The journalist, author, and filmmaker passionately dissects the keys to her four-decade career in the French criminal underworld. 

Patricia Tourancheau, with a career spanning nearly 40 years, is a renowned crime journalist and author of some of the best true crime books. Despite the tragedies she has encountered, she remains optimistic and finds joy in her work. She spent over three decades at Libération before focusing on her books and documentaries. Tourancheau is known for her rigorous and empathetic approach towards victims and her commitment to truth and depth. Her work includes a monumental book titled Le Grêlé about François Verove, a serial killer and rapist who was actually a police officer, and the story of Guy Georges, known as the Beast of Bastille. Tourancheau’s unique approach to true crime involves focusing on the victims rather than herself. Her recent book, Kim et les papys braqueurs, covers the famous jewel heist of Kim Kardashian in Paris in 2014. Among her memorable stories is the unlikely connection between Michel Fourniret, one of France’s worst killers, and a group of legendary thieves, a story she first broke in Libération. Tourancheau’s work has also led to unexpected rewards, such as a victim agreeing to appear in one of her productions after seeing how she treated other victims in her book. Despite the many cases she has covered, she continues to pursue the next great story with the same passion as she did four decades ago.