'An irresistible Hitchcockian gem: a fiendishly-plotted crime novel told in crisp, elegant prose' Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train 'Matsumoto was Japan's Agatha Christie' Laura Hackett, The Sunday Times'It was a puzzle with no solution.
'His artistry is supreme' John BanvilleThey suddenly found themselves in an impersonal world, where everyday words no longer seemed to mean anything, where the most mundane details were translated into unintelligible formulae.
'His artistry is supreme' John Banville While at this time the previous day he had never heard of the Martons, the train set specialist was beginning to haunt his thoughts, and so was the elegant young woman who, he admitted, had boldly stood up to him when he had done everything he could to unsettle her.
'His artistry is supreme' John Banville Standing here at the window in the middle of the morning, vaguely observing the comings and goings in the street, he had a feeling that reminded of certain days in his childhood, when his mother was still alive and he was off school because he had the 'flu or it was the end of term.
'His artistry is supreme' John Banville 'Once alone in his office, he went over and opened the window as if being in charge of this case made him gasp for a breath of fresh air.
'His artistry is supreme' John Banville'He was wearing a dark suit, a beige raincoat and on his feet, which were twisted at an odd angle, he wore yellow-brown shoes, which seemed out of keeping with a day as colourless as this.
'His artistry is supreme' John Banville'You're a good soul, inspector, and when you're up against the second-rate criminals you get here in Paris, you're a crack policeman.
'The father of contemporary European detective fiction' Ann CleevesAn omnibus edition containing four titles featuring Inspector Maigret: The Saint-Fiacre Affair (where Maigret goes back to the place of his birth), The Misty Harbour (where Maigret is left tied up on a rainy quayside all night), Maigret (where Maigret comes back from retirement) and The Judge's House (where Maigret is exiled to a mussel farming community).
'The most addictive of writers' Observer 'High up in Montmartre, there was a festive atmosphere, people were crowding round the little tables where ros wine was being served .
'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' John Gray 'He opened the door for her and watched her walk away down the huge corridor, then hesitate at the top of the stairs.
'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' John Gray When he got to his door, he was surprised not to hear any noise in the kitchen and not to smell any food.
'Gaudy, wild, raw, amusing, rollicking and ragged, boiling with life, on intimate terms with death and evil - but in the end, contrite and fully tired of a world wasting itself in blood, pillage and lust' Thomas MannA story of war in all its absurdity and horror, this incomparable novel describes the fortunes of a young boy travelling through a world ravaged by conflict, and the terrible things he witnesses.
'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' John Gray The FBI man was convinced, in short, that Maigret was a big shot in his own country but that here, in the United States, he was incapable of figuring out anything .
Introducing Inspector Maigret, the literary character behind the major ITV drama starring Rowan AtkinsonThe first four titles from the new Penguin Inspector Maigret series: Pietr the Latvian, The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien, The Carter of La Providence and The Grand Banks Cafe.
'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' John Gray Maigret plunges into the murky Parisian underworld in book twenty-nine of the new Penguin Maigret series.
'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' John Gray 'Try to imagine a guest, a wealthy woman, staying at the Majestic with her husband, her son, a nurse and a governess .
A lost classic lays bare the darkest moment of France's post-war historyFirst published in Paris in 1957, as France's engagement in Algeria became ever more bloody, On Leave received a handful of reviews and soon disappeared from view.
'The father of contemporary European detective fiction' Ann Cleeves Cars drove past along with the trucks and trams, but by now Maigret had realised that they were not important.
'The father of contemporary European detective fiction' Ann Cleeves Maigret shrugged his shoulders, buried his hands in his pockets and went off without answering.
Acute psychological insight and a distinctive, spare, atmospheric style Simenon ought to be spoken of in the same breath as Camus, Beckett and Kafka Independent on Sunday In this classic novel, a woman s fears for her safety lead Inspector Maigret to a Paris suburb where he uncovers appalling family secrets Barely twenty-eight years old.
Acute psychological insight and a distinctive, spare, atmospheric style Simenon ought to be spoken of in the same breath as Camus, Beckett and Kafka Independent on SundayIn this classic novel, a dramatic case unfolds while Inspector Maigret is visiting colleagues in America The FBI man was convinced, in short, that Maigret was a big shot in his own country but that here, in the United States, he was incapable of figuring out anything Inspector Maigret is touring the United States to observe American policing methods, when a visit to a troubling coroner s inquest in Arizona sparks a fascination with the story of a young girl and five airmen in the desert.
'There they stood, bumbling into lines with a bit of difficulty: Mother Finland's chosen sacrifice to world history'Unknown Soldiers follows the fates of a ramshackle troupe of machine-gunners in the Second World War, as they argue, joke, swear, cadge a loaf of bread or a cigarette, combat both boredom and horror in the swamps and pine forests - and discover that war will make or break them.
'The father of contemporary European detective fiction' Ann Cleeves 'Just take a look,' Duclos said in an undertone, pointing to the scene all round them, the picture-book town, with everything in its place, like ornaments on the mantlepiece of a careful housewife .
A funny and uplifting fable about the journey to learn who we are, from the bestselling author of The Yellow WorldDani has devoted his life to finding missing children.
Tomorrow in the Battle Think on Me is a gripping and moving meditation on the hold that the dead have over the living, by Javier Mar as, whose highly-anticipated new novel The Infatuations is published in 2013.
Here are attempts at human connection, both depraved and sublime, and the grinding struggle to survive against the crushing realities of the Soviet system: in Among Friends, a doting mother commits an atrocious act against her beloved son in an attempt to secure his future; The Time: Night examines the suicide of the great Russian poetess Anna Andreevna with heartbreaking clarity; while in Chocolates with Liqueur the struggle for ownership of an apartment between a nurse and a madman turns murderous.
