The Night at the Crossroads (Inspector Maigret, Bk. 6)

Another riveting tale from Georges Simenon, in which two siblings, living in isolation, are suspects in a tale of deception, theft, and murder.

It’s been seventeen hours of interrogation, yet Carl Andersen’s air of elegance remains unruffled. Inspector Maigret is bewildered by the behavior exhibited by the only probable suspect of the case at Three Widows Crossroads, the location of Carl’s isolated mansion where he lives with his sister Else.

The Saturday evening prior, Carl and Else go to sleep, after Carl has locked her away in her bedroom as usual—a curious habit, notes Maigret, but stranger things soon arise. Carl’s faraway neighbor Monsieur Michonnet discovers that his flashy new automobile has swapped places with Carl’s run-down vehicle; what’s more, in the front seat of Michonnet’s car sits a dead man, a Belgian diamond merchant no one purports to know, shot point-blank in the chest. Hours later, Carl and Else are caught trying to embark on a train to Paris. It’s bizarre business, but Maigret is determined to shake off the unease and find out what the residents of Three Widows Crossroads are covering up in The Night at the Crossroads, an exciting, unnerving story from the inimitable Georges Simenon.