Publisher Description

A new translation of this gripping tale of deception in an isolated community, part of the new Maigret series'She came forward, the outlines of her figure blurred in the half-light. She came forward like a film star, or rather like the ideal woman in an adolescent's dream. 'I gather you wish to talk to me, Inspector . . . but first of all please sit down . . .' Her accent was more pronounced than Carl's. Her voice sang, dropping on the last syllable of the longer words.'Maigret has been interrogating Carl Andersen for seventeen hours without a confession. He's either innocent or a very good liar. So why was the body of a diamond merchant found at his isolated mansion? Why is his sister always shut away in her room? And why does everyone at Three Widows Crossroads have something to hide?

Notes

A new edition, part of the ongoing new Maigret series which will see all 75 novels in authentic and gritty new translations.

Author Biography

Georges Simenon was born in Li ge, Belgium, in 1903. He is best known in Britain as the author of the Maigret novels and his prolific output of over 400 novels and short stories have made him a household name in continental Europe. He died in 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he had lived for the latter part of his life.

Review

Compelling, remorseless, brilliant. -- John Gray
One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories. * Guardian *
A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness. * Independent *

Promotional

On the outskirts of Paris, a sensational crime in an isolated neighbourhood becomes the focus of Maigret's investigation. But the strange behaviour of an enigmatic Danish aristocrat and his reclusive sister prove to be even more troubling.

Review Quote

Praise for Georges Simenon "One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories." -- The Guardian "These Maigret books are as timeless as Paris itself." --The Washington Post "Maigret ranks with Holmes and Poirot in the pantheon of fictional detective immortals." --People "I love reading Simenon. He makes me think of Chekhov." --William Faulkner "The greatest of all, the most genuine novelist we have had in literature." --Andr

Promotional "Headline"

On the outskirts of Paris, a sensational crime in an isolated neighbourhood becomes the focus of Maigret's investigation. But the strange behaviour of an enigmatic Danish aristocrat and his reclusive sister prove to be even more troubling.

Excerpt from Book

1. The Black Monocle Detective Chief Inspector Maigret was sitting with his elbows on the desk, and when he pushed his chair back with a tired sigh, the interrogation of Carl Andersen had been going on for exactly seventeen hours. Through the bare windows he had observed at first the throng of salesgirls and office workers storming the little restaurants of Place Saint-Michel at noon, then the afternoon lull, the mad six o''clock rush to the M

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