Stavisky: A Confidence Man in the Republic of Virtue

A confidence man with a long police record - who had escaped trial because of the influence of his powerful friends - Stavisky saw his final get-rich scheme collapse in 1933. His unexplained death in an Alpine hideout gave new credence to rumors that he had been abetted and protected by leading politicians. The scandal grew even uglier when the mutilated corpse of a judge connected to the case was found on a railroad track. Jankowski recounts Stavisky's notorious schemes and untimely demise, the deadly riot that rocked Paris in its wake, the fall of successive governments including that of Edouard Daladier, and the spectacular trial of many of the swindler's accomplices. "Much against his will, Sacha Stavisky," the author observes, "ignited an explosion that briefly engulfed the entire system of government."