A brilliant new translation of one of Simenon’s best loved masterpieces.’A certain furtive, almost shameful emotion … disturbed him whenever he saw a train go by, a night train especially, its blinds drawn down on the mystery of its passengers’Kees Popinga is a respectable Dutch citizen and family man. Then he discovers that his boss has bankrupted the shipping firm he works for – and something snaps. Kees used to watch the trains go by to exciting destinations. Now, on some dark impulse, he boards one at random, and begins a new life of recklessness and violence. This chilling portrayal of a man who breaks from society and goes on the run asks who we are, and what we are capable of. ‘Classic Simenon … extraordinary in its evocative power’ Independent’What emerges is the bare human animal’ John Gray’Read him at your peril, avoid him at your loss’ Sunday Times