Good one. With Maigret, it isn't a matter of figuring out who did it. You can leave that to Maigret and just enjoy going along for the ride. ( )

3.5* ( )

Super! Maigret has retired and has moved out to the country, but before long his nephew (a young cop) knocks on the door and shares his terrible news- he's been set up to take the fall for a murder! Of course, Maigret must come to town to fix it, all the while butting heads with his successor at the Quays and also with the the criminal element that he must tangle with, but without the backup of a badge or real authority. Instead of staring / talking down the perp in his office he must go the guys home (who is holding all the cards) and maneuver him into confessing (he has set it up so the police can overhear) and it's a swashbuckling conclusion- Maigret even fires his gun (though not to kill, thankfully). Great. ( )

Maigret helps out by keeping his eyes and ears open, and by wise use of his long experience of the Parisian underworld. He spends most of the novel at a table in the corner of a cafe. Every so often he makes a judiciously placed telephone call. He befriends a helpful whore. After a little light torture, all is well.

This was my first Maigret, and one is clearly in the hands of a master - one who's testing playing games: can he hold an audience while almost literally nothing happens? Well, yes - just. Which I suppose is impressive, but not as impressive as a really good novel would have been.

I'll definitely have another go, but I'm sorry I started here. ( )

These radio plays give you exactly what you expect: the phlegmatic police inspector and the flavour of fifties France. Comfort listening. March 2020 ( )