6 APRIL 1956, Page 36

THE JUDGE AND THE HATTER. By Simenon. (Hamish Hamilton , 13s.

6d.) Twice as much reading for only another three bob— and the extra value isn't only in the number of pages. Of the two short novels here, one is a hypnotic account of a murder trial in which the judge realises 'the impossibility of one human being understanding another,' and the second, for all its far-fetched plot, paints a picture of La Rochelle—fog, frost and defeat—. that recalls every film Jean Gabin has ever played.