Letter to My Judge

A dark, psychological tale of deadly obsession, in a masterful new translation

'My dear Judge, I would like one man, just one, to understand me. And I really hope that man can be you.'

In a small town in western France, Dr Charles Alavoine seems to lead the perfect life: his own medical practice, two beautiful children, a new wife and a doting mother. Yet as each quiet day of bourgeois conformity passes, Alavoine begins to feel a sharp sense of futility. Then, one rainy day in December, he meets a mysterious young woman on a station platform. Fascinated by her innocence and the scars of her past, Alavoine’s passion soon gives way to a dangerous obsession, ending in a terrible act that will forever change the course of his life.

First published in 1947, Letter to My Judge is a masterful exploration of the darkest corners of the human soul, and a harrowing exorcism of Simenon’s phantoms.

Author: Georges Simenon

Classic fiction (pre c 1945), Fiction in translation

Published on 14 May 2026 by Penguin Books Ltd.