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When a corpse turns up, shot by Maigret's stolen gun, his search for the killer takes him to London to investigate one murder - and prevent another.Tags
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Loved this one. Really enjoyed the humanity he gave everyone. Plus London. Also, Maigret is obviously a functioning alcoholic, but it really struck me here.
The 40th novel in Georges Simenon’s timeless Maigret series begins tenuously but evolves into one of my favorite of the novels. A nervous young man steals Chief Inspector Maigret’s souvenir .44 Smith & Wesson from his apartment in the brief time Madame Maigret leaves him alone. As happens in Maigret novels, the young man leads Maigret into other crimes to investigate — including one across the English Channel.
Maigret must travel to London, where he feels the fishiest fish out of water, and several times, out of his milieu, he goes awry. And, in a rarity, the misogynistic Simenon allows Maigret stumped by a hard former courtesan, although he ends the novel working on her future demise. Highly, highly recommended.
Maigret must travel to London, where he feels the fishiest fish out of water, and several times, out of his milieu, he goes awry. And, in a rarity, the misogynistic Simenon allows Maigret stumped by a hard former courtesan, although he ends the novel working on her future demise. Highly, highly recommended.
Ah...translators. Unlike Cammilleri, who had one person translating his books, Simenon seems to have multiple translators. The plot in this one is as good as always, but the characters and scenes fell flat. And I think it is because of the translation. For that reason, this is my least favorite, so far.
After an agitated visitor to Maigret's apartment steals the revolver that Maigret had left on his mantle, the famous detective must deduce the link between that and the discovery of a body in a trunk. We meet a pathetic man who might have committed the murder. Maigret travels to London to interview a suspect and locate the young man who has his revolver. There are virtually no red herrings and Maigret makes the correct deductions in each case. Overall a competent tale of somewhat ingenious detection, but flat charaterization, the attitude toward women, and a dearth of excitement detract from the book's quality.
If I had to choose one favorite among all the Maigrets, I think I'd choose this one. How the gun factors into the novel is fascinating for an American to read. The plot is superb.
Super - M. visits friend for various french dinners- gets mixed up with a family involved with blackmail. the son 19 and wanting to kill the woman who ruined his father. M. must go london to stop him from doing that. Lots of london atmosphere waiting around to put the two together.
** spoiler alert ** Scritto anch’esso negli Stati Uniti, questo è il romanzo numero quaranta con al centro il suo poliziotto. Per celebrare la ricorrenza, Simenon costruisce una storia assai diversa dal solito in cui il delitto, si tratti di omicidio o ricatto, ha un ruolo marginale rispetto allo studio dei personaggi: ancora una volta, il nostro assume la figura paterna nel rapporto col giovane Alain e da quel momento le indagini – benché riguardino addirittura il deputato Delteil – finiscono in secondo piano.
Tutto inizia con un giovanotto nervoso che aspetta per un po’ Maigret in casa e poi ne sottrae il revolver del titolo: non ci vuol molto per metterlo in relazione con un tal Lagrange che vorrebbe incontrare il show more protagonista a cena da un amico, ma non si presenta. La vicenda è legata al defunto politico e a una misteriosa femme fatale non più giovanissima che a un certo punto se ne va a Londra seguita da Alain: nella capitale inglese, insolitamente piena di sole, il commissario risolve la faccenda, dimostrandosi come spesso gli accade, di manica larga con i più fragili oltre a cogliere l’opportunità di punzecchiare un po’ gli inglesi (è anche l’occasione per rivedere l’ispettore Pyke già conosciuto in ‘Il mio amico Maigret’ e si suppone vestito in completo di tweed).
Ne esce un bel racconto, magari non proprio equilibratissimo, ma pieno di umanità in cui l’autore riesce a stemperare un po’ del suo pessimismo (forse a causa del clima radioso?). show less
Tutto inizia con un giovanotto nervoso che aspetta per un po’ Maigret in casa e poi ne sottrae il revolver del titolo: non ci vuol molto per metterlo in relazione con un tal Lagrange che vorrebbe incontrare il show more protagonista a cena da un amico, ma non si presenta. La vicenda è legata al defunto politico e a una misteriosa femme fatale non più giovanissima che a un certo punto se ne va a Londra seguita da Alain: nella capitale inglese, insolitamente piena di sole, il commissario risolve la faccenda, dimostrandosi come spesso gli accade, di manica larga con i più fragili oltre a cogliere l’opportunità di punzecchiare un po’ gli inglesi (è anche l’occasione per rivedere l’ispettore Pyke già conosciuto in ‘Il mio amico Maigret’ e si suppone vestito in completo di tweed).
Ne esce un bel racconto, magari non proprio equilibratissimo, ma pieno di umanità in cui l’autore riesce a stemperare un po’ del suo pessimismo (forse a causa del clima radioso?). show less
Oct 3, 2019Italian
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1,336+ Works 63,186 Members
The prolific Belgian-born writer Georges Simenon produced hundreds of fictional works under his own name and 17 pseudonyms, in addition to more than 70 books about Inspector Maigret, long "the favorite sleuth of highbrow detective-story readers" (SR). More than 50 "Simenons" have been made into films. In addition to his mystery stories, he wrote show more what he called "hard" books, the serious psychological novels numbering well over 100. The autobiographical Pedigree, set in his native town of Liege, is perhaps his finest work. The publication of Simenon's intimate memoirs also attracted considerable attention. Simenon himself once said that he would never write a "great novel." Yet Gide called him "a great novelist, perhaps the greatest and truest novelist we have in French literature today," and Thornton Wilder (see Vol. 1) found that Simenon's narrative gift extends "to the tips of his fingers." The following are some of Simenon's novels, exclusive of the Maigret detective stories, that are in print. (Bowker Author Biography) Georges Simenon was born on February 13, 1903 in Liege, Belgium. He wrote more than 200 fiction works under 16 different pseudonyms. His first book, The Case of Peter the Lent led to 80 more of the like including the main character, Inspector Maigret. He published over 400 books that were translated into 50 different languages and sold by the millions. He also wrote psychological novels, including The Man Who Watched the Train Go By. He died on September 4, 1989 in Lausanne. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Maigret's Revolver
- Original title
- Le revolver de Maigret
- Original publication date
- 1952
- People/Characters*
- Jules Maigret; Louise Maigret; Joseph Torrence; André Lucas; Albert Janvier
- Important places*
- Parigi, Francia; Francia; Londra, Inghilterra, Regno Unito; Inghilterra, Regno Unito; Regno Unito
- Related movies*
- Le revolver de Maigret (1985 | IMDb); The Revolver (1960 | IMDb)
- First words*
- Quand, plus tard, Maigret penserait à cette enquête-là, ce serait toujours comme à quelque chose d'un peu anormal, s'associant dans son esprit à ces maladies qui ne se déclarent pas franchement, mais commencent par des ... (show all)malaises vagues, des pincements, des symptômes trop bénins pour qu'on accepte d'y prêter attention.
- Original language
- French
- Disambiguation notice*
- In the French original, Le Revolver de Maigret (1952).
Variously published in English as:
(i) Maigret's Revolver (1956) (trans. Nigel Ryan);
(ii) Maigret's Revolver (tran... (show all)s. Sian Reynolds) (2017).
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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