Eric A. Arnold Jr., University of Denver:
Without the slightest doubt, this is one of the best and most thoroughly enjoyable books that I have read in a considerable period of time. Burton has, in Blood in the City, provided the thoughtful and curious reader an outstanding read that is well worth the time to peruse it.... I enthusiastically recommend this superb book to all students of French history, as well as to the serious tourist who intends to visit Paris.... Blood in the City would be an excellent addition to academic libraries, particularly those that support study abroad in Paris, and medium to large libraries.
Stanley Hoffmann, Harvard University:
This astonishing and compelling book is both a graphic study of the many forms and waves of violence that have swept Paris since 1789, and a subtle, imaginative interpretation of the bloody rituals that have marked the long contest between embittered Catholics and anticlericals still deeply marked by France's catholic culture.
Bertrand Taithe, University of Manchester:
One of the most engaging features of the book is the way in which it recasts religion as a central interpretative agent of nineteenth-century French history... Stimulating and interesting.
Burton evokes the temper of those vitriolic times through skillful analysis of the works of the Parisian literati... to prove that the storming of the Bastille unleashed a legacy of violent political upheavals.... Provocative.... This unique work is a worthwhile purchase for both academic and public libraries.
Mark Ford, Author of Raymond Roussel and the Republic of Dreams:
Blood in the City presents an enthralling account of the atavistic myths underpinning the series of bloody revolutions that, paradoxically, ended up turning Paris into the crucible of modernity. Through his brilliant analysis of Paris's cultural, political, and literary history, Richard D. E. Burton has created a seamless and gripping narrative that makes compelling sense of a century and a half of Parisian violence.
Edmund White:
An extraordinary recent book is Richard D. E. Burton's Blood in the City, a chilling and erudite study of lynching, execution, suicide and murder in Paris, including events from the decapitation of Louis XVI to the assassination and executions of the postwar épuration.
Martin Hurcombe, University of Bristol:
The outstanding achievement of this work is that its author revitalizes the Parisian landscape through a highly accessible and well-written account of cultural history. It therefore succeeds both as narrative and as an academic study deserving to feature prominently on the reading list of any student of French cultural history as well as that of any informed visitor to Paris.
An intricate, absorbing, and multi-faceted analysis of the literary, political, and cultural fury that animated Paris during the years of the 19th and 20th centuries.... Rewarding to the very last syllable, Blood in the City is a testament to outstanding historical scholarship.