“It was December 3, and still raining….It was exactly three weeks ago, for it had been on November 13 (another fat 3 on the calendar) that the first old woman had been murdered, near the church of Saint-Sauveur, a few steps from the canal.”
So begins one of Simenon’s most powerful novels. Five old women have been killed within three weeks, and the town of La Rochelle is in a panic. A murderer stalks his victims in its dark alleys and arcades, killing in a seemingly incomprehensible pattern.
In the terrorized town there is only one man who has guessed the secret, but, humble and a foreigner, he does not dare denounce a citizen of substance. His relationship with the criminal is strangely perverted—innocent trembling before the guilty.
As this chilling novel unravels with increasing momentum, it becomes more than a mystery story—an absorbing study of the thrill of power experienced by a killer who starts out with a practical purpose and ends up addicted to his macabre skill.
Tightly and brilliantly plotted, this is unquestionably one of Simenon’s masterpieces.
| Weight | 0.15 kg |
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| Author | |
| ISBN | 9780156393423 |
| Publisher | Harcourt Trade Publishers |
| Publication Year | 1981 |
| Pages | 176 |
| Format | Paperback |