A new novel, Si près de la lumière by Stéphane Keller, explores the tense and shadowy world of occupied Paris in 1943, centered around the mysterious murders of two young women near the Boulogne-Billancourt cinema studios. The first victim, Valentine Ballard, was the stage name of an actress who was killed on the evening of December 31, 1943, with seven stab wounds. The investigation is led by Inspector Bordier, a character with a complicated personal history, who must navigate the dangerous and morally ambiguous landscape of wartime Paris. The story weaves in various figures from the artistic and film industries of the time, including Alfred Greven, who managed film studios under the direction of Joseph Goebbels, a high-ranking official in Nazi Germany. Other notable figures include Robert Le Vigan and actors such as Simone Signoret and Suzy Delair, who were prominent in French cinema. The novel also touches on the collaborationist environment of the era, focusing on the Continental Films studios, which later became the UGC, a major cinema chain in France. The narrative revisits the Luchaire family, particularly Corinne Luchaire, a pre-war actress and daughter of Jean Luchaire, who was known for his collaboration with the occupying forces as a press figure. The book is set during a time when the occupation of France was no longer viewed as an amusing or glamorous experience, and the lives of women in the entertainment industry were marked by uncertainty and difficulty. The story is described as a novel of atmosphere and era, with a bitter tone that reflects the disillusionment of the time. Keller's work captures the mood of 1940s Paris, where the weight of the war and the moral compromises of the occupation shaped the lives of those living under Nazi rule. Through the lens of a murder mystery, the novel offers a glimpse into the complexities of human behavior during one of the most challenging periods in French history.