The Mahe Circle

During his first holiday on the island of Porquerolles Dr Mahe caught a glimpse of something irresistible. As the memory continues to haunt him, he falls prey to a delusion that may offer an escape from his conventional existence - or may destroy him. ''Powerful . . unputdownably gripping'' Guardian''The island itself. Its throbbing heat as if in a belljar under the sun, the scorpion in his son''s bed, the deafening sound of cicadas''During his first holiday on the island of Porquerolles Dr Mahé caught a glimpse of something irresistible. As the memory continues to haunt him, he falls prey to a delusion that may offer an escape from his conventional existence - or may destroy him. This is the first English translation of The Mahé Circle, Simenon''s dark, malevolent depiction of an ordinary man trapped in mundanity and consumed by obsession. ''Extraordinary . . Simenon is one of the most important writers of the 20th century'' Independent