Member Reviews
You can't beat a Maigret. Easy to read, not too taxxing, not too long, always a good mystery to enjoy.
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
A visit from the tall, thin woman he arrested many years ago - now married to a hapless burglar - leads Maigret on a tortuous investigation in which he struggles with a formidable suspect.
'When he had set them to work, Maigret had had a merry, almost fierce glint in his eye. He had set them loose on the house like a pack of hounds on the trail of a scent, encouraging them not with his voice, but by his whole attitude . . . would events have played out in the same manner, if the man from Rue de la Ferme hadn't been a heavyweight like him, both physically and psychologically?'
Ahhh, one of the finest mystery writers to have ever lived. Not to mention one of the finest detectives as well.
While this isn't his best work - it is, after all, the 38th novel in the series - it still brings to life the magic that was Paris in days gone by; still evokes that classic mystery whodunit atmosphere; and still provides one of the more intelligent resolutions in any crime fiction. A classic cat-and-mouse story.
I never have any trouble recommending the mysteries of Simenon. They are just that good!
Paul
ARH
Look, I personally love classic crime - and Maigret (recently brought to life by Rowan Atkinson), definitely falls into this category.
The "tall woman" is the wife of a career safe-cracker (a woman whom Maigret knew from years gone by). There is a murder, and the safe-cracker vanishes. In his usual style, and sometimes with the thinest of evidence, Maigret investigates. There is nothing seemingly rushed about this man, and at times you wonder if Maigret will ever solve the puzzle. But you know he does.
This style of crime fiction is classic for a reason, and will never go out of style. I was introduced to Maigret and others of his ilk many, many years ago, and then sometime ago, I indulged myself in reading a vast array of classic crime (for the pure joy of it) - Simenon was among the many authors. And yet their characters are still fresh as if it were only yesterday. That is the power of Simenon and his ilk - they still have the power to captivate an audience years later.
Well worth the effort to seek out more from Georges Simenon and the full list of Maigret titles, which you can do here @ Penguin Books
I can hardly believe that I had never read anything from Simenon, especially Inspector Maigret, being myself such a fan of detective books and tv shows. So, I can only thank Netgalley for finally giving me this opportunity to enjoy this book.
And what can I say about this book? Simplicity is the answer most of the times. No fancy technology, no complicated hard-to-believe plot twists, no high speed chases and shots fired, but true investigative work, good dialogues, a good setting and a solid story until the end.
Contrary to many of the things I read, I was in doubt till the end about what had really happened, and Paris just played an amazing role as a supporting character.
Loved it and recommend it to all fans of detective stories and good books.
https://peixinhodepratablog.wordpress.com/2017/05/06/inspector-maigret/
Oh Georges Simenon. Your tight, witty prose is so cool I feel more socially desirable just reading one of your books. It's a pity this is an ebook, otherwise my fellow commuters might've caught a glimpse of the cover and secretly hoped I'd be their friend.
"Maigret and the Tall Woman" is the 38th of the 76 novels Simenon wrote about his titular inspector, and as about a typical example of the series as you could hope for. That's not a criticism; with their low page counts and procedural nature, the Maigret novels have the feel of a quality television crime drama.
In each one we're presented with an intriguing or baffling situation, Maigret huffs around, has a few beers, puffs himself up for a fight – and we've quickly rattled through to the resolution. No padding, no fluff, just an absolute confidence in the author and the crime genre's literary ability.
My God Maigret, you're just so cool.
What can I say ? This is Georges Simenon writing about his world famous detective, Inspector Maigret of the Paris Police. I first read this story many years ago and the reread has been just as enjoyable. Dated ? Not really. No modern police methods, although some brick dust was analysed and finger prints found. No internet or personal phones. But so what. Maigret’s Paris is timeless. He drinks too much, often during the day. His pipe is usually lit. He can take a nap during working hours. And he has one astute brain. The Paris that he inhabits has long since vanished. But it remains a joy to read this relatively short book. I’m grateful to NetGalley for supplying this ARC in return for an honest review, but unfortunately it didn’t contain any original or up to date publication details or author background. And I can’t find my original green and white Penguin edition in the books still piled up after a house move.
Maigret solves a crime that is reported to him by a former prostitute he once arrested, but who is now married to a safe breaker, who incredibly travels to his jobs on a bike, but who has now run away into hiding after finding a dead body at his last break in. If there is a revival of Maigret books, it would be most opportune at a time when slow television and even slow radio is being enjoyed. When the news each day is so dire, what better refuge than these wonderful little tales by George Simenon.
The mystery of the missing corpse...
On a hot summer day in Paris when most people are on holiday, Maigret receives a visit from a tall woman who says he once arrested her. Ernestine tells him she is now married to a well-known safe-breaker, nicknamed Sad Freddie, who has been in and out of prison for years. On his latest job, according to the woman, Freddie discovered the body of a murdered woman in the house he was burgling, and has fled and gone into hiding, fearing he'll be suspected of killing her. Ernestine wants Maigret to find the real killer so her husband feels safe to come home. The only problem is no murder has been reported...
It's been many years since I last read a Maigret novel, but the recent Penguin re-issues in new translations piqued my interest in re-visiting him. This is the 38th in the series, so the character is well-established, and Simenon doesn't spend much time in this one filling in details of his personal life. It works perfectly as a standalone, as I believe most, if not all, of them do.
Simenon creates an authentic picture of a semi-deserted Paris sweltering in a summer heatwave. Partly due to this, and partly just because he seems to like to drink, Maigret spends an inordinate amount of time popping into cafés for a little glass of wine, or beer, or Pernod – lots and lots of Pernod, in fact. I had to stand back in awe at his sheer capacity – not many men start the day with a glass of white wine before heading off to work, and it must surely be a French thing for the police office to have an account with the nearby café to have regular supplies of Pernod sent round during an investigation. One can't help but feel Rebus would have been in his element over there...
However, joking aside, happily none of this constant imbibing leads to Maigret being a drunken detective – if anything, it all sharpens his brain. He is shown as doggedly persistent, worrying away at small clues until by sheer force of will he squeezes their meaning from them. The first thing he has to do in this case is establish that there has actually been a murder, and Ernestine helps by explaining how Freddie selects the houses he burgles. Even with this information, Maigret can find no victim and eventually begins to suspect that Ernestine is lying, or at least mistaken. But then he comes across a small inconsistency in the story of one of the people he has interviewed, and from there on it becomes a matter of breaking his suspect down through some pretty dodgy interviewing techniques – he's not averse to a bit of mild psychological torture to achieve his ends. The eventual solution is not quite as straightforward as it seems as if it's going to be, though, and along the way Simenon creates a chilling atmosphere of evil at work, and family dynamics gone horribly wrong.
Overall, I found this a thoroughly enjoyable read. It falls somewhere between novella and short novel in length, which again I think is standard for the Maigret series, so perfect to read in one evening. To contrast with the darkness of the crime, Maigret himself is rather laid-back and we get a great feeling of the delightful café culture of Paris. He loves his wife, and they regularly meet up (for drinks!) during the case – Maigret is quite capable of working all night if he has to, and making his men do the same, but he doesn't let work absorb him to the extent of neglecting his family life. In truth, the detection element relies on little more than guesswork and it all works out a little too easily perhaps, but the story is interesting for all that. It's well written with some humour to lighten the overall tone, and I found the translation by David Watson excellent. I'll certainly be keen to read more of the series and happily recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried Maigret before.
(This novel has been published in previous translations as Maigret and the Burglar's Wife.)
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Penguin UK.
French policeman Maigret is in a summer mood, sipping Pernod as he matches wits with murderous foes. While the classic Maigret series is best described as police procedurals, the heart of these books is watching Maigret spin a web to entrap the evildoers. The other pleasure of the series is their description of French daily life; Simenon masterfully evokes an evening as spent by M and Mme Maigret or a morning in the life of a local prostitute.
The books are concise, somewhat dry, neither flowery nor comedic. Simenon dependably keeps the reader in suspense until the end and Maigret and the Tall Woman is a reasonable sample of his work.
Ernestine Jussiaume, a lofty former prostitute who caused Maigret much embarrassment during an arrest many years ago, seeks his help following the disappearance of her husband. The man in question is a particularly unlucky safecracker named Sad Freddie, who had gone out on ‘one last big job’ at a house on Rue de la Ferme a couple of evenings before but, rather than returning empty-handed and morose as was his normal practice, he had telephoned his wife in a panic and informed her that he had to flee the city.
Apparently, Sad Freddie had managed to successfully gain ingress into the home of one Guillaume Serre where, instead of discovering a safe bulging with cash, he happened upon the dead body of a woman. Fearing for both his life and his liberty, Sad Freddie had promptly scarpered. Ernestine (or La Grande Perche as she is also known) wants Maigret’s help in investigating the death of the mysterious woman and clearing up matters quickly so that her husband can return home without the threat of a murder charge hanging over his head.
Maigret and the Tall Woman is the 38th book in Georges Simenon’s hugely popular detective series and Maigret is once again in fine form. In keeping with the majority of Maigret’s cases, his investigation of the events that may or may not have transpired in the nondescript house on Rue de la Ferme is more cerebral than action packed, although he does cause other people to be dashing here, there and everywhere in search of evidence (and the odd glass of Pernod). Maigret being an excellent judge of character, he quickly susses out the truth behind Sad Freddie’s tale and the potential murder, although he seems to have met his match in the Serres, with both mother and son proving to be just as stubborn as the taciturn detective. Closing the case certainly proves to involve a taxing mental battle as Maigret attempts to break through the psychological barriers erected (whether consciously or otherwise) by the pair.
Maigret likes to keep his subordinates (and, consequently, us readers) in the dark regarding his theories and the details of his plans to bring wrongdoers to justice, which means that there’s always lots to puzzle out in his cases. While the doer (and what exactly was done) in Maigret and the Tall Woman may not prove too surprising, it is fascinating to see how Maigret goes about building his case and how he is stubbornly able to wear down even the most disdainful of opponents. The atmosphere of the smoke-filled, overly warm interrogation room is particularly well drawn, with Maigret’s questioning of both suspects and witnesses adding a great deal of tension to the story.
Maigret and the Tall Woman is another excellent detective novel from Georges Simenon. His characters are extremely well fleshed out and the sense of both time and place inherent in the story is captivating. The book is a great addition to the series, although it could easily be read as a standalone novel.
A career safe-breaker, well known to the police, has broken into a house, bent on burglary, but is disturbed by the discovery of the murdered body of a woman. He flees, afraid that he will be accused of her death, but his lover reports the incident to Maigret, as she fears her partner will be blamed. But there is no report of a death or indeed a burglary from the house in question, and when Maigret visits the house there is no body either; only an elderly woman, her dentist son and a report that the son’s estranged wife had left him a few days before.
Without a body, any evidence of murder and two uncommunicative suspects, Maigret has to solve what has happened and obtain evidence of guilt.
In truth, this is a slight piece, and although every Simenon novel has its virtues, this is not one of his best. Although there are many incidental pleasures along the way, the author appears to lose interest towards the end. Maigret solves his case in a rather perfunctory fashion.