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The Man Who Faked His Life
Jean-Claude Romand appeared to have everything: a beautiful wife, two children and a prestigious job as a doctor at the World Health Organisation. But it was all a lie. For 18 years he had lived a torturous double life, and when it finally began to unravel the result was fatal. The Man Who Faked His Life reveals how one trivial lie led a man to murder his entire family.
When Romand's wife, children and parents were found murdered, no one could understand why. But as the police investigated they discovered that Jean-Claude Romand didn't work at the WHO, nor had he worked in the hospitals in Paris as he claimed: he wasn't even a doctor. Finally he revealed the truth behind his double life.
The fatal turning point had come one morning in 1975. He couldn't face a crucial medical exam and stayed in bed. Unable to bear those closest to him finding out, he told them he had passed, a lie that would set in motion a lifetime of deceit. Romand convinced everyone he had qualified as a doctor and had gained a high status post at the WHO. Every day he set off for work – but he would drive off into the countryside or wander around the public areas of the WHO. Romand paid for his lifestyle by taking money from family and friends who thought he was investing it for them in a Swiss bank account. But as the money ran out and his secret world began to crumble, Romand took the only, terrible, route he thought was left to him.
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The Adversary by Emmanuel Carrere (Bloomsbury, 2001)
This well-reviewed book delves into the mysteries of Romand's mind - why did he feel obliged to go on living a lie and finally kill the people he loved most? Respected crime writer Carrere provides a mesmerising account of the nature of human identity, delusion and evil.
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This well-reviewed book delves into the mysteries of Romand's mind - why did he feel obliged to go on living a lie and finally kill the people he loved most? Respected crime writer Carrere provides a mesmerising account of the nature of human identity, delusion and evil.
Get this book
The Anatomy of Motive by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker (Pocket Star Books, 2000)
A dramatic look at the development and evolution of the criminal mind. The authors offer insight into the twisted kind of thinking that can lead a person to believe that the solution to his problems lies in bloodshed.
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A dramatic look at the development and evolution of the criminal mind. The authors offer insight into the twisted kind of thinking that can lead a person to believe that the solution to his problems lies in bloodshed.
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Mapping Murder: Walking in Killers' Footsteps by David Canter (Virgin Books, 2005)
In this book, the author lifts the lid on geographical profiling, explaining how this new approach to solving crimes is changing both the way police think and work, and our understanding of the criminal mind.
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In this book, the author lifts the lid on geographical profiling, explaining how this new approach to solving crimes is changing both the way police think and work, and our understanding of the criminal mind.
Get this book
