Description
In A Battle of Nerves we are confronted with a problem in criminal investigation where the evidence is, as it were, too good to be true. A man commits murder – two killings, in fact – carefully leaving finger-prints and even shoe-prints on the floor, the latter clue easily leading to his arrest. Everything is established against the supposed murderer except the motive. There seems no conceivable reason why he should have done it. So Maigret lets him escape just before his execution in order to give him the chance to prove why he had not done it.
In At the ‘Gai-Moulin’ Maigret’s approach is altogether different; in fact he does not appear until the story is well advanced – and then his appearance is unexpected and to the local police at first highly suspicious. Two youths, who like to believe they are painting the town red, plan to rob a night club and discover they are not alone – for there is a murdered man on the premises.
