Originally published in 1946 under the name Act of Passion, Letter to My Judge is the story of a doctor, Charles Alavoine, who writes to the magistrate that presided over his trial to clarify that his crime was not unpremeditated and asks for understanding, if nothing else.

Taking the unusual approach of revealing the killer first, before finally revealing the victim by the novella’s end — which is unlikely to be a massive revelation for those paying attention — Letter to My Judge is mainly told in the form of a letter, with the exception of the final few pages of the book.

This novella follows a truly unremarkable, self-centred, and loathsome man. He is incapable of empathy and can only view women through a twisted Madonna/Whore lens. Upon his second marriage to the stunning Armande, a woman he cannot fit into his worldview or dominate as he did his first wife, he retreats into a shell of outward respectability, entering a kind of self-imposed hibernation. It is then that he meets someone who releases him from this slumber, allowing him to fully embrace his true nature.

This was an odd one for me, and while I enjoyed the journey, I was also pleased by the novella’s length, so I didn’t have to spend any more time with Alavoine than was necessary. I suppose Simenon should be applauded for creating such a memorable, unlikable weasel of a character.

Definitely worth a look.

With thanks to Penguin for the ARC.

I decided a while ago to read any of Simenon's romans durs that I came across and I haven't regretted that yet. Letter to My Judge refutes any daft claims people might make about fictional characters needing to be relatable. Taking the form of a long letter from convicted murderer, Charles Alvavoine, to his judge, explaining (or not) the circumstances of his crime. Alvavoine himself is a fascinating character - narcissistic, vain, brutal and somehow bemused by his predicament: "Everything I've said is both true and false". It's a book about images and delusions and Simenon's achievement is to keep you reading even as the events described become more and more unpleasant. Thanks to Penguin for publishing this translation.

A dark but engrossing work from the famed Belgian novelist Georges Simenon. This novel does not feature his most famous creation, Inspector Maigret, but rather presents a first-person account of a convicted murderer.

This is a new translation of a French classic by the ‘Maigret’ writer but it is very different from those detective stories and much darker in tone.

The central character, Doctor Charles Alavoine, lives a respectable life with his wife and children but views it all as a bourgeois sham. So, when he meets Martine, he is suddenly and passionately obsessed with her. The events which follow from that meeting lead to Charles writing this book, a letter to the investigating magistrate evaluating the evidence of serious crime.

Simenon is not the first writer to explore what might be termed crimes of passion but what is fascinating about this book is the connection to his own life as a confirmed ‘sexaholic’ and his lifelong obsession with prostitutes and casual relationships. Read in this light, the book is an endeavour to explain himself and to be understood.

The ending is not unexpected but the book makes for grim reading as it explores the impossibility of fully possessing another person so that all relationships, even the most passionate, somehow fall short.

Its a superb story but that’s a sad conclusion!

(Letter to my Judge is published by Penguin Classics. Thanks to the publishers and to NetGalley for an advance copy.)

I read this with the same morbid fascination as I read Emile Zola’s Thérèse Raquin and Simenon’s The Cat. This is not a pleasant read either.

The judge of the title is an examining magistrate who is responsible for interviewing the suspect and witnesses to prepare a case for trial. We know from the outset that Dr Charles Alavoine, a family practitioner, is in prison having been found guilty of a serious crime. He feels the need to explain himself and his relationship with Martine, his mistress, to find someone to understand properly what happened between them. This is a story about obsession, about the objectification and possession of women by men, and about domestic abuse. There is nothing likeable about Charles. There is nothing particularly likeable about Martine but the reader has to keep remembering that the letter has been written by her abuser, a man who professes to have loved her. Was this love?

I keep being surprised by Simenon. What inspired him to write this distasteful story? Why did I find it such a compelling read? Despite the unpleasantness, I have to admire his writing and his ability to hold my attention to the bitter - the very bitter in this case - end.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Modern Classics for a review copy.

Written in 1947 , this is written as a confessional letter from prison.

We follow Doctor Charles Alavoine as he explains to the examining magistrate why he strangled the woman he loved.

The Doctor has an ordinary life: a domineering mother who shaped his choices, a dutiful marriage, a respectable career—and then the arrival of Martine, a free-spirited woman who briefly awakens passion and jealousy in him.

This soon spirals into obsession and violence.

This is a story beautifully written and superbly told. The author never sensationalizes the crime; instead, he lets the Doctor tell his story in a calm, almost clinical self-justification and reveals the quiet horrors beneath a "normal" existence.

It is at times unsettling and we see how ordinary people can harbor destructive impulses.

I would have loved to learn more of Martine, I am sure her story would be rather different but the psychological depth evokes sympathy for the murderer but never lets him off the hook.

This is a great read, I found it short, gripping and a brilliant insight into human darkness.

Brilliant in every way. I am, though, a huge Simenon fan. This novel, having been written in 1947, and tackling obsession, is still relevant today, and, to me, represents exquisitely written prose, superb characterisation, and a theme that is transferrable. Highly recommended. My grateful thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

The novel is presented as a confession written by a man awaiting judgment, recounting his relationship with a woman that leads to a crime. The narrative focuses on his psychological state, examining obsession, control, and emotional dependency. It reads like a man trying to explain himself rather than justify himself. Written as a letter from prison, it follows a doctor who recounts his relationship with a woman and the events that led to murder. What stands out is how calm and matter-of-fact his voice remains, even as he reveals something deeply unsettling.
Simenon keeps the focus tightly on the narrator’s mind, his need for control, his version of love, and the way he reshapes events to fit his own logic. There’s very little action; instead, the tension comes from how the story is told and what it suggests beneath the surface.
It’s a quiet, unsettling book that works more as a psychological portrait than a traditional crime story.

One of Simenon's darkest novels looks into the mind of a older man who becomes obsessed with a young woman who he has met by chance. Written in the form of a letter (it's all in the title) to the magistrate who oversaw his trial you know that a terrible tale is going to be revealed. I've read alot of Simenon and this to date is his darkest novel it leaves you wanting the woman's side of the tale. It deals with obsession, jealousy and violence, the women in the novel have no voice so are unheard we only hear the Doctor's story. The writing as always with Simenon is outstanding only he could produce this dark tale.