The Pitards: Georges Simenon

Captain Lannec has finally managed to buy his own ship with the financial help of his in-laws, the Pitards - and they`ve never let him forget it. When his temperamental wife Mathilde insists on coming along on the ship`s first voyage, Lannec becomes increasingly unnerved by her presence, especially when he receives an anonymous note saying he won`t make it back to port. As they hit a storm in the Atlantic, jealousy, spite, snobbery and suspicion are churned up in the boat`s stiflingly close quarters...

First published in 1935, The Pitards was one of the first novels Simenon wrote when he shelved his famous Maigret series in order to strike out in a new direction and make a name for himself as a literary writer. This gripping evocation of life at sea revolves around class and the tense unravelling of relationships, powerful themes that Simenon would return to throughout his writing career.