toureaux's murder investigation to the ComitA (c) Secret d'Action RA (c)volutionnaire, a secret right-wing political organization popularly known as the Cagoule, or ""hooded ones."" Obsessed with the Communist threat they perceived in the growing power of labor unions and the French left wing, the Cagoule's leaders aimed to overthrow France's Third Republic and install an authoritarian regime allied with Italy. With Mussolini as their ally and Italian fascism as their model, they did not shrink from committing violent crimes and fomenting terror to accomplish their goal. In 1936, Toureaux -- at the behest of the French police -- infiltrated this dangerous group of terrorists and seduced one of its leaders, Gabriel Jeantet, to gain more information. This operation, the authors show, eventually cost Toureaux her life. The tale of Laetitia Toureaux epitomizes the turbulence of 1930s France, as the country prepared for a war most people dreaded but assumed would come. This period, therefore, generated great anxiety but also offered new opportunities -- and risks -- to Toureaux as she embraced the identity of a ""modern"" woman. The authors unravel her murder as they detail her story and that of the Cagoule, within the popular culture and conflicted politics of 1930s France.
By examining documents related to Toureaux's murder -- documents the French government has sealed from public view until 2038 -- Brunelle and Finley-Croswhite link Toureaux's death not only to the Cagoule but also to the Italian secret service, for whom she acted as an informant. Their research provides likely answers to the question of the identity of Toureaux's murderer and offers a fascinating look at the dark and dangerous streets of pre--World War II Paris.
About the Author
Gayle K. Brunelle, professor of history at California State University at Fullerton, is the author of The New World Merchants of Rouen, 1559--1630 and Samuel de Champlain: Founder of New France.
Annette Finley-Croswhite is a professor of history at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. She is the author of Henry IV and the Towns: The Pursuit of Legitimacy in French Urban Society, 1589--1610.
Book Information
ISBN 9780807145616
Author Gayle K. Brunelle
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint Louisiana State University Press
Publisher Louisiana State University Press