Maigret's first case (original 1953; edition 2016)

by Georges Simenon

Series: Maigret (30)

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When a Paris musician witnesses an altercation that may have been a murder, the young Maigret becomes embroiled in his first case.

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Member:	essexgirl
Title:	Maigret's first case
Authors:	Georges Simenon
Info:	London : Penguin Classics, 2016.
Collections:	Your library
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Work Information

Maigret's First Case by Georges Simenon (1953)

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English (5) French (2) Swedish (2) Spanish (1) Danish (1) Finnish (1) Dutch (1) All languages (13)

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I'm not sure all the loose ends got tied up, and I didn't find the ending satisfying. But this isn't Hercule Poirot, it's Maigret, so loose ends are not the point. But the characters didn't come to life either. Maigret got some attention, but I have to admit I prefer the older, more mature and confident Maigret. The only similarity was the pipe. On the other hand, this is one of a new series that Penguin is publishing in the Penguin Classics series and as far as my library is concerned, it's one that either wasn't published before in English, or old editions are hard to find and I never found one. So I am very much looking forward to more of these new editions by Penguin if they provide new material and hope I don't end up with repeats already on my shelves but with different titles. (

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dvoratreis | May 22, 2024 |

A solid Maigret. Though many people don't, I have a fondness for prequel novels in long series. Fun stuff. This one was a little more straight ahead than some others, no convoluted plot happenings. Narrator was good. It might have been better if there was a french speaker narrating the book in english with the accent to make it sound more authentic, but this narrator did a fine job. (

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BooksForDinner | Apr 15, 2019 |

As a lover of the French language, I found this enjoyable. As someone who likes to try to figure out mysteries, I was frustrated. Like in the other Maigret I read this year, information is often just handed to you on a plate, so one is deprived of the pleasure of trying to piece together clues and form theories about whodunit and why. It was fun, though, watching a young detective stumble through his first case and seeing hints of the investigator he would become. I do wish he (and the story) had been given a little more room to develop instead of having things come to a screeching halt, since he -- and you -- end up feeling cheated by the abrupt ending. (

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simchaboston | Dec 31, 2015 |

I cannot remember the last time I read from the crime genre and have never really been a great fan of the whodunnit yarn. This slim book has persuaded me that I would like to read further stories or should I say, cases in which Monsieur Maigret is involved. It was a gentle read reflecting the days of old with a real flavour of la belle France. Maigret's character was written such that you warmed to him as the plot developed. I think I could get to like this Maigret character and would commend him. (

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juliette07 | Oct 9, 2009 |

Police

Budzul | May 31, 2008 |

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▾Other authors

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Georges Simenon	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Brain, Robert	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Bruna, Dick	Cover designer	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Cañameras, F.	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Catania, Alessio	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Constantinescu, Nicolae	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Tlarig, M.	Cover designer	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Series

Maigret (30)

Belongs to Publisher Series

Gli Adelphi [Adelphi] (196)

Club del Misterio. Bruguera (67)

Le grandi inchieste del commissario Maigret [Fabbri]

Le livre de poche (14232)

Maigret en acción (18)

Vampiro (83)

— 1 more

Zwarte Beertjes (580)

Is contained in

The Second Maigret Omnibus by Georges Simenon

Tout Maigret, Tome 4 : Maigret se fâche ; Maigret à New York ; Les vacances de Maigret ; Maigret et son mort ; La première enquête de Maigret ; Mon ami ... chez le coroner ; Maigret et la vieille dame by Georges Simenon

Club del Misterio, volum 9 by Club del Misterio

Has the adaptation

Maigret & Co - Meisterhafte Fälle by Georges Simenon

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

Maigret's First Case

Original title

La première enquête de Maigret

Alternative titles

Original publication date

1953

1930

1949

People/Characters

Jules Maigret (Commissaire)

Important places

Important events

Related movies

Information from the Italian Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.

A Taste of Power (1963 | IMDb)

Epigraph

Dedication

First words

A black railing divided the room in two.

The room was divided in two by a black railing.

Quotations

Last words

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Disambiguation notice

Originally published in French as: La première enquête de Maigret, 1913 in 1948. Variously translated in English as:
(1) Maigret's First Case, translated by Robert Brain (1958) and;
(2) Maigret's First Case, translated by Ros Schwartz (2016).

Publisher's editors

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Original language

French

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

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▾Book descriptions

When a Paris musician witnesses an altercation that may have been a murder, the young Maigret becomes embroiled in his first case.

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▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

Here is a new Maigret indeed - young, recently wedded, and fresh to his job. It was always known that he started as secretary to the superintendent in a local Paris police station. In this book Simenon, with his usual mastery of period and setting, tells how Maigret got his first chance, and allows us some touching glimpses of the newly-wed
Madame Maigret. In the social pattern of 1913 it was no easy task for a young country-bred policeman to penetrate the secrets of a wealthy and influential family. But trust Maigret to find friends in the local brasserie: this time it was the little flautist in the band who helped him in his inquiries. After a narrow shave at the hands of two deceptively jolly toughs, Maigret was in a position to unmask the crooks when he was checked from a totally unexpected direction. *As polished a Maigret as has appeared for a long time* - Daily Telegraph

For copyright reasons this edition is not for sale in the U.S.A. or Canada.

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