The hatter's ghosts (Penguin books)

Published Jan. 1, 1961 by Penguin Books.

A masterful tale of murder and intrigue in a small French town, from the celebrated author of the Maigret series. Not only had the rain in the dark streets, with a halo around each light and reflections on the ground, always given him a certain thrill, it also made it easier for him to move around. It has been raining for twenty days in La Rochelle - ever since the first murder. Since then, five more bodies have been found. In the cafes, over card games, a quiet terror of the killer in their midst spreads through the little town. But unknown to anyone, Kachoudas, a poor, timid tailor, has discovered, quite by accident, who the murderer is. As a twisted cat and mouse game begins, Simenon's chilling novel takes us into the darkness of the criminal mind.

1 edition

Stephanie Jane reviewed The hatter's ghosts (Penguin books) by Georges Simenon

An intense psychological thriller

5 stars

While not a great fan of Georges Simenon's Maigret novels, I adore his romans durs or hard novels which I understand he wrote more to please himself than with any eye to their commercial success. These books are frequently dark character studies and, to my mind, The Hatter's Ghosts is one of the most intense I have yet read.

A psychological thriller originally published in 1949, I certainly didn't think this novel felt as though it were over seventy years old. The deft prose creates a vivid picture of a man rapidly losing his grip on reality and Monsieur Labbé's quietly intimidating presence kept me on tenterhooks throughout. Simenon had an amazing talent for concisely capturing someone's personality so even minor characters such as the housemaid, Louise, or the bartender at the Hatter's favourite café, are fully rounded-out people, and the watchful duel between Labbé and his timid neighbour, …

While not a great fan of Georges Simenon's Maigret novels, I adore his romans durs or hard novels which I understand he wrote more to please himself than with any eye to their commercial success. These books are frequently dark character studies and, to my mind, The Hatter's Ghosts is one of the most intense I have yet read.

A psychological thriller originally published in 1949, I certainly didn't think this novel felt as though it were over seventy years old. The deft prose creates a vivid picture of a man rapidly losing his grip on reality and Monsieur Labbé's quietly intimidating presence kept me on tenterhooks throughout. Simenon had an amazing talent for concisely capturing someone's personality so even minor characters such as the housemaid, Louise, or the bartender at the Hatter's favourite café, are fully rounded-out people, and the watchful duel between Labbé and his timid neighbour, Kachoudas, is chillingly compelling. This is especially true of the café scenes where all the old friends are together leaving newcomer Kachoudas somewhat excluded.

I loved Simenon's portrayals of La Rochelle in December - it is cold, perpetually raining and far from the joyful summer town I know. The atmosphere is perfect for nefarious deeds so, even if old women weren't being murdered in the streets, The Hatter's Ghosts would still feel dark and foreboding. The story is brilliantly paced with perfectly timed revelations as Labbé begins to slip from his tightly scheduled daily rituals. I could also sense his claustrophobia at being trapped within the same small town almost his whole life. Everyone knows the Hatter. Everyone pities him for his incapacitated wife. And he daren't deviate from his carefully planned daily routines for fear of the consequences.

While I did feel a tiny disappointment that there aren't, in the supernatural sense, any ghosts in this story, that did not detract at all from my enjoyment of what is pretty much the perfect noir mystery novel. Simenon was undoubtedly a master of this genre.