Friedrich Dürrenmatt's 'The Judge and His Hangman' is a masterclass in philosophical crime fiction. Set in post-war Switzerland, the novella follows the elderly and ailing Inspector Bärlach as he investigates the murder of his police colleague. The investigation quickly becomes entangled with a complex, lifelong wager Bärlach made decades earlier with a cunning criminal named Gastmann. Dürrenmatt subverts traditional detective tropes, challenging readers to ponder the true nature of justice, the elusive line between good and evil, and the unforeseen consequences of personal vendettas, all within a darkly atmospheric narrative.