Conversations with a killer

The titles of some novels are revealing. Others not so much. The title of Georges Simenon mystery Maigret and the Killer (1969) made me stop. Heroes in detective novels normally catch killers, but this title suggests a relationship. There must be something going on between Inspector Maigret of the Paris police and the killer he is looking for.

Simenon cleverly resolves both the mystery of the murder and the mystery of the title.

Maigret and his wife are enjoying an evening with his doctor friend when the doctor is called to help the victim of a stabbing on a nearby sidewalk. It immediately becomes Maigret's business, too, especially when the victim dies.

The young murder victim always carried a tape recorder and had recorded conversations he overheard in public places. Is this the motive for the murder? Did he record something someone didn't want recorded? But then why wasn't the recorder taken by the murderer?

Maigret solves mysteries in mysterious ways, one reason for the lasting appeal of Simenon's novels. This time he knows what the killer looks like before he knows his name, yet he hesitates to publish the photograph. He believes the killer will ultimately come to him.

And so it happens. The killer calls repeatedly to talk with the police inspector, who becomes something of a counselor.  All this ends in a low-key, yet still exciting way that Simenon was known for.