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A review by bookwomble
The Night at the Crossroads by Georges Simenon
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Maigret number 7 presents a younger, more active and brash detective than I've come to know from the later books in the series, and it's fascinating to read them out of order to really feel the difference in temper, and yet still recognise the same character.
Where the later books are complex, this one is, instead, convoluted, which is not without its own attraction. This Maigret shows signs of the psychological method he will more fully develop as he matures, and I was a little shocked at the violence he was prepared to use in this case, both with his fists and his gun. At one point he's rather reckless, perhaps even displaying a touch of arrogance that the older Maigret would surely deplore.
If Simenon had intended to develop this growth of character from the outset over the course of four decades of writing, then he was a genius; if not, then he was inspired, perhaps, in a sense, possessed, by his great creation. And yet you could easily pick up any single book in the series and find it no more than a competent crime thriller. Inspired genius! Simenon hasn't let me down yet.
Where the later books are complex, this one is, instead, convoluted, which is not without its own attraction. This Maigret shows signs of the psychological method he will more fully develop as he matures, and I was a little shocked at the violence he was prepared to use in this case, both with his fists and his gun. At one point he's rather reckless, perhaps even displaying a touch of arrogance that the older Maigret would surely deplore.
If Simenon had intended to develop this growth of character from the outset over the course of four decades of writing, then he was a genius; if not, then he was inspired, perhaps, in a sense, possessed, by his great creation. And yet you could easily pick up any single book in the series and find it no more than a competent crime thriller. Inspired genius! Simenon hasn't let me down yet.