Cataloging Mount TBR. goes to 60f8 when I done.

Wow -- thank you hendertuckian! What an exciting package to receive -- better than Christmas. Have been wanting to read anything from the Maigret series for years, plus this is the final book/country I need for Europe in the 666 challenge. Yippee!!

A very quick read and quite interesting. Somehow this is a different take on the who-dun-it, but I'm not sure I can pinpoint the differences. One of the comments on the cover noted that the Maigret books tend to be more about social commentary on the personal nature of murder, and I don't disagree with that, but somehow feel like that's not quite the answer, either. I did find it interesting the differences in police procedure between France and the U.S. -- Maigret asks the wife politely after a few days for a chance to look at the victim's personal papers and then agrees not to take them because she wants to hold onto them. Here, the police would have searched the guy's house within a few hours of his death and impounded all his personal effects and figured out what they wanted to return to the wife. And, of course, the incredibly French attitude to infidelity, prostitution, sexual harassment/coercion, etc. was a little disconcerting at first, but you get used to it.

Thanks for sharing this little book. Glad to have had a chance to sample this series. Don't know that I will knock myself out to pursue others in the series, but will definitely read them if they do happen to come my way.

Am adding this as a "seed stock" book to a new VBB that bookstogive is organizing, featuring mysteries that take place outside U.S./Canada.

Am adding this as a "seed stock" book to a new VBB that bookstogive is organizing, featuring mysteries that take place outside U.S./Canada.

Off to oliviapoolside in Seattle as one of her selections from the International Mystery VBB.

Thanks! Looks interesting : )

Very interesting little mystery. Not much happens in the way of action; this is more an examination of types of people, their motives, actions and reactions. What are their resources, their backgrounds, their intelligence, education, financial standing, state of marriage. What kind of a person commits a murder? What drives a person to such an action? Why are certain people seducers and philanderers? Or lazy or unkind or timid? Strangely, considering the pace and lack of action, the book is not boring. It is rather a little multifaceted puzzle; one keeps turning it over and over, examining it as the inspector does. The story is set against the inspector's health. He tells us something about his fever or his breathing, then he tells us something about the case. This works but I have no idea why. The sad condition of the marriages in the book are in contrast to the inspector's own marriage where his wife fusses over him, cooks for him, advises him and generally shows her husband a lot of love and works hard for his welfare.
Reminded me a bit of Inspector Wallander in Sweden, if Wallander had a wife who loved and spoiled him. Also reminded me of Inspector Guido Brunetti in the better of those books.
Almost certainly I will be putting this book into the mystery VBB.

Was not chosen in the Mystery VBB so I am putting it in Innae's Crime Scene book box.

Released into innae's crime scene book box.

Taking from innae's Crime Scene bookbox. I've read several Maigret books but not this one.

I always enjoy an Inspector Maigret mystery from this prolific writer. This was a quick evening's read (even for a slow reader like myself ;-). It is interesting that Simenon concentrates more on psychology than action, but his books are still almost always real page-turners. I agree with what the earlier readers have said, and there's not that much to add!

I have a collection of this series in the original French; it was interesting to read one in English. Thanks so much for sharing this in the bookbox!

In the bookcase. Hope someone will read and enjoy!

Released for 2014 Wine+Food+BookCrossing challenge hosted by GoryDetails.

Released for 2014 Oh, the Places We Can Go challenge hosted by Secretariat. (Merchant, VA).

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