“It’s the most wonderful time of the year”
Back in 1951 Georges Simenon released his last Maigret short story which is the longest and closest to the length of his novels. Many current TV shows have Christmas specials and Agatha Christie wrote about Hercule Poirot at Christmastime in 1938.
This short story is just five chapters long and begins on Christmas morning at their home in the Boulevard Richard-Lenoir. Being a day off for the Inspector his wife wants him to have a lie in, but he hears every creak of the bed as she tries to get up without disturbing him. He then hears Madame Maigret pottering around, preparing coffee and nipping out of the apartment to get fresh croissants from a local shop. She is disappointed to find him up with no desire to have breakfast in bed, but he does take his time over his coffee and filling his pipe. Maigret’s nod to the season is he remains still in his dressing gown, content to watch his wife and contemplate his neighbourhood from their window.

This scene of domestic bless threatens to be cut short when he sees two women who live on the other.side of street looking up at him as though hurrying to his door.making for the door. His wife is not averse to this interruption as no arguments are raised and she opens the door for them to enter their home.

This story is undoubtedly one of the most sentimental and enlightening of these Maigret stories for a number of reasons:

It opens a vista onto the private life of the their marriage, a intimacy that is clear but also strained due to the couple’s home being childless, not because they have left Home but since they have no immediate family other that Mrs Maigret’s sister.

It takes place at Christmas a special time for children to receive presents and for playing with their new toys out and about the neighbourhood.

It is a case that Maigret doesn’t know even if it can be classified as an investigation but involves a small child who has lost her Mum, killed in a car accident and Dad unable to face up to life as he was driving at the time. The child has been place with her Aunt who appears to love money and the idea of wealth more than a nurturing love for her Niece and her current parental responsibilities. But because it is literally so close to home, mirroring his own way of life can not immediately find the distance to observe clearly and see. In his breakthrough it is perhaps the promptings of his wife and their immediate concern for the child.

The story is about this young girl Colette whose sleep on Christmas Eve was disturbed by a visit from Father Christmas. A nosy neighbour appears the driving force while the Aunt seems to play events down and appears embarrassed for disturbing the great detective at Christmas. When she later slips out to shop for items already in her cupboards Maigret sees she knows more than she is willing to disclose. Yet Madame Maigret and he are growingly more concerned over the safety of Colette and this becomes his motivation to solve this case.
Beautifully written, evoking the magic of Christmas but showing that hearts set on crime have little time for sentiment. The gift of luck seems to be bestowed on Maigret and his team who eventually gather at his home. Marvellous insights into their family life, the yearning for children and the need to Mother. A simple relationship but undoubtedly strong and the stable home with the constant that is his wife is clearly the main reason Maigret can be so devoted and driven
A lovely story devoid of glitter and show but capturing a real sense of time and place and short enough to read every year at Christmas as meaningful as a glass of sherry, sloe gin in Maigret’s chosen Tipple and a mince pie.
Enjoy and have a great Christmas!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books UK for the ARC which contained only the first of the three stories which make up this book.

The short story “Un Noël de Maigret” was first published in 1950, the last of 28 written by Georges Simenon. It is translated here by David Coward. It takes place on Christmas Day.

The story tells us a lot, very subtly, about Jules Maigret’s relationship with his wife, Louise and is full of interesting detail of life in contemporary Paris.

With the help of his colleagues, Lucas and Torrence, and through some interviews and telephone calls, the Inspector investigates the mysterious appearance by Santa Claus in the bedroom of the adopted daughter of one of his neighbours.

it is a beautifully-crafted tale of greed and deception, of crimes which Maigret slowly untangles over the course of the day. It has a slightly melancholy flavour, although there are glimmers of happiness for many in the ending.

Most enjoyable and highly recommended.

I was a fan of Simenon's work so many years ago it almost (!) embarrasses me to admit it. Maigret was certainly one of the early crime fiction characters that really worked for me. There is a relaxed ease in his handling of his cases that I still find endearing. This one is no exception.

It's Christmas Day and Madame Maigret is out shopping for croissants for breakfast. Two people from a neighbouring building cross the road wanting to talk to their legendary detective neighbour. The niece of one of the woman says she saw Santa during the night taking up a floorboard and he left her a gift. Is this really a case of Monsieur Maigret?

Of course it is. It has all the usual characters in including Lucas and Torrence. It has an interesting tale and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Sadly my review copy only contained the one story so I'll not give a rating for the book. However I'd be surprised if fans would not want to read this.

This is the first of the three stories of this collection and I really enjoyed it. It was so intriguing and kept me reading. The plot is perfectly worked into a brilliant short story set on Christmas Day. I’m just disappointed I didn’t get to read the other two stories in the collection.

Susan: @thebooktrailer

What a perfect read for the first French Friday here on The BookTrail! Ah I've read these stories in French but now they're in a lovely little collection which is perfect for Christmas and any time you want to be transported to Paris really.

Maigret is an iconic French character and it's a treat to have him in bite size here so to speak. The three stories are nicely chosen and very smoothly translated whilst encompassing all the French flourishes Maigret is so well known for. I found the stories so different yet they complemented each other well. No spoilers here but a good collection and there might only be three but three is the magic Maigret number in this case.

Maigret and Paris At Christmas. What's not to like?

This has been such an enjoyable read and short enough to follow the plot without having to check back. I adore the age that this is set in, when people took note of everyday occurrences happening around them and life was lived at a gentile pace.

A interesting short story that kept moving and your interest going. Examining personal relationships as well as playing the detective.

This ARC only includes the first of the three published stories so this review is only partial. As ever, Simenon concocts a taut tale in his characteristic tight-lipped prose. It's Christmas day and Maigret finds himself drawn into a case that starts with a neighbour's child waking up to find Santa in her room... The plotting spins out from here, and Mme Maigret has a strong role to play, adding a bittersweet feel to the story. An excellent taster.

I was really looking forward to this collection of three Christmas stories, as I have really liked the Maigret books. So I settled down for this festive read, looking forward to spending Christmas in Paris. To my horror, there was only one story, the two others are missing. I really enjoyed it albeit I would have preferred it to be longer. I think it was a shame the trio of short stories had two missing. It is difficult to write a review on this collection on the basis of one. Perhaps the publisher will correct this? Many thanks to Penguin Classics for the one story ARC.

This is a short story of a Christmas Day with the detective Maigret ad his wife when a nei9ghbour has an uninvited visitor. An enjoyable short story with a sad window into Maigret's personal life.

My first taste of Simenon did prove the likes of Dard and Garnier do have the same DNA, which I was very happy to have proven, but it sucks this file was a third of the finished book. Netgalley should enforce a notice to the effect before every download. I loved what I read, but I haven't read this book, and so I'm not in a position to give it a positive mark.