The Night at the Crossroads (Inspector Maigret Book 6)

I have previously reviewed The Yellow Dog, the sixth Maigret novel. It reveals a deeper insight into Maigret and his creator, Georges Simenon. The Night at the Crossroads is the one that follows, and it explores more of the human soul. As the facts unravel the mystery, Maigret unravels the personalities of the people involved in the crime. A Crime in Holland comes next, and then we see a fuller understanding of the human condition in The Grand Banks Cafe (no. 9). The Grand Banks Cafe also appears in Inspector Maigret Omnibus 1 and includes three other novels. However, no matter if you have previously read all four novels in the Omnibus, you need to buy the Omnibus. Why?Aat the end of Omnibus 1, there is an interview by Carvel Collins of Georges Simenon from 1955. This interview is worth the price of the Omnibus. Let me share one brief interchange. Collins observes that the role of the author is to "look into yourself." Simenon responds: "That's it. But it's not only a question of the artist's looking into himself but also of his looking into others with the experience he has of himself. He writes with sympathy because he feels that the other man is like him." (p.512) And this is the critical essence of the Maigret novels, where Maigret acts as policeman with legal and moral authority, as father confessor with power to ease the penitent's troubled soul and as philosopher, with the power to share all of his mental insights with the rest of us. If you love the novels, you need to also buy Omnibus 1.

This was a much better mystery than the last Simenon novel I read. That one, THE CARTER OF LA PROVIDENCE, while well written as is usual with Georges Simenon, wasn't much of a mystery. Only the motive was unclear from near the beginning.There is a lot more mystery to be uncovered in THE NIGHT AT THE CROSSROADS. There are also strange and interesting characters who...well no, too much detail and a reader could easily guess the solution or part of it. I will just say that on the surface the mystery seems improbable and answers unlikely. Just the sort of thing at which Inspector Maigret is very good.

But still I read them. They just go strangely along. And then suddenly they’re over. No careful gradual investigations. And the people seem strange, different from myself. And of course the times are also different. But I think I’ve read English mysteries from the same time period. Much less strange to me.

Using cheap tricks cannot hide the true muderer. Once again, Simenon uses Paris and its environs to a good end as you feel the atmosphere.

The novel moves slowly but not in a boring way. Maigret takes his time, speaking to every character in considerable detail, until you feel you know the small, rural crossroads, with only three houses, intimately. the detective, from Paris, assimilates the information and comes up with a long-time plot that we as readers did not discern. Yes, some sex is alluded to -- one woman tries to "come on" to Maigret and perhaps has a shady past, but certainly no overt sex. This is one of Simenon's books being reissued with a more modern translation. It's a classic.

Hard to believe he wrote some of these in a day. They're still good.

I have read every one of Simeon's Maigret novels that have been published. They are not action packed like many current mysteries/thrillers but slowly build. Thank you Penguin Classics and Amazon for the release of his older books.

I bought three Penguin editions, and either Simenon is not a very good writer (not likely) especially compared to contemporary writers, or, most likely, the translation are really bad. In "Night at the Crossroads," a gun in a secret place is an automatic, then three paragraphs later it's a revolver; later in the story, a suspect is seen in the window sitting in his chair in his first floor bedroom, then he's in the same chair in his bedroom upstairs, where it was in earlier parts of the story. Go to a used book store and find a decent translation. These are dull, clumsy, and I can't believe Simenon actually wrote like this.

This one is intriguing because it features two people from another country, one of whom is a woman. Most of the women in classic detective novels are mothering types or prostitutes. It was another era so I always cut these classic detectives some slack. This book was a bit refreshing.

As always the descriptions of France in the period were very interesting. The plot convoluted

Maybe it's the isolated nature of the setting of this book, or how everything in the plot seems to be topsy turvy, but this particulate Maigret story is my favourite so far. It's remarkable how timeless something can be, even when it's 90 years old. Really enjoyed it!

One thing for sure, Simenon never lets you down. Intriguing from beginning to end - and he doesn't need to use expletives all the way, which unfortunately many modern writers do.

Crisp, taut, sentences drive this quick and entertaining mystery. Well worth it!