title: With the Stroke of a Pen: A Story of Ambition, Greed, Infidelity, and the Murder of French Publisher Robert Denoel
author:  A. Louise Staman 
description: On the night of December 2, 1945, Robert Denoel, whose distinguished publishing house was facing charges of collaboration with the Germans, was shot to death on a Paris street. The murder was never solved by police, who initially conducted virtually no investigation. In her first book, Staman, with a master's degree in French and humanities, deftly probes the mystery of the publisher's death, her research leading her to a trove of revelatory documents sealed for decades by the French government. The events she recounts have the makings of a terrific literary detective drama, with walk-on parts by such colorful figures as Anas Nin and featured roles for avant-garde literary figures like Louis-Ferdinand Celine (Denoel's star author) and Antonin Artaud. For the most part, Staman crafts the tale skillfully, vividly portraying characters like Denol's socially ambitious mistress (also mistress to poet Paul Valery) and placing events in the larger context of Paris during the Nazi occupation and the purges of collaborators that followed the city's liberation. But there is a major flaw in Staman's narrative: she insists on inserting herself into the tale, believing her process of research and discovery to be as interesting as Denol's story. Readers will quickly tire of her imagined reconstructions of various scenes ("Of course, I attended the premiere of Les Cens," a play by Artaud) and the insipid dialogue she recreates. Which is too bad, because for those interested in Paris and its publishing scene before and during WWII, Staman's tale has many rewards. 8 pages of b&amp;w photos not seen by PW. <br />Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
zlib_text: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Duke of Debauchery
  
  Sins and Scoundrels  
  Book Five
  
  Scarlett Scott
  
  ![](images/00001.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  © Copyright 2020 by Scarlett Scott
  
  Text by Scarlett Scott
  
  Cover by Wicked Smart Designs
  
  Dragonblade Publishing, Inc. is an imprint of Kathryn Le Veque Novels, Inc.
  
  P.O. Box 7968
  
  La Verne CA 91750
  
  [ceo@dragonbladepublishing.com](mailto:ceo@dragonbladepublishing.com)
  
  Produced in the United States of America
  
  First Edition March 2020
  
  Kindle Edition
  
  Reproduction of any kind except where it pertains to short quotes in relation
  to advertising or promotion is strictly prohibited.
  
  All Rights Reserved.
  
  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any
  similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not
  intended by the author.
  
  License Notes:
  
  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook, once
  purchased, may not be re-sold. If you would like to share this book with
  another person, please purchase an additi