The pleasures of this book come from subtle moments - an elegant piece of description, the natural interplay of diction between the main character's inner world and the world around him.

Georges Simenon may be a writer's writer. Certainly, a lot of what I liked about this novel was the economic way he was able to use language to convey two distinct and interesting storylines: one psychological, the other within the constraints of the genre.

I've read Paul Theroux compare Simenon to Camus (entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/the_tls/article3539880.ece), and I have to admit I like the comparison. Where Camus steeps his reader in dark brooding and bottomless existential angst, Simenon is a little like the people's philosophy. The moments of angst in this book, occur as a matter of realism in the pragmatic portrayal and haunting dilemmas of Loursat, the main character.

I really like this author. I recommend him to anyone who likes genre fiction or philosophical considerations.