Maigret und der Spitzel

Inspector Maigret #74

by Georges Simenon

Das Telefon reißt Maigret aus dem Schlaf: Eine Leiche ist gefunden worden – Maurice Marcia, reich verheiratet, Inhaber des Restaurants Sardine. Noch ganz benommen beginnt Maigret seine Ermittlungen. Bald lernt er die Gebrüder Mori kennen, die einer sehr speziellen Tätigkeit nachgehen ... Und er trifft Line Marcia, die Witwe des Ermordeten, die bereits die Beerdigung plant und die Zeit danach ...

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, France, Detective, French Literature, Noir

175 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Georges 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.

Reviews

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lunchtime Listen February 2025

Anyone who has ever read or even seen one of my reviews will know that I really enjoy Maigret books, both reading them and listening to them. This episode of his numerous adventures is, I have to say, one of my all time favourites.

A famous restauranteur’s body has been found dumped in an Avenue Junot, and despite being shot through the chest, no blood surrounds the body. One of Maigret’s colleagues from the local arrondissement is at the body when Maigret arrives, and gives Maigret the low down.

It transpires that the local inspector had been getting anonymous tip offs over the last few years and he soon receives information regarding the restaurateur. Including a rumour about where the man had in fact been murdered, and how he got to Avenue Junot.

Maigret soon gets to grips with the hidden life of the restaurant owner and his potential links with the Parisian criminal underworld. And then Maigret gets an anonymous tip offs telling him who the murderer was and why hadn’t he been arrested yet. Once Maigret works out who the informer is he asks his local inspector to try and track him down to ensure his safety as he thinks that he must be worried about his own safety.

What follows is a great example of Maigret chipping away at the witnesses and his possible suspects, until he has the whole crime worked out .

As I say , this is an excellent story and as usual, well read by Gareth Armstrong.

[Metodi Markov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Обичам тихата сила на комисар Мегре!

С удоволствие чета за знаковите случаи от кариерата му и се наслаждавам на подхода му на общуване с останалите участници в театъра на живота!

Моята оценка - 3,5*.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chi ha ucciso Maurice Garcia, ristoratore di Montmartre dal passato poco chiaro, sposato con una ex ballerina di teatro bellissima e molto più giovane di lui? C’è la Pulce che lo sa, un ometto tuttofare che è gli occhi e gli orecchi di Montmartre, e da tempo è informatore della polizia. Dopo poche pagine anche il lettore lo scopre, perché i gialli di Simenon non hanno come finalità far indagare chi legge affinchè arrivi alla fine a scoprire il colpevole. Il bello è stato seguire lo svolgimento delle indagini del calmo e imperturbabile Maigret, seguire gli interrogatori dai toni sornioni, in cui il commissario, come fa il gatto con il topolino, osserva minuziosamente le reazioni provocate ai suoi interlocutori, osservarlo quando il sorriso gentile della signora Maigret lo segue con lo sguardo amorevole dalla finestra mentre si avvia all’aeroporto per recarsi a Marsiglia, ai funerali della vittima, seguire i suoi passi nella Montmartre degli artisti, dove ora operano truffatori, ladri, entraineuse, vecchi scultori che vivono nel ricordo dei tempi passati, poliziotti vestiti di nero che vivono anche loro in un passato che non c’è più e si tengono ai margini della società: ogni personaggio è una pennellata di umanità, che si rivela pian piano in un crescendo che culminerà nel finale in cui si scoprono i giochi e i caratteri veri dei personaggi.
Maneggiare con cura, c’è il rischio che sorga dipendenza.

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 4 out of 5]

No final twist in this one, but the story is clever enough for 4 stars. Not to mention the usual human kindness of the main character...

[Meltem Sağlam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sungur Yayınlarının bastığı iki Georges Simenon’un, Komiser Maigret romanından ilki.

Tüm unsurları ile bir detektiflik romanı. Atmosferi ve karakterleri etkileyici.

Çok güzel bir çeviri ve çok özenli bir baskı.

Keyifli bir okuma sağlayan metin, güzel bir Türkçe’ye sahip olmanın yanısıra, akıcı, sade, anlaşılır ve kolay takip edilebilir özellikte. Şimdiye kadar okuduğum Simenon eserleri arasında, sanırım bu özelliklere sahip sayılı çalışma var.

Çok beğendim.

[Lili Kyurkchiyska · Rating 5 out of 5]

За пръв път се докосвам до късния зрял стил на Сименон, в който само няколко факта са достатъчни, за да завържат сюжет интригуващ и едновременно с това напълно реален случай от криминалната хроника. История, която да се прочете на един дъх, въпреки тривиалното заглавие...

[Alan (the Lone Librarian rides again) Teder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penultimate Maigret
Review of the Penguin Classics paperback (2019) translated by William Hobson from the French language original Maigret et l'indicateur (1971)

For all my reading of the Golden Age of Crime I have yet to do a very thorough run through of Georges Simenon's Inspector Jules Maigret novellas which number a rather incredible 75 out of the author's over 400 books. I've started to amend that with making a chance pick of #74 Maigret and the Informer and an intentional seasonal pick of A Maigret Christmas And Other Stories, 3 short stories of which 2 are not Maigret.

Maigret and the Informer involves the murder of a Parisian restauranteur with connections to organized crime. The culprits become apparent fairly early in the investigation, but Maigret needs proof to close the case. Some of that information is provided by the informer of the title, although they appear to be withholding on the complete story. Maigret solves the case with instinct and forensics along with a jaunt to the south of France. Madame Maigret plays her regular cozy support role and Maigret's assistants from the Police judiciaire do a lot of the leg work.

This edition of Maigret and the Informer is part of the recent series of new translations by several translators, all published by Penguin Classics over the years 2014 to 2019. There is a related article about the end of the run at Maigret, the Enduring Appeal of the Parisian Sleuth by Paddy Kehoe, RTE, August 17, 2019.

Trivia and Link
Maigret and the Informer was adapted for French television in 1979 as Episode 43 of Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret (The Investigations of Commissioner Maigret) (1967-1990) with Jean Richard as Inspector Maigret.

[paper0r0ss0 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dialoghi. Un "Maigret" senza i maestosamente veri dialoghi simenoniani non sarebbe forse niente di speciale. E i personaggi secondari, i comprimari che tali non sono mai. Le figure nuove che compaiono in ogni nuovo romanzo. Insomma un altro bellissimo episodio del commissario.

[L J Field · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable Maigret, but certainly not one of his best. After building up a strong story, the ending was less than satisfying.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

As we near the final Maigret novel we have this gem of a book that demonstrates old fashioned police work around Paris and the importance of snitches, that anonymous phone call to point the police in the right direction.
When a crime boss is discovered shot and his body dumped on a random street, Maigret and his team have an informer in fear of their life from the perpetrator until they are arrested for the crime. Meanwhile, the identity of the grass is unknown and they have gone into hiding. However, there is little compelling evidence to support the disclosures as the police meet a wall of silence.
Not typical of the crimes we read in this series other than it centres of Montmartre and involves life in this wonderful evocative location of seedy clubs, cheap hotels and familiar bars. This is the patch of Inspector Louis who Maigret joins to gain insights into the crime.
In addition to the atmosphere of Paris, I liked the coming of age of the crime. Criminal gangs, guns and serious influence. Perhaps the realities of this age was also a factor in Simenon feeling Maigret’s time was drawing to an end. You sense he has less time for the individuals involved and little sympathy for the suspects. Indeed some complain his line of questioning is cruel and insensitive. Yet, he can see the crime, it’s participants he just lacks the evidence.
Modern police methods of forensics also play an important role in piecing together the case.
A modern police procedural which in the end demonstrates the journey we have been on with Maigret and his faithful team of detectives. It also underlines why this series worked for so long and shows why the books are in demand still today.

[4cats · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maigret never fails to entertain. In this a restaurant owner with a dark past is found murdered, Maigret struggles to find the evidence to convict.

[Baz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maigret’s vibe is mostly chill here. He may get a little grumpy because he’s tired or hot, but he doesn’t break a sweat, or find himself in any danger. A murder is committed and needs to be solved, and Maigret does what he does and solves it. The end. I was gripped and I gulped it in two sittings – and could’ve read it in one.

Gripping because Maigret. He’s just the best. In general I don’t read crime novels, and I don’t really read and adore the Inspector Maigret series for their plots. I read them for Maigret, and for the way he looks at other characters, especially the criminals who are rarely just flat “bad people” types. What seems to make the Inspector Maigret series outstanding is the humanism with which Simenon imbues his world.

I read them to see how Maigret’s doing, what he’s up to. I love the side glimpses into his personal life, or the little tics and actions and things he says that give his personality away. I’m infatuated with him. I enjoy the moments of him being present with the ordinary. Looking outside his window taking pleasure in the view, filling his pipe, quenching his thirst with a beer, having something delicious for dinner, talking to his wife, considering the weather, feeling deeply connected to his city, thinking about the people he encounters, works with, is investigating.

The writer Deborah Levy said in an interview: ‘I read Georges Simenon’s books to find out what kind of meal Detective Jules Maigret is going to enjoy next.’

And that sums it up. Me too. He’s a delicious character, and I’ve turned several people onto these books who have become similarly addicted.

Charming, moving, tightly written. A no-brainer.

[Claudiu · Rating 2 out of 5]

foarte interesant stilul minimalist a lui Simenon, care, din pacate, e etichetat ca autor de romane politiste si atat. chiar merita studiat minimalismul lui.
altfel, povestea banala si lipsita de originalitate.

[Diabolika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un noir ad alta tensione. Si sentivano le scariche di elettricità durante il consueto interrogatorio finale!!!

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having rested Maigret for a while, I resumed my reading with this late tale.

The detection element is slight, with most of the interest coming from the depiction of the characters and in pondering on the fate of the eponymous informer aka the Flea.

There is really no doubt about the murderers, just some debate about degrees of complicity, and the ability of the elderly Inspector to wear them down.

The solution us rather rushed, as if the author felt he was approaching his word limit. This edition is filled with the lengthy first chapter of Maigret and Monsieur Charles.

The translation reads well, but I found it odd that pintadeaux- guinea fowl- is left in French on page 9 only to be translated in two subsequent references to the same meal.

[Michael Rumney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first Maigret novel I have read since I was about 13 and don't remember much about the main character except he is French. There is a certain gentleness about the book even with Maigret deals with a murder of a gangster.
There is a certain domesticity about the book as Maigret goes homes for his lunch prepared by Madame Maigret and when he nips to the south of France she is waiting again to look after him because he is tired.
If this book was written today he wouldn't get this preferable treatment from his wife and the book would be longer than 160 pages.
But Simenon knows how to write a decent story without waffle and padding.

[Paul Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Hamish Hamilton] (1972). HB/DJ. 1/1. 155 Pages.

This workmanlike murder mystery boasts an occasional sense of David Lynch; the victim is the ex-gangster proprietor of The Sardine… there’s a police informer named Flea: “…four feet eleven… thin… with a strange face… the mouth took up almost all the space…”

[Andrew Mcdonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

The usual quality maigret

[Orlaith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Montmartregasm of a book. A classic Maigret with all the added colour of the streets, bars and character's of the 18ème.

[Aloke · Rating 3 out of 5]

The one where the wife’s name is Line.

[Kb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A shooting with a dumped body. An organized gang of thieves hitting chateaux, stealing antiques and original artworks. A respected restaurant owner carefully maintaining the impression that he has left organized crime behind.

But, he is 65 years old with a pretty young wife. He is good friends with a couple of up-and-comers in the organized crime world: the brothers Mori…

His is the dumped body.

Central to the story is an Informer known as The Flea. All the most interesting parts of the book revolve around him. Unfortunately, a lot of the book is also taken up with the funeral for the restaurateur-cum-ex-crime-boss. Maigret gets to visit the Riviera on the force’s dime, which is nice for him.

For me, I just don’t find organized crime interesting. Even in Paris in the 1950s (the story takes place in 1952 according to David Drake). But then again…

Maigret is still Maigret, even with unappealing subject matter.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging, concisely written crime fiction novel about detective Maigret investigating the murder of a successful restauranteur, Maurice Marcia. Early on in the case, Maigret is given a tip off by a regular police informer named, ‘the Flea’. Maurice Marcia is late 50s and after his first wife died, he married Line, a beautiful, young woman in her 20s. Line and Maurice had nearly been married for five years.

This novel was first published in 1971 and is the 74th book in the 75 book Maigret series.

[Inrisrini · Rating 3 out of 5]

We need to learn from GS, story / novel need not required any spicy stuff for popularity always. Loved both of the novels. The stories are not page turners but eye openers to self, how we act in the drama of life.

[Liliana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Either I was not in the mood or else this book did not involve me as Maigret usually does. Usually the characters have more depth.

[Christopher Roden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading a Book Club Associates edition from 1972.

A clever little tale. Worth a higher rating that the 3.3 it currently has.

[Michael Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the penultimate Maigret book. It was published in 1971.The first one, "Peter the Latvian", was published in 1930. Simenon published 75 of them over 41 years.

Penguin Books republished all of them, in new translations and uniform editions from 2013 to 2020. I have reread them in order over the last twelve years. I am likely to start over when I finish the remaining one.

I get in the mood for a good story well told. These are all good stories. They are short, so they can be read before the mood passes. They are clever and well written. They are to a formula, but not predictable. I enjoy a dose of Maigret every once and a while.

This one is a classic Maigret story. A restaurant owner is found dead on a quiet street. He had shady connections as a young man. He has a sexy young wife. Two thuggish brothers seem to be involved. Maigret works his way through the case. He makes a trip to the south of France for the burial. He eventually solves the crime. The characters are fully developed. He has help from a peculiar detective known as "The Widow" and a street guy known as "The Flea".

Overall, it is a good story well told.

One of the mysteries of the stories is Maigret's age. This book is set in around 1971 when it was published. Simenon mentions that the market at Les Halles is being torn down, which sets the time. He says that the murder victim was around sixty or sixty-two, and that he was "several years older than Maigret". That would make Maigret fifty-eight to sixty in 1971, which would mean that in 1930, when the first book was published, he was no older than nineteen. The problem is that in that 1930 book he was already a "Detective Chief Inspector", which would not be possible for a 19-year-old. Maigret's age tends to fluctuate during the series.

[Todd Stockslager · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review title: short story short

My first exposure to Simenon was The Man on the Bench in the Barn, more of a psychological thriller than a murder mystery. It was considerably more engaging than this entry in his more well-known Maigret mystery series. Simenon's telegraphic style of writing--short sentences, very little description of settings or characters, dependence on dialogue to drive the narrative--results in a very short story that just didn't draw me in.

Maigret is a laconic stay-at-home police detective in Paris who is woken up after a rare night on the town with his wife and friends by a call about the discovery of the body of a well-known restaurant owner killed by a gun shot and dumped on the street. In 150 very spare pages, the murder is solved. The end.

With such short sentences and abundance of dialogue which typically reads much faster than narrative description it took me less than two hours reading time to finish, and I'm not sure that such a short story in this genre and style is ever likely to develop real impact on the reader. It wasn't badly written, but there was just not enough there to be memorable.

I know that the laconic detective mystery is a recognized subgenre, and I have read and enjoyed some; see, for example, Loren Estleman's catalogue for some great examples I've read and enjoyed, like A Smile on the Face of the Tiger. This Maigret mystery doesn't rise to that level.

[Cornelis Broekhof · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maigret krijgt deze keer met echte schurken te maken. Wie de boosdoeners zijn is al snel bekend, maar het duurt natuurlijk even voordat de zaak in kannen en kruiken is. Een sfeervolle Maigret die zich afspeelt tijdens een mooie meimaand in Parijs. Een apart personage in dit verhaal is inspecteur Louis, die ook wel 'le veuf' genoemd wordt. Deze wat lugubere, bedeesde en altijd in het zwart geklede figuur, die dag en nacht Monmartre afschuimt, helpt de zaak op te lossen.

We komen over Maigret niet veel nieuws te weten. Hij drinkt en rookt wat minder na een waarschuwing van zijn vriend Pardon, maar laat zich het bier en de pastis niettemin goed smaken. Ook lezen we dat hij zich bezwaard voelt om op kosten van de belastingbetaler het vliegtuig te pakken zonder een directe aanwijzing dat deze reis iets zal opleveren voor het onderzoek. En de geschiedenis van 'le veuf', die al vijftien jaar weduwe is, zet hem even aan het denken over zijn eigen huwelijk: 'Il était heureux d'avoir une femme comme elle et il avait aux lèvres un petit sourire de satisfaction.' Het is ontroerend om te zien hoe hij vervolgens zijn vrouw nakijkt als zij boodschappen gaat doen en wacht voor het raam tot hij haar ziet terugkeren, een beetje ongerust door de gedachte aan le veuf, die, eveneens uit het raam kijkend, zijn vrouw destijds onder een bus zag komen.

[Niko-Janne Vantala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Belgialaissyntyisen pariisilaiskirjailija Georges Simenonin sanotaan kirjoittaneen yli 400 romaania ja olleen yksi 1900-luvun tuotteliammista kirjailijoista. Vaikka ensimmäinen Maigret-romaani ilmestyi jo vuonna 1931, Simenonin tuotteliaimpana Maigret-kautena voitaneen pitää vuosia 1947-1972, jolloin ilmestyi vuosittain kahdesta neljään Maigret-kirjaa. Ja myönnettäköön: Maigret-dekkarit lukeutuvat kirjallisiin paheisiini, ja niitä istuskelee perintönä saatuna 35 kappaletta allekirjoittaneen kirjahyllyssä. Monta on vielä lukematta.

Maigret ja ilmiantaja, 1976 (Maigret et l´indicateur, 1971) on hyvin perinteinen 1960-70-luvun dekkari. Juoni on aika pelkistetty ja yllätyksetön, mutta tunnelma Montmartren kaduilla on käsinkosketeltava ja lumoava; Simenon osaa tuoda Pariisin väreineen, tuoksuineen ja makuineen kirjojensa sivuille. Kaikessa pelkistyneisyydessään romaani onnistuu kuitenkin olemaan myös varsin dynaaminen ja tyylillisesti eheä kokonaisuus. Lisäksi olen aina pitänyt Maigretin hahmosta, joka on Agatha Christien Hercule Poirotin tapaan älykäs ja aina ärsyttävyyteen asti rauhallinen, mutta kuitenkin ilman poirotmaista pöyhkeyttä.

Kiikuin arviossani kolmen ja neljän tähden välillä ja kallistuin lopulta niukasti kolmen tähden kannalle. Arvioni siis 3,4 tähteä viidestä.

[Jon Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as a scanned copy on the Internet Archive. First published in 1970, this book is one of the last in Georges Simenon's Maigret series. Maigret is now the Superintendent of detectives at the Quai des Orfèvres. He is older but still imposing, still smoking his pipe incessantly, but the excessive day drinking that characterized earlier books is missing. Now Maigret only imbibes the occasional beer. This tale has Maigret on the trail of the killer of a Parisian restauranteur who has a shady past. The restauranteur may be connected with a criminal gang that burgles country villas and makes off with fine antique crystal and furniture. The solution of the mystery hinges on a man of diminutive stature nicknamed "The Flea," an occasional police informer. The case takes Maigret on a plane for a brief visit to the French Riveria in search of clues. But of course ground zero for the case is Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, a part of the city that features in many of the Maigret books. In a nod to the looser times in which it was written, the language is a little spicier in this book, with the occasional "merde" appearing. Still and all, it's yet another top-notch piece of detective fiction. Five out of five stars.