On November 16, 1980, the Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser strangled his wife in their Parisian apartment, in a period when she was thinking of leaving him. What do we know about Hélène Legotien today? Almost nothing, except that she was murdered by her illustrious spouse. In a sense, Althusser killed her twice, first, by his own hands and second, by dominating the public space to talk about himself. ↵ ↵ What then is the political significance of this femicide and the discourse about it which has taken shape in the public space? Delving into the writings of the murderer and his allies in the French intelligentsia, Killer Althusser reasserts the patriarchal violence of the murder, masculine solidarity, and the complacency of a cultural elite. “This book explores the mundane invisibilization of male violence against women through an examination of the killing of Hélène Legotien by Louis Althusser. Francis Dupuis-Déri highlights Legotien’s life and work, challenging the erasure of women who are victimized by male violence. A sharp focus on this one case provides a vibrant example of the operation of masculine solidarity so central to the process of hiding male violence against women and gendered violence in plain sight.” ↵ – Alan Sears, author of Eros and Alienation: Capitalism and the Making of Gendered Sexualities ↵ “ Killer Althusser is a brilliant book. Dupuis-Déri deftly deploys the case of Hélène Legotien, who was murdered by philosopher Louis Althusser—with little consequence to his fame or stature—to lay bare the persistent and violent effects of male supremacy. This vital book is a burst of justice and love and deserves the widest audience possible.” ↵ – James K. Rowe, associate professor, School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria Francis Dupuis-Déri teaches political science and feminist studies at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). He is the co-director of the Chantier sur l’antiféminisme, of the Réseau québécois en études féministes (RéQEF), and the author of many books on democracy, social movements, and antifeminism. He lives in Montreal, Quebec. Mélissa Bull is a writer, editor, and translator based in Montreal. She has published a collection of poetry, Rue, a collection of short stories, The Knockoff Eclipse , and has translated such works as Nelly Arcan’s collection Burqa of Skin and Marie-Sissi Labrèche’s novel Borderline . Her translation of Maxime Raymond Bock’s novel, Morel , was a finalist for the 2024 Governor General’s Award.