The Man from London is my first Georges Simenon book (I haven’t read any of the Maigret novels, though I feel that I should have done by now), so I didn’t really know what to expect from it. I was pleased to find that it was suspenseful, atmospheric and, in this translation by Howard Curtis, very readable.

The story begins on a cold, foggy night in Dieppe, where railway signalman Louis Maloin is sitting alone in his watchtower, looking down on the docks at the ferry just arriving from England. It’s a sight Maloin observes every day, but tonight something is different: he watches one of the newly arrived passengers fight with another man and knock him into the water, along with the suitcase he is holding. Aware that he appears to be the only person who has seen this happen, Maloin retrieves the case from the water when nobody is around and takes it home with him. When he discovers what the case contains, the decision he makes could have consequences that will change his life forever.

Although there is an element of mystery to the book, with questions over the identities of the two men and where the contents of the case came from, this is really more of a psychological thriller than a crime novel. The fight Maloin witnesses and his reaction to it provides a starting point for an exploration of the state of Maloin’s mind as the process he has set in motion spirals out of control. He experiences every conceivable emotion over the course of the story, ranging from guilt at not telling the police what he has seen and allowing a murderer to walk free, excitement at gaining possession of the case for himself, and terror, knowing that someone could discover what he has done at any minute.

The atmosphere Simenon creates is wonderful, with the tension building and building as Maloin tries to go about his normal life, while being confronted at every turn by the face of the man he has come to think of as ‘the man from London’. The wet, foggy December weather adds to the overall mood, as do the descriptions of the places and people Maloin encounters as he moves around Dieppe trying to avoid the murderer and the police.

The short length of the book meant it held my interest from beginning to end and although I think the potential was here for a longer and more complex novel, I still found it quite satisfying. I’m glad my first experience of Georges Simenon’s work was a good one and I’m definitely interested in reading more of his books now.

The story takes place in Dieppe, when signalman from his office observes the murder and his life turns around. The game between cat and mouse (murderer and witness) beginns.

The reader is absorbed into signalman's inner turmoil which leads to some gruesome action.

True Simenon's classic! Atmospheric and psychological.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin Press UK for an advance copy of The Man from London, a stand-alone psychological thriller set in Dieppe, originally published in 1934.

Railway signalman Maloin witnesses a murder and instead of reporting it he goes down to the water to retrieve the suitcase being fought over. The murderer wants it back and a game of cat and mouse ensues.

The Man from London is, essentially, a study of greed and temptation. It is more a novella than a full length novel, fortunately for me as it didn’t really interest me. I like Maigret as I am always entranced by the author’s matter of fact tone that makes even the most outrageous acts appear banal. It is the same in this novel as it follows Maloin’s thought processes and actions after he retrieves the suitcase and examines the contents. I’m not even going to pretend that I understand his thinking, so, as a result, the psychology of the duel between him and the killer was wasted on me.

On a more positive note the novel is extremely atmospheric. I could smell the Gaulloises and taste the coffee, never mind all the other small details that take me back to small town France, not in the 30s I hasten to add.

The Man from London is a short, atmospheric read that I can see being well suited to a more visual medium where the nuances would be more obvious.

Quality Simenon - atmospheric, beautifully described, haunting and short. The ending has an inevitability that somehow isn't telegraphed yet feels right. The descriptions of the central characters are convincing and rounded in a world that's hard and unforgiving. There's a lot here to enjoy.

The Man from London is one of Georges Simenon’s non Maigret novels and it is a well written story that can be read and enjoyed in one sitting

Starting off with the witnessing of a murder the story has all the usual Simenon hallmarks and is definitely recommended

Maloin is a grumpy railway signalman in the port of Dieppe. He works the night shift and has done for decades. From his perch high above the port he can observe everyone and everything. When he sees a suitcase smuggled from the English ferry into Dieppe and a subsequent fatal fight between the two smugglers, he retrieves the case and discovers it is packed with English currency. What is he to do? Call the police? Return the money? He cannot spend it or reveal that he has it as the currency is foreign. And one smuggler, the man from London, has survived and wants the money back.

This is the story of a man limited in intelligence, if not in cunning, who finds himself in a situation which is completely avoidable, but as one bad decision follows another, becomes immeasurably worse. He is not an especially sympathetic man, cruel to wife and family, selfish and greedy, but one who has it in him to try and do the right thing, even if it is too late.

A short novel by Simenon, lacking all the humour of a Maigret tale, but a forceful and compelling story all the same.

Atmospheric Tale.....
Incredibly atmospheric tale of crime, temptation and human nature. Simenon artfully paints his pictures in words with a breathtaking accuracy, the setting here being central to the tale. A short but immersive read, novella length, with some very fitting cover art from Penguin Books.

There is no detection going on here. We watch the main action play out within the first few pages and then follow an ordinary working class man give in to temptation and then grapple with his conscience for the rest of this seemingly slight novella. It is highly atmospheric - a dingy working environment between the docks and the railway tracks, overlooking a nightclub/brothel, and an impoverished, cliff-edge, home setting - and to my mind this atmosphere is central to the story and the character of Louis Maloin. He is an utterly believable and sympathetic creation, along with his wife and daughter, and I’d recommend this book highly for those characters. Perfect cover art for the Penguin version I read - many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Mailon is a signalman at the port of Dieppe in the years between the wars and during his shift one night he witnesses a struggle between two smugglers which results in a murder, with the body of one of the men and their smuggled cargo ending up at the bottom of the harbour. Mailon recovers the cargo and discovers over half a million francs, which he secretes away in his signal box before the other criminal can return. The novel then follows Mailon as he tries to come to terms with his sudden richness, as well as playing cat and mouse with the murderer and the police who are on the hunt around Dieppe.

The Man From London is a short, but intriguing examination of the impact of becoming caught up in a crime and the temptation that it can bring.

Outside of the Maigret novels, I find Simenon can be a bit uneven: this is a noirish little tale that is claustrophobic and packed with atmosphere as a port signalman witnesses first a smuggled suitcase then a murder and gets drawn into this world of crime.

This reminded me of Patricia Highsmith, though in a lighter vein, and there's a strong 'what if' moral to the story. Not as emotive as 'Three Bedrooms in Manhattan', or as slick as the Maigret stories - think a sort of Graham Greene lite. Good as a brisk refresher between heavier reads.