Crimson Petticoats

The Betrayal, Brutality and Bloodshed Behind the French Maid Massacres (Ryan Green's True Crime)

By: Ryan Green

Narrated by: Steve White

In 1861, the police of a rural French village tore their way into the woodside home of Martin Dumollard. Inside, they found chaos. Paths had been carved through mounds of bloodstained clothing, reaching as high as the ceiling in some places.

The officers assumed that the mysterious maid-robber had killed one woman but failed in his other attempts. Yet, it was becoming sickeningly clear that there was a vast gulf between the crimes they were aware of and the ones that had truly been committed.

Would Dumollard’s wife expose his dark secret or was she inextricably linked to the atrocities? Whatever the circumstances, everyone was desperate to discover whether the bloody garments belonged to some of the 648 missing women.

Crimson Petticoats is a chilling account of Martin Dumollard and one of the most disturbing true crime stories in French history. Ryan Green’s riveting narrative draws the listener into the real-live horror experienced by the victims and has all the elements of a classic thriller.

CAUTION: This book contains descriptive accounts of torture, abuse, and violence. If you are especially sensitive to this material, it might be advisable not to listen any further.

©2022 Ryan Green (P)2022 Ryan Green

De profundis, indeed!

In another profoundly disturbing yet exceptionally engrossing exposé Ryan Green details the vicious crimes of Martin Dumollard, a French serial killer who was responsible for numerous brutal deaths of young maids between the years of 1855 and 1861. With the help and guidance of his wife, Marie-Anne Dumollard née Martinet, Martin lured young women from their homes in Lyon with the promise of well-paid jobs as maids at a nice château in Côtière. Unable to believe their good fortune, the young ladies readily packed up all their worldly possessions and headed off with this man into the countryside. Sadly, the promised job was only fiction and they were never again seen by their loved ones. Their deaths were violent and bloody. Martin would return home to his wife with all the young woman’s clothing and jewelry which would then be sold off. The body of one victim, Marie-Eulalie Bussod, was found in such a grim state as to horrify the community and prompt them to erect a memorial wooden cross with her name, the date of her murder, February 25, 1861, and the date of her proper burial on August 2 of that year, followed by the inscription: De profundis (Latin for 'from the depths' – a heartfelt cry of sorrow and anguish). It is unknown exactly how many women met a similar grisly fate at his hands. The volume of clothing, some still bloodstained, and other personal effects found in the Dumollard home by authorities, suggests that the Dumollards were responsible for a massive measure of human suffering. This fascinating and grisly story is presented in sharp prose depicting the unvarnished facts of a truly monstrous pair of individuals who lacked any regard or compassion for human life. The story clearly represents the culmination of a prodigious amount of research and clips along at a brisk pace which holds your undivided attention from start to finish. After having read this book I was presented with the opportunity to listen to the audio version narrated by Steve White. As is always the case, Mr. White provided an excellent reading that transports the listener to another place and time to experience the events described like a movie playing out in your mind. You can never go wrong with Ryan Green for a finely crafted, no-punches-pulled, comprehensive account of some of the worst individuals to ever blot the pages of history and Steve White is the perfect voice to bring these riveting tales to life. I highly recommend this book and audiobook to any enthusiast of true crime literature.

French Maid Murders

Another well-written and deeply disturbing book by my favorite true crime author, Ryan Green. This is the tale of a serial killer in France in the 1860's. It is hard to say how many women he actually killed, but his story will sends chills through the reader. Martin Dumollard lured young women by offering them good paying jobs as maids on an estate. Little did they realize that his true motive was something much more horrific!

The book also delves into the debate of nature versus nurture and the descriptions of the scholars of the time are probably some of the first records of this ongoing debate.

Mr. Green has done a lot of research into this story, digging through historical records and filling in blanks along the way in order to make it highly readable. Some might fault the author for "embellishing" the facts, but for anyone who enjoys reading true crime, often involving little known events, I highly recommend any of his books.

The narrator, Steve White, has become the voice for Mr. Green's true crime books and he does his usual fantastic job with this one. His performance with perfect pacing and voice makes an already great book even better!

Couldn't stop listening!

I had never heard of Martin Dumollard before now. What a story! From his brother dying at a young age to witnessing his father's execution at the age of 4 and struggling to survive with mother, Martin's life was tragic. What made him rape, murder, & rob young women and just how many did he really kill?

Murder most foul in the French countryside

Leave it to my man Green to find a heinous serial killer in 1860's beautiful rural France. Here, in what is arguably one of the world's loveliest landscapes, Mr. Green uncovers murder so foul, it could only have been perpetuated by a man as equally gruesome as his crimes. Juxtaposed upon the scene is a pretty young maid with all her worldly possessions in tow and a beast of a man, hunched backed and hairy with what could be described as a snarling lip. The odd couple, total strangers and totally alone, are now far from the town that had drawn their fates together. A vulnerable and often naive young maid at the mercy of what would come to be described as a true-life monster. Thus, is the scene that will play out, time and time again, in Mr. Green's latest TC tale of horror. It is, once again, a journey to another time and place that Green transports us to so vividly with his atmospheric descriptions and detailed nuances. It is a special gift Green possesses to craft the scene so well you actually feel as if you are there in 1860's rural France, 1970's Australia, 1850's Wild West, or 1940's Nazis occupied Paris. Green has the talent to fully immerse the reader in his time and place that the story always feels organic. So if you haven't read anything by Green before, I recommend you start, you will NOT be disappointed. You will have a new favorite author! Kudos to his vocal companion Steve White, who is on par with the likes of Kevin Pierce. Together Green and White are a dynamic duo!

Not particularly engaging

Perhaps it was the style, or the perspective the author chose, in which to present the crimes and the criminals, but it just never took hold. There is rarely any drama, or jeopardy, onto which the listener can grab hold. And only at the end when the author makes what I can only suppose was meant to be a jolting opinion about the crime, is there even the slightest sense of swerve or surprise. He would have been better off using that conjecture as the framework for the story.