Maigret and the Tall Woman

Thank you Net Galley. I enjoyed re-reading this wonderful book on my kindle. As always simenon and Maigret make for an entertaining and enthralling read. Thank you Penguin for this reissue with anew translation. Excellent book.

You just can't beat a good Maigret and I read this quickly and with great pleasure. The two things are linked, because Simenon's unfussy, direct style means that each of the 70-odd Maigret books is brief but very satisfying. This, like all of them, is as much about character and Parisian life as about crime, but it's done so well that you absorb it all while being involved in the story.

Here, Maigret begins to investigate the story of a woman whom he arrested in amusing circumstances many years ago; she is concerned that her safe-breaker husband has vanished after seeing a body in a house he broke into. The plot development is steady and secure but it is, as always, the characters, Maigret's means of confronting suspects and the Parisian atmosphere (here in a hot late summer) which linger.

The new translation by David Watson is excellent. It is readable and true to the spirit of the original so that you forget that you are reading a translation which is exactly how it should be. (The sole infelicity, "Boissier returned with a dossier," did make me smile but also pointed out how very good it was overall.)

Quite simply, this is a pleasure. It's a fine translation of the work of a true master and very warmly recommended.

(I received an ARC via Netgalley.)

First published in English in 1955 with the better title of Inspector Maigret and the Burglar’s Wife, Maigret and the Tall Woman was a book I simply couldn’t put down, as cliché as that sounds. A former prostitute who had had a run-in with Maigret some 17 years earlier has since married a safecracker, Alfred “Sad Freddie” Jussiaume. Madame Jussiaume pops into Maigret’s office to advise him that her husband had fled the scene of his impending crime on Tuesday night when he found a bloodied woman’s body.

Meticulous as always — and as daring as always — Maigret goes step by step, deploying his loyal police officers, tirelessly questioning witnesses and suspects alike, until he brings the culprits to justice. An incredibly fine read that I highly recommend.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Penguin Classics in exchange for an honest review. And thank you, Penguin Classics, for reissuing the entire Maigret series a book at a time.

This is classic Maigret and though it's midway through the series, it's also perfectly fine as a place to start for those new to Simenon. This new Penguin translation feels smooth and natural, and keeps some of the low-key humour of the originals.

Unlike many contemporary crime writers, Simenon doesn't believe in wasted words: he keeps things short, sharp and abbreviated, ditching all extraneous words. There are no 'he said/she saids' in the dialogues and Maigret doesn't let us into his own thought processes - we're left waiting, to some extent, like the ever-patient Mme Maigret, as the drama plays out in front of us.

Here we get a kind of crime-in-reverse plot as Maigret gets to learn of a dead body but isn't completely sure that a crime has actually been committed - it's not hard to work out what's really going on but the pleasure of these books is as much from atmosphere and following Maigret as in getting to the solution.

I first started reading these books when I was studying French at school since they're relatively easy reading in the original (partly because of the proportion of dialogue over exposition and description) so it's nice to find they're still fresh and now with an unclunky translation.

Previously "Maigret and the Burglar's Wife. A book I have read before and remember the faithful TV adaptation with Michael Gambon in the 90's.
Just over 3 years ago Penguin began reissuing all 75 of Georges Simenon’s Inspector Maigret novels at a rate of one per month, commissioning new modern translation, returning to original titles and producing them in their original publication order.
With 'Maigret and the Tall Woman' I have now read 38 such titles and I am up to date with the ones so far issued. I remember as a child subscribing to weekly publications in 104 parts; initially discounted and rarely seen after 2 -3 months. A drain on pocket money and an expensive way to learn about a subject if your magazine ran its course.
With Penguin there were no concerns and they have faithfully just past half-way in this incredible enterprise. It is the mark of these books popularity that the interest persists today. Indeed in the UK on Christmas Day a new TV series, episode 2 goes out underlining the pull of this detective.
The reason I like this story so much and was delighted to be able to read its modern translation is two-fold. Firstly, it is a story where the crime appears to have gone unreported and Maigret receives a tip-off from a dubious source. Without a body he then has to work backwards to reach any measure of truth let alone justice; as in other cases he appears to be on the brink of giving up.
Secondly, the story focuses on evidence that although is a long time coming is meticulously sought. In the meantime Maigret has tremendous standoffs with those he assumes guilty and often fails to break them, trip them up or obtain a confession. Therefore, it shows the art of questioning that if any suspect can stick to their story can remainunable to be charged without sufficient evidence to support the case. Indeed if a lawyer was present in such an instance then as now their client could not have been held.
This trick of a dissappearing body has been used in many books and TV shows. "It was right here". As has the literary device of assumed/known guilt but no evidence. In Columbo he would always find a weakness and force the suspect's hand. In this clever plot Maigret has no real stage props other than a belief that takes time to truely form that he can win the day.
It reminds me that at the start of a number of his investigations Maigret says he doesn't know what he believes, yet he always has persistence and patience to watch and wait. Here he sees a potential scenario and then awaits facts to support or discount it. There is no magic the missing woman he says could turn up alive but if she's been killed he will find the ultimate truth.
As with Simenon's writing it has touches of humour. I thoroughly enjoyed the sense of summer here from Lucas's hat to Maigret struggles with a wasp. The story is also within a tight timeframe which isn't enforce through chapter headings but a constant stressing of when events take place.
A good place to dip your first toe into a Maigret story or refresh one's own memories from radio, TV or older versions of books that never seem to go out of circulation.
If you start here you have 37 books to read to catch me up and together we have anoth 37 to read.

A woman from Maigret's past asks for help from the famous police inspector. Her husband a safe cracker has disappeared after breaking into a house to rob a safe, however whilst carrying out his job he spots a dead body in the room, panics, runs but doesn't run to his wife instead leaving Paris to go into hiding. Maigret accepts the case and comes up against two challenging foes.

Everyone should try the Maigret novels, they are a joy to read and leave you wanting more. Luckily there is a large canon of novels, and Penguin are reissuing them (one a month).

Georges Simenon's Maigret books were the first adult books I read. I took those tentative steps up the stairs in the library from the children's section to the adult's section and, to be honest, I have no idea why I picked these to start with. Possibly having watched repeats of the 1960s TV show. But I did, and I really loved them. They managed to re-ignite my love of reading that my school had all but brow beaten out of me by making me read books I had little or no interest in. Anyway, this having been more than several years ago, I really don't know whether I had already read this book, I couldn't remember it, but that doesn't mean much being as my memory is on the whole rubbish so, apart from my familiarity with the characters I considered this book to be a new read.
What I really love about these books is the chapter introductions giving you a brief precis about what will happen. I just think that's wonderful as it really whetted my appetite and also it's a clever ploy to get you to keep reading. Once you read what is in effect a teaser, it is very hard to not carry on.
The story contained in this book is interesting, A burglar comes across a dead body whilst he is robbing a posh house. Obviously he scarpers and hides out after phoning his wife to explain. As she has has dealing with him in the past, she goes to Maigret with this tale of death and he starts to investigate the mother and son who live in the house and finds out that the wife has recently returned to her native Holland. Or has she...?
This is classic Maigret. As with a few other prolific series of this ilk, they are all rather formulaic in nature but all very individual by content. Yes, pernod is drunk. Madame Maigret waits. The police station becomes fogged with smoke. All the usual scene setters that make these books all very comfortable and easy to read. All described in a very succinct manner. He doesn't waste words yet still manages to set a scene with bags of atmosphere. The crime contained is dealt with in Maigret's own inimitable manner. I love the way he asks people to do things without explaining why, neither to them, nor the reader, but we all trust that there is a reason and that it will become evident eventually.
The translation is also pretty seamless. I have read some clunky translations in my time but this was totally smooth. Obviously being familiar with the style of writing and the French terms used helped me but I think a new reader would have no trouble with anything.
It's quite a short book, but complete. It left me satisfied at the end and also with a warm feeling after my trip down memory lane back to my childhood. I understand that Penguin are re-releasing the whole series. I can see me re-reading the whole lot.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.