How the story of ‘the girl of 100 portraits’ inspired two books

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According to the Guardian, Louise Cansot, known as the 'girl of 100 portraits', was for decades one of Paris's forgotten murder victims. In 1949, police closed the case with moralistic labels and little effort to find the killer. Luc Corlouër, who had researched Cansot's life for years, engaged in a rare act of literary solidarity by sharing his notes with Philippe Jaenada. Jaenada used this research to write his Prix Goncourt-winning novel, 'L’Inconnue du Quai de Javel'. Both authors aimed to rehabilitate Cansot's reputation, which had been unfairly maligned in police reports and contemporary press. They also succeeded in locating Cansot's 80-year-old daughter, Nathalie, and correcting the false narrative her family had provided about her mother.