Inspector Maigret believes a man he convicted may not be guilty after all—and so hatches an audacious plan to save him before he is condemned to death.

A man escapes out of the High Surveillance wing of the most infamous penitentiary in Paris. Members of the Police Judiciaire see him, but no one moves a muscle. In fact, it’s part of a daring plan concocted by Inspector Maigret, who thinks Joseph Heurtin may not be guilty of the murder of Madame Henderson and her maid—despite Maigret’s having convicted Joseph himself months before. Once on the loose, Joseph is the subject of careful surveillance: will the accused return to his ring of criminal masterminds, or is he indeed as unknowing as he maintained in every interrogation?

With his career hanging in the balance, and a search for the escapee ongoing, Maigret must prove Joseph’s innocence before it’s too late, before an execution comes to pass. Georges Simenon’s A Man’s Head is a suspenseful, thrilling tale of a desperate quest for the truth.