I wanted to like this, from a classic mystery author, but I just couldn't connect with it. Sometimes a translation is difficult to translate. I did like the cover, though.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

I’m a fan of murder mysteries but this was the first Maigret novel I’ve read. The plot was reasonably interesting, but I found the characters a little flat and difficult to distinguish between. I love the humour and social interaction you get in a Christie novel, but ‘The Yellow Dog’ offered nothing comparable. Even the mysterious appearance of a yellow dog at the scenes of crime was underdeveloped and dropped off the radar midway through the novel. I enjoyed how Maigret resolved the crimes, but wasn’t impressed with the journey getting there.

I just finished a new mystery. The Yellow Dog by Georges Simenon was a good read. Pick this one up on publication day.

Shortly after leaving the local cafe, a man is shot outside a nearby house, with a mysterious yellow dog appearing at the scene. Though Inspector Maigret shows up to investigate the next day, soon, more incidents occur, involving a small group of prominent men in the village, with that same yellow dog appearing. Poisonings, shootings, a giant vagrant and more will have to be puzzled out by Maigret to solve the case.
This was my first Maigret book, and not sure there will be others. On the plus side, the story is fairly short. The motive behind the crimes is actually quite complex, and a lot happens without a lot of fluff. However, Mairgret's ability to figure everything out simply by being there and somehow knowing what all the secrets are would put just about any other detective to shame. The plot was certainly sophisticated, the detective's ability to solve everything without much effort just baffling. If you don't want to have to think, just have the mystery presented and then explained for you, this would the book for you. 2 stars for "it was OK."

A classic Inspector Maigret novel, that combines a gripping mystery, with minute detail of life in the French countryside. The atmosphere is fully realized, as is the mystery. It's dark and gritty at times, but short enough to make for an enjoyable read.