Maigret and the Killer (Maigret Mystery Series)
by Georges Simenon
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Book Summary Information
Author: Georges SimenonEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2003-06-16
ISBN: 0156028417
Number of pages: 168
Publisher: Harvest Books
Book Reviews of Maigret and the Killer (Maigret Mystery Series)
Book Review: "There's a killer on the road
Summary: 4 Stars
his brain is squirming like a toad." Jim Morrison.
Inspector and Mrs. Maigret usually have a very pleasant evening when they have dinner at the flat of Dr. and Mrs. Pardon. They enjoy good food, good conversation and the company of old friends. However, on this rainy night in Paris their evening is ruined when one of Dr. Pardon's patients rushes in to tell them that a man has been brutally knifed and killed on the Boulevard just down the street. The victim, Antoine Batille, is the son of a wealthy perfume manager. Maigret, by dint of his arriving at the scene with his friend the Doctor, takes charge of the investigation. A loner, Antoine does not seem the sort to make enemies or to make anyone angry enough to get stabbed almost a dozen times. However, Batille did have a hobby unusual enough for Maigret to launch an investigation. Batille was in the habit of taking a portable tape-recorder (a new and unusual gadget when this story was written in 1969) and taping random conversations in bars and bistros across Paris. As the story continues we see Maigret following a lead provided by the tape recorder. It seems that an easy solution is at hand. But Maigret sees something that takes him on a path that seems contrary to the evidence. As the plot unfolds we see Maigret following two paths, leaving the reader to guess which path leads to a solution.
I enjoyed "Maigret and the Killer" for a couple of reasons. Maigret is aging. He has been on the force now for over thirty-five years (I think Simenon penned the first Maigret in 1933 or so.) He is eyeing retirement and longs for life in the country cottage he and his wife purchased a while back. Perhaps because of his age Maigret also has a very strong sense of how best to bring in a suspect and get that suspect to the point where he has no choice but to confess. That is the path he takes here, much to the annoyance of the Magistrate who would prefer a quick arrest and prosecution. Maigret has a certain sense here that justice will best be served if he lets the object of the investigation talk himself into making a statement. George Simenon does an admirable job in setting the scene. As always, Simenon does not indulge in excess prose, but his compact sentences always manage to convey a certain sense of the character of Maigret and the characters that he encounters. The dialogues between Maigret and his primary suspect are compelling and bespeak an acute awareness of the human condition. The fact that he manages to do this with less rather than more words makes it all the more remarkable.
Once again, George Simenon delivers a thoughtful, well-paced and insightful Maigret story. Recommended. L. Fleisig.
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