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Inspector Maigret #67
Maigret w Vichy
Paris has taken its toll and Maigret is sent to Vichy for the cure, but the Inspector finds it difficult to give his curiosity a rest. He compiles a mental dossier on his fellow guests, including a curious woman he and Madam Maigret note in particular -- the lady in lilac. When a headline in the local paper announces the woman's murder, Maigret -- with some relief -- interrupts his routine to aid the investigation. The arrival of the dead woman's sister provokes more questions than answers but Madame Maigret, as always, puts everything in the proper perspective.
First published January 1, 1968
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491 people want to read
About the author
Georges Simenon
2,733 books2,289 followersGeorges Joseph Christian Simenon (1903 – 1989) was a Belgian writer. A prolific author who published nearly 500 novels and numerous short works, Simenon is best known as the creator of the fictional detective Jules Maigret.
Although he never resided in Belgium after 1922, he remained a Belgian citizen throughout his life.
Simenon was one of the most prolific writers of the twentieth century, capable of writing 60 to 80 pages per day. His oeuvre includes nearly 200 novels, over 150 novellas, several autobiographical works, numerous articles, and scores of pulp novels written under more than two dozen pseudonyms. Altogether, about 550 million copies of his works have been printed.
He is best known, however, for his 75 novels and 28 short stories featuring Commissaire Maigret. The first novel in the series, Pietr-le-Letton, appeared in 1931; the last one, Maigret et M. Charles, was published in 1972. The Maigret novels were translated into all major languages and several of them were turned into films and radio plays. Two television series (1960-63 and 1992-93) have been made in Great Britain.
During his "American" period, Simenon reached the height of his creative powers, and several novels of those years were inspired by the context in which they were written (Trois chambres à Manhattan (1946), Maigret à New York (1947), Maigret se fâche (1947)).
Simenon also wrote a large number of "psychological novels", such as La neige était sale (1948) or Le fils (1957), as well as several autobiographical works, in particular Je me souviens (1945), Pedigree (1948), Mémoires intimes (1981).
In 1966, Simenon was given the MWA's highest honor, the Grand Master Award.
In 2005 he was nominated for the title of De Grootste Belg (The Greatest Belgian). In the Flemish version he ended 77th place. In the Walloon version he ended 10th place.
Although he never resided in Belgium after 1922, he remained a Belgian citizen throughout his life.
Simenon was one of the most prolific writers of the twentieth century, capable of writing 60 to 80 pages per day. His oeuvre includes nearly 200 novels, over 150 novellas, several autobiographical works, numerous articles, and scores of pulp novels written under more than two dozen pseudonyms. Altogether, about 550 million copies of his works have been printed.
He is best known, however, for his 75 novels and 28 short stories featuring Commissaire Maigret. The first novel in the series, Pietr-le-Letton, appeared in 1931; the last one, Maigret et M. Charles, was published in 1972. The Maigret novels were translated into all major languages and several of them were turned into films and radio plays. Two television series (1960-63 and 1992-93) have been made in Great Britain.
During his "American" period, Simenon reached the height of his creative powers, and several novels of those years were inspired by the context in which they were written (Trois chambres à Manhattan (1946), Maigret à New York (1947), Maigret se fâche (1947)).
Simenon also wrote a large number of "psychological novels", such as La neige était sale (1948) or Le fils (1957), as well as several autobiographical works, in particular Je me souviens (1945), Pedigree (1948), Mémoires intimes (1981).
In 1966, Simenon was given the MWA's highest honor, the Grand Master Award.
In 2005 he was nominated for the title of De Grootste Belg (The Greatest Belgian). In the Flemish version he ended 77th place. In the Walloon version he ended 10th place.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
April 29, 2025
April 2025 Lunchtime Listen
Well I have to say, I have added yet another Maigret audiobook to my favourites shelf.
This is just excellent, so descriptive and so immersive, and to use a phrase I have before, so Maigret.
After a bout of illness Maigret is told he must spend some time relaxing and “taking the waters” at Vichy to recover.
Accompanied by Mme Maigret he is to spend a pleasant few weeks recuperating by complete relaxation and different waters morning and afternoon, lots of exercise ans no excitement, just routine.
Amazingly Maigret falls into this routine far faster than his wife had expected and they stroll around Vichy in the warm weather, relaxing in the park, and gradually realising they see the same people at the same time in the same place everyday, until one day they don’t. And that is the start of the end of Maigret’s relaxation.
Just beautifully told and wonderfully read, a true delight.
Well I have to say, I have added yet another Maigret audiobook to my favourites shelf.
This is just excellent, so descriptive and so immersive, and to use a phrase I have before, so Maigret.
After a bout of illness Maigret is told he must spend some time relaxing and “taking the waters” at Vichy to recover.
Accompanied by Mme Maigret he is to spend a pleasant few weeks recuperating by complete relaxation and different waters morning and afternoon, lots of exercise ans no excitement, just routine.
Amazingly Maigret falls into this routine far faster than his wife had expected and they stroll around Vichy in the warm weather, relaxing in the park, and gradually realising they see the same people at the same time in the same place everyday, until one day they don’t. And that is the start of the end of Maigret’s relaxation.
Just beautifully told and wonderfully read, a true delight.
February 9, 2024
The story is interesting, Maigret is having a health problem and is losing his time at Vichy with his much-adored wife. But his born curiosity is like a second nature...
If you want do dedicate a couple of hours to remember life and atmosphere in France some fifty-five years ago (quite a couple of generations...) this is the one.
If you want do dedicate a couple of hours to remember life and atmosphere in France some fifty-five years ago (quite a couple of generations...) this is the one.
June 24, 2022
I rated it 3 stars because it was very well written, but as a mystery it deserves 2. It's very slow and predictable, good as a summer read. Here Maigret is on holiday in Vichy with his wife and they notice a woman called Helene Lange. Then the woman is murdered and Maigret helps the local police.
Readable.
Readable.
June 15, 2019
For a few books we have been content to read of Maigret’s cases in Paris.
Here the wonderful author Georges Simenon does what many writers have down in long standing series they change the location.
Readers know Maigret is closing in on retirement; indeed through his book he has great longevity. Age however is somehow catching up with him. His symptoms although series are what we would call today stress and modern life. He needs to slow down and the fashion at the time was to visit a spa resort like Vichy and take the waters. Literally drink the warm, mineral water and relax outside your normal routine.
This is a great backdrop to a story where our chief protagonist has no jurisdiction, feels vulnerable, can’t drink, become absorbed in an investigation and spends all his time with his beloved wife.
Consequently everything is different and nothing is the same until a murder occurs almost under his nose.
I loved the role of Madame Maigret in this book her change of character away from Paris, even when his detective curiosity takes him away from her briefly. I loved the questions she poses to her husband they are both observers of, and the answers she elicited from the Chief Inspector. It was good to see some comparisons as well as contrasts that mean this book reveals so much more about our favourite sleuth.
I feel as I have read every episode in each new release I can understand his famous methods. This latest novel affirms this; is a celebration of life and introduces one of the worse crimes I have read.
Here the wonderful author Georges Simenon does what many writers have down in long standing series they change the location.
Readers know Maigret is closing in on retirement; indeed through his book he has great longevity. Age however is somehow catching up with him. His symptoms although series are what we would call today stress and modern life. He needs to slow down and the fashion at the time was to visit a spa resort like Vichy and take the waters. Literally drink the warm, mineral water and relax outside your normal routine.
This is a great backdrop to a story where our chief protagonist has no jurisdiction, feels vulnerable, can’t drink, become absorbed in an investigation and spends all his time with his beloved wife.
Consequently everything is different and nothing is the same until a murder occurs almost under his nose.
I loved the role of Madame Maigret in this book her change of character away from Paris, even when his detective curiosity takes him away from her briefly. I loved the questions she poses to her husband they are both observers of, and the answers she elicited from the Chief Inspector. It was good to see some comparisons as well as contrasts that mean this book reveals so much more about our favourite sleuth.
I feel as I have read every episode in each new release I can understand his famous methods. This latest novel affirms this; is a celebration of life and introduces one of the worse crimes I have read.
December 1, 2021
Siempre es un verdadero placer la lectura de una novela de Maigret.
March 18, 2022
Maigret On Vacation
Review of the Penguin Classics paperback (June 2019) of a new translation* by Ros Schwartz of the French language original Maigret à Vichy (1968)
[3.5]
The Opera in Vichy. A more shadowy photograph of this building is used as the cover image of the new Penguin Classics edition of "Maigret in Vichy." This image sourced from Wikipedia.
Maigret in Vichy finds the Parisian Chief Inspector sent to take the waters in the resort town of Vichy on the orders of his friend Doctor Pardon. The 53 year-old (n.b. for once, the age of Maigret is mentioned and indicates that Maigret time is passing more slowly than real time i.e. it has already been a 37 year old career since Pietr the Latvian (1931)) is feeling the stresses of the job and is remarkably subservient to his doctor's orders. Madame Maigret joins him for the rest cure which requires walking around the town to drink the various mineral waters at different springs and to avoid alcohol. The always observant Maigret notices a single woman who is regularly taking in the music at the town's bandstand. She becomes the murder victim and a case for Maigret even while on vacation.
Maigret is a known personality and his consultation is an expected fact by the local press and authorities and of course the Chief Inspector cannot resist in providing his usual perceptive observations and recommendations. What at first seems a bungled case of burglary is gradually revealed to be the not unexpected result of a long running blackmail scheme.
Although this is a very relaxed Maigret in comparison to most cases, it was pleasant to see the Chief Inspector in a cozy mood and enjoying the company of Madame Maigret in a vacation setting.
The cover of the original French language edition of "Maigret in Vichy" as published by Press de la Cité, France 1968. Image sourced from Maigret of the Month.
I read the first dozen Maigret novellas earlier this year and then intended to proceed with several of Simenon's romans durs (French: hard novels) which he considered his more serious work, as opposed to the lighter fare involving the Chief Inspector. The non-Maigrets are a bit more difficult to source however and there seem to be less than a dozen in current editions from Penguin Classics. Anyway, to keep the Simenon pipeline flowing, I thought I'd add several of the late Maigrets to my ongoing reading survey.
In the continuing confusion for completists, this is Maigret #68 in the recent Penguin Classics series of new translations (2013-2019) of the Inspector Maigret novels and short stories, but it is Maigret #67 in the previous standard Maigret Series Listopia as listed on Goodreads.
Trivia and Links
* Some earlier English translations have given the title as Maigret Takes the Waters.
There is extensive background and a detailed plot description (spoilers obviously) about Maigret in Vichy at Maigret of the Month.
Maigret in Vichy has been adapted for film once in a French language television version as Episode 64 of the long running series Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret (The Investigations of Inspector Maigret) (1967-1990) starring Jean Richard as Inspector Maigret.
There is an article about the Penguin Classics re-translations of the Inspector Maigret novels at Maigret, the Enduring Appeal of the Parisian Sleuth by Paddy Kehoe, RTE, August 17, 2019.
Review of the Penguin Classics paperback (June 2019) of a new translation* by Ros Schwartz of the French language original Maigret à Vichy (1968)
[3.5]
What else did they have to do with their days? They ambled around casually. From time to time, they paused, not because they were out of breath but to admire a tree, a house, the play of light and shadow, or a face.
They could have sworn they'd been in Vichy for an eternity, whereas this was only their fifth day. They had already created a schedule for themselves which they followed meticulously as if it were of the utmost importance, and their days were measured out by various rituals which they adhered to religiously. - excerpt from Maigret in Vichy
The Opera in Vichy. A more shadowy photograph of this building is used as the cover image of the new Penguin Classics edition of "Maigret in Vichy." This image sourced from Wikipedia.
Maigret in Vichy finds the Parisian Chief Inspector sent to take the waters in the resort town of Vichy on the orders of his friend Doctor Pardon. The 53 year-old (n.b. for once, the age of Maigret is mentioned and indicates that Maigret time is passing more slowly than real time i.e. it has already been a 37 year old career since Pietr the Latvian (1931)) is feeling the stresses of the job and is remarkably subservient to his doctor's orders. Madame Maigret joins him for the rest cure which requires walking around the town to drink the various mineral waters at different springs and to avoid alcohol. The always observant Maigret notices a single woman who is regularly taking in the music at the town's bandstand. She becomes the murder victim and a case for Maigret even while on vacation.
Maigret is a known personality and his consultation is an expected fact by the local press and authorities and of course the Chief Inspector cannot resist in providing his usual perceptive observations and recommendations. What at first seems a bungled case of burglary is gradually revealed to be the not unexpected result of a long running blackmail scheme.
Although this is a very relaxed Maigret in comparison to most cases, it was pleasant to see the Chief Inspector in a cozy mood and enjoying the company of Madame Maigret in a vacation setting.
The cover of the original French language edition of "Maigret in Vichy" as published by Press de la Cité, France 1968. Image sourced from Maigret of the Month.
I read the first dozen Maigret novellas earlier this year and then intended to proceed with several of Simenon's romans durs (French: hard novels) which he considered his more serious work, as opposed to the lighter fare involving the Chief Inspector. The non-Maigrets are a bit more difficult to source however and there seem to be less than a dozen in current editions from Penguin Classics. Anyway, to keep the Simenon pipeline flowing, I thought I'd add several of the late Maigrets to my ongoing reading survey.
In the continuing confusion for completists, this is Maigret #68 in the recent Penguin Classics series of new translations (2013-2019) of the Inspector Maigret novels and short stories, but it is Maigret #67 in the previous standard Maigret Series Listopia as listed on Goodreads.
Trivia and Links
* Some earlier English translations have given the title as Maigret Takes the Waters.
There is extensive background and a detailed plot description (spoilers obviously) about Maigret in Vichy at Maigret of the Month.
Maigret in Vichy has been adapted for film once in a French language television version as Episode 64 of the long running series Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret (The Investigations of Inspector Maigret) (1967-1990) starring Jean Richard as Inspector Maigret.
There is an article about the Penguin Classics re-translations of the Inspector Maigret novels at Maigret, the Enduring Appeal of the Parisian Sleuth by Paddy Kehoe, RTE, August 17, 2019.
February 25, 2020
Inspector Maigret and his wife are on holiday in Vichy, a resort town in south central France renowned for its spas and medicinal waters. Maigret had been feeling out of sorts and had consulted his physician before leaving Paris, who recommended Maigret to a colleague of his, Dr. Rian, whose practice was in Vichy. Maigret later met with Rian, who recommended a regimen consisting of daily walks (which he and Madame Maigret did together daily), a healthy diet, and drinking of Vichy's pure water. So, no beer, sausage, and a cut down on smoking from his beloved pipe for Maigret.
Maigret's holiday is anything but humdrum, when he becomes indirectly involved in a case by the local police authorities (whose chief, Lecoeur, had once served under him in Paris) in which a woman was found strangled to death in a residence she owned. It so happened that Maigret had seen this woman (sometimes referred to in the book as "the lady in lilac", reflective of the outfit she was wearing when Maigret espied her in public) once days earlier whilst walking with his wife. "For Maigret, the lady in lilac was not simply the victim of a murder, nor a person who had led a particular type of existence. He was beginning to know her and he was trying, almost unwittingly, to learn more about her."
All in all, this was a breezy and thought-provoking story. I enjoyed the experience.
Maigret's holiday is anything but humdrum, when he becomes indirectly involved in a case by the local police authorities (whose chief, Lecoeur, had once served under him in Paris) in which a woman was found strangled to death in a residence she owned. It so happened that Maigret had seen this woman (sometimes referred to in the book as "the lady in lilac", reflective of the outfit she was wearing when Maigret espied her in public) once days earlier whilst walking with his wife. "For Maigret, the lady in lilac was not simply the victim of a murder, nor a person who had led a particular type of existence. He was beginning to know her and he was trying, almost unwittingly, to learn more about her."
All in all, this was a breezy and thought-provoking story. I enjoyed the experience.
May 10, 2015
One more stop is now complete on my grand sampling tour of the great fictional detectives of 20th century fiction with the completion of my first Detective Maigret novel. I realize, of course, that a reader can hardly get a good feel for a character such as this by only reading a single novel of the set. After all, author Georges Simenon wrote some seventy-five novels and twenty-eight short stories about Maigret which were published between 1931 and 1972 and there have been several radio and TV adaptations as well. But for all of that, I had never picked up a Maigret novel until now.
Jules Maigret, or simply Maigret to most people, including his wife, is a French police detective, actually a commissaire or commissioner of the Paris "Brigade Criminelle". The character is reportedly heavily influenced by real life Chief Inspector Marcel Guillaume, said to be the greatest French detective of his day.
Published in 1967, this particular novel, Maigret in Vichy (it has also born the title “Maigret Takes the Waters” in some versions) comes near the end of the entire series. Maigret and his wife are vacationing in Vichy where his doctor has advised he relax and engage in the lavish spa and healthful waters of the region. He notices a mysterious lady in lavender and when said lady is found murdered, the local police engage his famous detective skills to aid them in their case.
I will say that I enjoyed this reading experience more than I had expected. I found the style to be easy and straight forward and I rather enjoyed the leisurely pace of Detective Maigret’s lifestyle at this point in his career. It’s quite a different pace than the more modern day thriller/mysteries which I have been reading lately. The plot was interesting, albeit straightforward with some old fashioned hard work by the police required to solve the case. As a character, Maigret is pleasant to spend time with and I would enjoy doing so again.
Jules Maigret, or simply Maigret to most people, including his wife, is a French police detective, actually a commissaire or commissioner of the Paris "Brigade Criminelle". The character is reportedly heavily influenced by real life Chief Inspector Marcel Guillaume, said to be the greatest French detective of his day.
Published in 1967, this particular novel, Maigret in Vichy (it has also born the title “Maigret Takes the Waters” in some versions) comes near the end of the entire series. Maigret and his wife are vacationing in Vichy where his doctor has advised he relax and engage in the lavish spa and healthful waters of the region. He notices a mysterious lady in lavender and when said lady is found murdered, the local police engage his famous detective skills to aid them in their case.
I will say that I enjoyed this reading experience more than I had expected. I found the style to be easy and straight forward and I rather enjoyed the leisurely pace of Detective Maigret’s lifestyle at this point in his career. It’s quite a different pace than the more modern day thriller/mysteries which I have been reading lately. The plot was interesting, albeit straightforward with some old fashioned hard work by the police required to solve the case. As a character, Maigret is pleasant to spend time with and I would enjoy doing so again.
October 11, 2018
A Maigret with a difference. Maigret is actually enjoying some vacation time with Madame, having been sent to the famous spa to take the waters. It reminded me strongly of my own visits to a Spanish watering place in the 1980s: a small town with few shops, lots of hotels and boarding houses, not much to do but walk around or sit on conveniently placed benches and watch other people walk by and take things easy. Which is the point.
I love the way Maigret and Madame slide seamlessly into a new existence; by the third day they have their little routines down pat and enjoy sticking to them. This time, not even a murder can make Maigret want to take over the investigation; he has no jurisidiction and for once he likes it that way! He sits in on a couple of interrogations, but only because he trained the officer in charge, back in the day (the felicitously named Desiré Lecoeur). In the back of his mind he is always aware of Madame waiting for him at one of the rendezvous on their daily itinerary.
What unfolds is a tale of deception with an interesting denouement that felt cut short, and this cost the fifth star for me.
I love the way Maigret and Madame slide seamlessly into a new existence; by the third day they have their little routines down pat and enjoy sticking to them. This time, not even a murder can make Maigret want to take over the investigation; he has no jurisidiction and for once he likes it that way! He sits in on a couple of interrogations, but only because he trained the officer in charge, back in the day (the felicitously named Desiré Lecoeur). In the back of his mind he is always aware of Madame waiting for him at one of the rendezvous on their daily itinerary.
What unfolds is a tale of deception with an interesting denouement that felt cut short, and this cost the fifth star for me.
December 27, 2020
Ich bin mir unschlüssig, womit es Monsieur Simenon stilistisch schafft, den Leser tagelang das Ehepaar Maigret auf ihren routinierten Spaziergang begleiten zu lassen, ohne das es langweilt. Im Gegenteil, seine Erzählweise unterhält und führt jede einzelne Figur plastisch vor das geistige Auge, ohne sich an überflüssigen Details aufzuhalten. Nach dem Lesen dieses Krimis fühle ich mich so entspannt, als ob ich drei Wochen in Vichy gekurt hätte.
May 4, 2023
There are some reviews that question if this story/book can be classed as a mystery/crime.
It most def can be however it cannot be aligned to action & drama
For this author writes his mysteries with elegance and great pose
It most def can be however it cannot be aligned to action & drama
For this author writes his mysteries with elegance and great pose
April 26, 2022
This one may be my most favourite for a long while. It follows the Maigret's on a short holiday in Vichy where a murder is committed and Maigret has a background role in the investigation. A sad end to the investigation but a great change of pace and enjoyable plot.
July 1, 2025
Sorelle coltelle
Uno degli ultimi episodi della serie, vede il Commissario alle prese coi primi acciacchi della vecchiaia, mandato dall'amico medico a passare le acque a Vichy, in compagnia della Signora Maigret.
L'espediente non è nuovo, mandare Maigret in vacanza era uno dei trucchi che Simenon usava per variare il canovaccio, di per sé inevitabilmente ripetitivo, delle inchieste romanzate del suo personaggio simbolo.
Qui la storia è particolarmente intricata, anche se alcuni elementi pian piano emergono, e soprattutto finemente raccontata, con un singolare peso dato al rapporto tra i coniugi, che ritrovano nel tran tran delle cure termali un che di intimità matrimoniale, raramente presente negli altri libri.
Ma la vicenda è quella di due sorelle, una riservata e apparentemente senza passato, una vistosa e apparentemente senza scrupoli. Sorelle coltelle, nessun legame, nessun affetto comune. Forse.
Tirato per la giacca nell'indagine da un suo ex allievo della polizia parigina, ora Commissario in provincia, Maigret si appassiona alla figura della vittima, cercando di capirne la vita appartata e senza contatti umani, più che all'assassino (personaggio notevolissimo cui è dedicata la chiusa del racconto).
Insomma, un Maigret da 5 stelle, lettura al livello dei migliori romanzi dell'autore, che non soffre della sintesi imposta dal formato editoriale della serie, anzi è quasi un distillato che della brevità si giova.
Uno degli ultimi episodi della serie, vede il Commissario alle prese coi primi acciacchi della vecchiaia, mandato dall'amico medico a passare le acque a Vichy, in compagnia della Signora Maigret.
L'espediente non è nuovo, mandare Maigret in vacanza era uno dei trucchi che Simenon usava per variare il canovaccio, di per sé inevitabilmente ripetitivo, delle inchieste romanzate del suo personaggio simbolo.
Qui la storia è particolarmente intricata, anche se alcuni elementi pian piano emergono, e soprattutto finemente raccontata, con un singolare peso dato al rapporto tra i coniugi, che ritrovano nel tran tran delle cure termali un che di intimità matrimoniale, raramente presente negli altri libri.
Ma la vicenda è quella di due sorelle, una riservata e apparentemente senza passato, una vistosa e apparentemente senza scrupoli. Sorelle coltelle, nessun legame, nessun affetto comune. Forse.
Tirato per la giacca nell'indagine da un suo ex allievo della polizia parigina, ora Commissario in provincia, Maigret si appassiona alla figura della vittima, cercando di capirne la vita appartata e senza contatti umani, più che all'assassino (personaggio notevolissimo cui è dedicata la chiusa del racconto).
Insomma, un Maigret da 5 stelle, lettura al livello dei migliori romanzi dell'autore, che non soffre della sintesi imposta dal formato editoriale della serie, anzi è quasi un distillato che della brevità si giova.
June 19, 2024
Adoro tutti i gialli di Maigret, a cui do generalmente 4*.
Questo ne merita 5: la trama è più complicata del solito; Maigret non indaga in veste ufficiale mostrando il meglio di se; non è ambientato a Parigi; si hanno più sprazzi della vita intima di Maigret con la moglie. Insomma è un insolito Maigret.
Questo ne merita 5: la trama è più complicata del solito; Maigret non indaga in veste ufficiale mostrando il meglio di se; non è ambientato a Parigi; si hanno più sprazzi della vita intima di Maigret con la moglie. Insomma è un insolito Maigret.
July 16, 2024
Maigret is taken out of his familiar Paris to rest and partake of the waters. He seems to be unable to relax until a murder takes place and he becomes involved.
An enjoyable read. Showing a little of what makes Maigret tick, and his detection methods.
An enjoyable read. Showing a little of what makes Maigret tick, and his detection methods.
July 21, 2023
he disappointed me, maigret truly needs to count the gorillas better.
September 26, 2024
Simply amazing! Inspector Maigret of the Police Judiciaire of Paris is in Vichy for his health. He and his wife keep noticing a striking woman wearing lilac who is murdered during his stay in town. Georges Simenon manages to keep our interest alive in Maigret in Vichy despite the fact that he really doesn't do anything but consult with the local police, as he has no jurisdiction in the provinces.
It helps that the story behind the murder is fascinating, particularly when we learn the circumstances of its commission. One of the best Maigrets.
It helps that the story behind the murder is fascinating, particularly when we learn the circumstances of its commission. One of the best Maigrets.
August 6, 2021
The one where Pardon sends Maigret to Vichy to take the waters. No beer or wine!
August 28, 2021
Another good read from Simenon. He’s not let me down so far. Very few writers are so consistently good. Recommended!
December 10, 2012
Sarà l’ormai approfondita conoscenza con il commissario Maigret che aggiunge piacere ad ogni nuova lettura delle sue avventure, non saprei, è accaduto che questa inchiesta mi ha appassionato e coinvolto in modo più forte delle precedenti lette.
L’atmosfera vacanziera fa bene al nostro commissario, che trascorre giornate piacevoli alle terme di Vichy con la moglie, tra lunghe passeggiate lungo viali bordati di platani e bevute –di bicchieri di acqua, stavolta, non della solita birra-, seguendo sempre lo stesso itinerario giornaliero, fino alla sera in cui assistono ai concerti nel chiosco seduti sempre alle stesse sedioline gialle del parco. Non c’è noia nel ripetere ogni giorno lo stesso itinerario, perché Maigret trae godimento da quelle giornate passate fuori dal Quai des Orfèvres e ne approfitta, da scrutatore d’anime quale è, per osservare le persone nei minimi particolari e suddividerle in categorie. “Si sforzava di immaginare la storia di ognuno, di farsi un quadro della sua vita normale, e talvolta rendeva la moglie partecipe di quel passatempo”. Così facendo, i due coniugi incrociano, tra le migliaia di persone che frequentano le acque termali, “la signora in lilla”, una donna non più giovanissima, con un lungo viso affilato, che pare destinata alla solitudine (di lei dirà poi “la solitudine allo stato puro”). Questa donna viene trovata strangolata nella sua casa, e come può il commissario “resistere”alla tentazione di partecipare alle indagini? Mai in prima persona, sempre seduto in un angolino, con la sua immancabile pipa, “tranquillo e sornione come un grosso gatto”, attento ascoltatore delle relazioni delle indagini fatte dalla polizia competente, acuto osservatore degli interrogatori svolti, dei gesti e degli sguardi oltre che delle parole, da cui trae notizie sul carattere e sulla vita della vittima. E’ la personalità della vittima infatti quella su cui concentra immediatamente tutta la sua attenzione, arrivando a ricostruirla assemblando tutti gli elementi che incontra nel suo cammino, come costruendo un puzzle: “Hélène Lange leggeva un libro dopo l’altro, guardava la televisione, faceva la spesa, le pulizie, passeggiava lungo i viali alberati del parco come una qualsiasi persona in cura, ma senza scambiare una parola con nessuno, e ascoltava la musica di fronte al chiosco guardando dritto davanti a sè …Semplicemente non si curava degli altri. Non ne sentiva il bisogno..”
In un crescendo di mistero e di interrogativi, sempre con lo stesso metodo ricostruttivo, ci troviamo davanti agli occhi anche la personalità dell’assassino, fino a giungere ad un finale in cui i ruoli non sono più così precisi: chi è la vittima, chi il carnefice?
E’ la domanda conclusiva che mi sono posta, insieme con il mio amico Maigret, grande conoscitore dell’animo umano.
Grazie, Franco, per questo bel regalo.
L’atmosfera vacanziera fa bene al nostro commissario, che trascorre giornate piacevoli alle terme di Vichy con la moglie, tra lunghe passeggiate lungo viali bordati di platani e bevute –di bicchieri di acqua, stavolta, non della solita birra-, seguendo sempre lo stesso itinerario giornaliero, fino alla sera in cui assistono ai concerti nel chiosco seduti sempre alle stesse sedioline gialle del parco. Non c’è noia nel ripetere ogni giorno lo stesso itinerario, perché Maigret trae godimento da quelle giornate passate fuori dal Quai des Orfèvres e ne approfitta, da scrutatore d’anime quale è, per osservare le persone nei minimi particolari e suddividerle in categorie. “Si sforzava di immaginare la storia di ognuno, di farsi un quadro della sua vita normale, e talvolta rendeva la moglie partecipe di quel passatempo”. Così facendo, i due coniugi incrociano, tra le migliaia di persone che frequentano le acque termali, “la signora in lilla”, una donna non più giovanissima, con un lungo viso affilato, che pare destinata alla solitudine (di lei dirà poi “la solitudine allo stato puro”). Questa donna viene trovata strangolata nella sua casa, e come può il commissario “resistere”alla tentazione di partecipare alle indagini? Mai in prima persona, sempre seduto in un angolino, con la sua immancabile pipa, “tranquillo e sornione come un grosso gatto”, attento ascoltatore delle relazioni delle indagini fatte dalla polizia competente, acuto osservatore degli interrogatori svolti, dei gesti e degli sguardi oltre che delle parole, da cui trae notizie sul carattere e sulla vita della vittima. E’ la personalità della vittima infatti quella su cui concentra immediatamente tutta la sua attenzione, arrivando a ricostruirla assemblando tutti gli elementi che incontra nel suo cammino, come costruendo un puzzle: “Hélène Lange leggeva un libro dopo l’altro, guardava la televisione, faceva la spesa, le pulizie, passeggiava lungo i viali alberati del parco come una qualsiasi persona in cura, ma senza scambiare una parola con nessuno, e ascoltava la musica di fronte al chiosco guardando dritto davanti a sè …Semplicemente non si curava degli altri. Non ne sentiva il bisogno..”
In un crescendo di mistero e di interrogativi, sempre con lo stesso metodo ricostruttivo, ci troviamo davanti agli occhi anche la personalità dell’assassino, fino a giungere ad un finale in cui i ruoli non sono più così precisi: chi è la vittima, chi il carnefice?
E’ la domanda conclusiva che mi sono posta, insieme con il mio amico Maigret, grande conoscitore dell’animo umano.
Grazie, Franco, per questo bel regalo.
May 11, 2022
When Maigret's doctor orders him to take some time off from the pressures of his job, he and Madame Maigret go to Vichy to take the waters. He makes a valiant effort, keeping a daily schedule of walks, drinking at half-hour intervals the requisite three half pints of water out of measured glasses carried in a woven basket which they carry slung over Madame Maigret's shoulder.
You can take the Inspector out of his native Paris, but you can't take his habitual curiosity out of the Inspector. Maigret can slow down on his beloved pipe, his heavy lunches and his daily aperitifs, but he can't turn off his natural curiosity. He takes a mental inventory of all of his fellow vacationers. When a woman the Maigrets have come to think of as "the lady in lilac" is strangled in her home, the local authorities ask Maigret to help.
So, though he keeps to his vacation schedule, he joins the investigation, but does so in his plodding way that belies that of his Vichy counterparts. "It was not a question of method. Maigret was, if anything, a little envious of his ebullient colleague's assurance and self-confidence. . . . He was beginning to know her as an individual and, almost without realizing it, to penetrate the mystery of her personality." To Maigret, the path to solving a crime is no less intense, but always more cerebral.
This is a rare look at Madame Maigret, the "wife" who doesn't even have a first name, and who is usually at home making lunch for the Inspector. To be fair, Inspector Maigret doesn't have a first name either, but only in Madame Maigret's Own Case has she ever been seen as any kind of full-fledged consulting partner. Apparently the couple had to get out of Paris to see who Madame Maigret really is.
You can take the Inspector out of his native Paris, but you can't take his habitual curiosity out of the Inspector. Maigret can slow down on his beloved pipe, his heavy lunches and his daily aperitifs, but he can't turn off his natural curiosity. He takes a mental inventory of all of his fellow vacationers. When a woman the Maigrets have come to think of as "the lady in lilac" is strangled in her home, the local authorities ask Maigret to help.
So, though he keeps to his vacation schedule, he joins the investigation, but does so in his plodding way that belies that of his Vichy counterparts. "It was not a question of method. Maigret was, if anything, a little envious of his ebullient colleague's assurance and self-confidence. . . . He was beginning to know her as an individual and, almost without realizing it, to penetrate the mystery of her personality." To Maigret, the path to solving a crime is no less intense, but always more cerebral.
This is a rare look at Madame Maigret, the "wife" who doesn't even have a first name, and who is usually at home making lunch for the Inspector. To be fair, Inspector Maigret doesn't have a first name either, but only in Madame Maigret's Own Case has she ever been seen as any kind of full-fledged consulting partner. Apparently the couple had to get out of Paris to see who Madame Maigret really is.
October 23, 2020
Hiába, hogy rövidek, ritkán fordul elő, hogy szinte egyben olvassak el majdnem egy egész Maigret kötetet... De ma leültem vele, és a ~30. oldaltól meg se álltam a végéig, annyira vitt magával a hangulat, a nyomozás, a helyszín, és persze a jó kis lélektani elemek.
Maigret ebben egy kortyot sem iszik, mármint alkoholt, gyógyvizet annál többet, ugyanis kúrán van Vichyben, a különleges hangulatú, vibráló fényű városban, ahol naphosszat sétálgat a feleségével, figyeli a játszóteret, a kuglizókat, a többi, gyógyvizet iszogató embert... Természetesen a nyomozó nyaralásán kell, hogy történjen gyilkosság, és amikor hamarosan megfojtva találják az "orgonalila hölgyet", Maigret csak-csak belebonyolódik az ügybe, beszivárog, a helyszínre, a temetésre, és régi kollégájával Lecoeur-rel együttműködve segít pontot tenni a végére.
Maigret ebben egy kortyot sem iszik, mármint alkoholt, gyógyvizet annál többet, ugyanis kúrán van Vichyben, a különleges hangulatú, vibráló fényű városban, ahol naphosszat sétálgat a feleségével, figyeli a játszóteret, a kuglizókat, a többi, gyógyvizet iszogató embert... Természetesen a nyomozó nyaralásán kell, hogy történjen gyilkosság, és amikor hamarosan megfojtva találják az "orgonalila hölgyet", Maigret csak-csak belebonyolódik az ügybe, beszivárog, a helyszínre, a temetésre, és régi kollégájával Lecoeur-rel együttműködve segít pontot tenni a végére.
September 21, 2015
Commissarie Maigret, Simenon's inimitable detective in a large number of books, is in Vichy with his wife, 'taking the waters', for health reasons. Their rest and recuperation is, however, cut short, when one of the guests is murdered.
September 7, 2022
This Maigret is notable with the tender moments Maigret and his wife share as they stroll around Vichy, France, ‘taking the cure’, which consists of drinking the water from various hot springs. So, hot salty water or water that smells of sulphur. I’m surprised they lived.
Madame Maigret very rarely receives something to, as she is quite attentive to Maigret in other books. In this story one can feel the love between them which is a nice break from whodunnit murder mysteries sometimes.
I think Simenon is an author from the past who knows how to write a specific kind of detective story. I enjoy his descriptions of the weather and it’s effect on Maigret and other’s moods. I felt like Was there in Vichy with the couple strolling the grounds and people watching, which is how Maigret becomes involved in solving a mystery.
Madame Maigret very rarely receives something to, as she is quite attentive to Maigret in other books. In this story one can feel the love between them which is a nice break from whodunnit murder mysteries sometimes.
I think Simenon is an author from the past who knows how to write a specific kind of detective story. I enjoy his descriptions of the weather and it’s effect on Maigret and other’s moods. I felt like Was there in Vichy with the couple strolling the grounds and people watching, which is how Maigret becomes involved in solving a mystery.
July 19, 2020
Age and over indulgence are catching up on Maigret. Years of drinking during three meals a day, heavy lunches, lots of smoking, have all contributed to stomach pains and dizziness. His medical friend, Pardon, advises him to take the water at Vichy for two weeks, and consult a specialist. This he does, and he and Mme Maigret have a gentle time for several days walking around the French spa town, and listening to bandstand concerts. Until that is a murder is committed and Maigret gets dragged into the investigation by a former colleague of his, now based nearby. It turns out to be related to a simple case of deception and fraud, committed by a pair of sisters, unlike in many ways, but with a shared interest in a very evil crime. Well written, but rather slow and until the end somewhat dull.
November 8, 2025
All the elements of a solid Maigret are here: scene setting so good it's verbal virtual reality, a somewhat convoluted mystery, questionable gender politics, and a wise, humane chief Inspector. A pair of sisters collude to bilk a rich middle aged businessman out of a lifelong allowance after the older sister has an affair by pretending the younger sister's out of wedlock child is the older sisters by the businessman. The businessman happens to meet the older sister years later while taking the waters in Vichy and in a moment of anger strangles her.
As I've mainly read earlier Maigrets it was a little jarring to see him in a more modern setting (televisions in cafes!) but his character and values remained consistent.
As I've mainly read earlier Maigrets it was a little jarring to see him in a more modern setting (televisions in cafes!) but his character and values remained consistent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2020
So I came across Maigret in ABC TV. They have a couple of long episodes based on Maigret books and it was really good. And it was so funny to see Mr Bean as a serious French police chief initially. I do like it and hope the series continues.
This is my first Maigret book and it's one where he is on holiday. Enjoyed the slow read and the thought processes. My online library has a few more (but not any of the earlier books) so I'll check out one soon with Maigret in charge of the investigation.
This is my first Maigret book and it's one where he is on holiday. Enjoyed the slow read and the thought processes. My online library has a few more (but not any of the earlier books) so I'll check out one soon with Maigret in charge of the investigation.
October 3, 2024
Another masterpiece where Maigret for once is on holiday with his wife, taking the waters for his health and seemingly relaxing for a change until a woman he and his wife saw every day, is found murdered. Maigret watches another inspector working the case. This inspector does well and eventually they have their man though Maigret has not taken over the case. However, the case is not at all what either inspector or even the perpetrator thought it was ........
April 11, 2021
3.5 stars. Maigret and his wife go to Vichy for a holiday. Maigret’s doctor has instructed Maigret to relax and drink the healthy waters at Vichy. Whilst in Vichy for a week, a murder occurs. Helene Lange, a quiet aloof woman and owner of a boarding house, is strangled to death. Maigret unravels the reason Helene Lange is murdered.
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