Maigret and the Bum

Inspector Maigret #60

by Georges Simenon, Jean Stewart (Translator)

A homeless man is found beaten and unconscious along the banks of the Seine. Inspector Maigret must connect him to a past--and a possible motive for for his attempted murder. The investigation provides Maigret with a chilling look at those who have rejected society and the small measure of justice it offers them.

Maigret is a registered trademark of the Estate of Georges Simenon

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

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

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

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a sort of human kindness which makes Simenon's books more than enjoyable and after reading some of them you realize that it counts less what he's writing than how he's doing it.

That's a certain sign that you're in love with the author...

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be my favorite Maigret so far! (Although I usually feel that way about all of them right after I finish one.) A man who lives under one of the bridges along the Seine River (the "tramp" of the title--which used to be "bum", which is even worse) is hit on the head and thrown into the river. As usual, Maigret is more interested in character than clues (he finds his clues in the characters and their relationships).

The man who was hurt has a complicated background. Maigret is as interested in him as in the wealthy victims he has previously (in the books I've read) investigated. The characters all feel very real in this one and interesting. It is always wonderful to watch Maigret. And this book has several lovely scenes with his wife.

Altogether a charming book and a satisfying mystery.

[Shankar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this short mystery of a murder attempt on a tramp. Simenon’s Maigret is an interesting detective character ( as most of them in this genre). I liked reading about his exploits as the stories are set in and around France - I always wanted to visit these places.

Maigret works more with his intuition and uses some psychological approaches on suspects to make them confess.

In this period of lockdown this story was a great way to escape the gloom and doom news by diving into this virtual world.

If you are looking for a not so long story that has a passably serious story this is worth a shot.

Stay safe all !

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find this a very interesting book and title.
The original book was published in France in 1963 as Maigret and the Dosser, and later Maigret and the Bum.
the term Dosser was quite correct. Collins English Dictionary states: A dosser is a city person who does not have a permanent home and sleeps in the streets or in very cheap hotels. It fits Maigret's assumptions and involvement with this type of person, which is one of understanding and concern. The plot goes on to demonstrate that the great detective is prepared to get to the bottom of this case for several reasons including that this individual is a person and worthy of an investigation.
Furthermore, it plays on Maigret's mind from experience as we learn from an earlier case Maigret remarked "The have-nots just don't get murdered". So, the motive fascinates him in this case and drives him on to his solution.
Now Dosser as a British expression is a noun meaning ' a person who sleeps rough; a tramp.' or 'an idle person'. It is also deemed a derogatory name. So, the title of the book had to be changed.
Now Bum is more North American, 'a vagrant.' or in name calling perhaps 'a lazy or worthless person.' Equally unsuitable perhaps for more modern times.
I guess Tramp keeps it in context from the sixties but is a little misleading as it originally meant 'a person who travels from place to place on foot in search of work or as a vagrant or beggar.' It certainly wouldn't sell well in the USA where Tramp can be associated with 'a promiscuous woman.'
I think I would be happiest with "Vagrant" but again this has this sense of motion as such people historically moved on, from place to place looking for work, digs and a fresh start.
My experience of the homelessness leads me to think that perhaps in England this sense of movement was the lot of many homeless folk moving with the seasons and pressing on to somewhere more accommodating. Today's view of homelessness, especially in cities, is like the reality in this story some 55 years ago. Down and outs, sleeping rough with a few items, sticking to certain spots. Begging for money and taking alcohol or drugs to numb their existence.
In some respects, I'd like to say in passing it is a social problem we still don't seem to have addressed so many years later.
What is interesting in this account also is the accuracy of the homeless folk in Paris, bedding down under bridges and making their homes amid newspaper and cardboard. Simenon must have had some insight into their plight and sympathised with them as he gives Maigret an understanding and supportive association with the man known as "Doc” and his friends whom are interviewed.
This is a lovely story; a throwback to how Maigret conducted many an interrogation through the night fuelled by bar and sandwiches. He understands "Doc" and his life choices without criticism and he has empathy for those who chose such a life or fall on tough times. Maigret maintains however that a random assault on a tramp is not just horseplay and it is this hidden deeper motive that is the key to this novel.
Sadly, over half a century later, indiscriminate assaults and murders of homeless people are not as rare. They can be beaten up, set alight and treated as less than human beings. We cannot be proud of this situation in England, Maigret's time has passed, people are attacked and videoed in the process for little other reason than boredom and fun. It is a depressing reality that makes a couple of hours back in Maigret's Paris such a tonic.

[José Van Rosmalen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In deze Maigret wordt een clochard mishandeld en in de Seine gegooid. De man overleeft dit. Commissaris Maigret verdiept zich in de zaak en vooral ook in de achtergronden van de man, een arts die aan lager wal is geraakt en onder de bruggen aan de Seine slaapt. Twee langsvarende Belgische schippers hebben de man tegen middernacht uit het water gehaald. Maigret spreekt met hen en accepteert aanvankelijk hun verhaal. Twee andere mannen zouden de man in het water hebben gegooid. Zelf beweerden deze laatste twee dat ze hun dode hond in de Seine hebben gegooid, als 'laatste rustplaats'. Maigret zoekt verder, hij komt in contact met de voormalige vrouw en de dochter van de clochard en snapt meer van zijn achtergrond. Ook de twee schippers laten hem niet los. Hij gaat naar hen op zoek. Zij blijken de sleutel tot de oplossing. Ook de clochard zelf komt weer tot zijn positieven en kan verklaringen afleggen. Hij is echter zwijgzaam, het is een soort erecode om je niet uit te spreken tegen de politie, ook als je zelf het slachtoffer bent. Er ontstaat toch een zekere verstandhouding tussen Maigret en de clochard, met een blik bevestigt deze laatste dat de veronderstelling van Maigret juist is. Dit levert geen wettig en overtuigend bewijs op, maar Maigret neemt daar genoegen mee. Het slachtoffer en de dader weten hoe het zit. Het mooie van deze roman is dat je de achtergrond van de Parijse clochards wat meer gaat snappen, Simenon beschrijft hen met menselijkheid en begrip. Wat me ook weer opvalt is dat de boeken met Maigret in de hoofdrol steeds weer anders zijn, het is niet een sjabloon dat je elke keer wordt voorgeschoteld, al zijn er wel wat constanten zoals de Parijse couleur locale.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one, though the mystery and its solution will not be to everyone's tastes.

It is more of a character study of Maigret and the Tramp of the title, which I enjoyed. Maigret reminds me a bit of Marple, just not as cutting.

[Gabril · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Il volto del ferito era immobile, ma il commissario badava solo agli occhi, che non esprimevano né angoscia né inquietudine. Erano occhi di un grigio slavato, occhi che avevano molto visto, che sembravano come consumati”.

Chi può avere aggredito un povero barbone che bivacca come tanti altri sotto uno dei numerosi ponti della Senna? Picchiato e gettato nel fiume in piena, viene ripescato moribondo da due battellieri fiamminghi e ricoverato nel vicino ospedale.
Maigret si appassiona al caso e lo segue con la stessa puntigliosa sollecitudine che dedica a tutti gli altri misteri di cui si è occupato e si occupa. Eppure si tratta di un mondo a parte che non ha niente da spartire con la buona borghesia parigina e meno che mai condivide la fiducia nella giustizia e nelle istituzioni a cui lo stesso commissario appartiene.
Le ricerche sul clochard, chiamato “il dottore”, lo portano a scoprire la sua strana storia e a sviluppare verso di lui una sorta di umana solidarietà del tutto indipendente dalla reciproca capacità di comunicazione.
La consueta ostinazione con cui intraprende le indagini porterà infine Maigret a sciogliere l’inghippo, a comprenderne le ragioni nascoste, e tuttavia la conclusione della storia sarà ben diversa da quella a cui siamo abituati.

Come sempre la scrittura pulita e precisa di Simenon ci consente di immergerci completamente nelle atmosfere parigine di questa nuova indagine di Maigret, di cui ormai conosciamo i bronci e le abitudini come se fosse un parente o, meglio, un nostro caro amico.

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

Maigret and the Reluctant Witness
Review of the Penguin Classics paperback (October 2018) of a new translation* by Howard Curtis of the French language original Maigret Et Le Clochard (1963)

Maigret and the Tramp finds the Chief Inspector investigating what appears to be an attempted homicide of a tramp who was bludgeoned and thrown into the Seine River, but who was rescued by two bargemen and survived. The investigation seems like an impossible case. At first the tramp is in a coma and then even when he awakes he refuses to speak or reveal anything about his attackers. It does turn out the tramp was a doctor in his earlier life and came from the town where Madame Maigret's relatives live, so she gets to help her husband out with the case. The solution was yet another one of Maigret's miracles seemingly pulled out of nowhere.


The cover of the original French language edition of "Maigret and the Tramp" as published by Presses de la Cité, France 1963. 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 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 Simenon reading survey.

In a rarity for completists, this is Maigret #60 in both the recent Penguin Classics series of new translations (2013-2019) of the Inspector Maigret novels and in the previous standard Maigret Series Listopia as listed on Goodreads.

Trivia and Links
* The earlier English translations gave the title as Maigret and the Bum or Maigret and the Dosser.

There is extensive background and a detailed plot description (spoilers obviously) about Maigret and the Tramp at Maigret of the Month.

Maigret and the Tramp has been adapted for television twice: The first adaptation was in a 1982 French language television episode of the long-running series Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret (1967-1990) starring Jean Richard as Inspector Maigret. The second adaptation was in a 2004 French language television episode of the revival series Maigret (1991-2004) starring Bruno Cremer 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.

[Gaetano Laureanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una storia diversa dal solito questa, dato che "per la prima volta in tutta la sua carriera il commissario si trovava alle prese con un delitto perpetrato contro un barbone."

La storia inizia quasi in sordina, la vittima è un barbone finito nella Senna e salvato miracolosamente dai soccorritori.

Eppure si rivela uno dei libri di Simenon che mi è piaciuto di più, pieno di umanità e passione; la figura del barbone, su cui indaga anche la moglie del commissario, è affascinante e ci svela un passato fatto di altruismo, anticonformismo ed emarginazione.

Il finale rivela una storia che non avrei mai indovinato e che solo la tenacia e l’intuizione di Maigret riescono a dipanare, anche se… con un risvolto… insolito.

Molto intrigante e coinvolgente il rapporto tra il commissario ed il barbone, fatto più di sguardi che di parole:

"Si erano capiti, e Maigret sorrise al ricordo di quella sorta di complicità che si era stabilita tra loro, per un attimo, sotto il pont Marie."

Da notare la foto in copertina, nell’edizione Adelphi, opera del bravissimo Ferdinando Scianna.

[paper0r0ss0 · Rating 3 out of 5]

L'aggressione a un barbone del lungo Senna, colpito al capo e poi gettato in acqua, e' al tempo stesso un fatto di poco rilievo nel contesto parigino e strano nell'ambito della criminalita' della capitale. Maigret si lascia immediatamente sedurre dalla personalita' misteriosa e complessa della vittima. Si interessa del suo passato, alla ricerca della chiave di volta per la comprensione delle ragioni che spingono una persona a porsi ai margini della cosiddetta societa' civile. Non giudica mai le scelte altrui il commissario, men che mai in questo caso, e la caparbieta' che dimostra in questa indagine, che per altri e' solo una seccatura, lo portera' a scoprire scenari inaspettati e gravi.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting story with a down and out person who has a history that extends into the future. I love the fact that sometimes Maigret has no idea what he’s doing or where he’s going with an investigation that basically follows his instincts.

[Three · Rating 4 out of 5]

c’è chi dice no
alle regole, alla voglia di vendetta, a quello che una volta si chiamava “ordine costituito”.
E, molto raramente, c’è - almeno in letteratura - un poliziotto che lo comprende

[Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oerdegelijke detective met een heel menselijke Maigret in de hoofdrol.
Ademt de sfeer van de jaren '60 uit.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Qual è il linguaggio dei barboni? Maigret lo conosce, non è certo fatto di chiacchiere, né di aperte accuse verso qualcun altro, anche se si è stati vittima di un reato. Perché un barbone, un uomo senza fissa dimora, una persona che volontariamente ha scelto di abbandonare una vita agiata nella provincia francese come medico condotto per andare a vivere sotto i ponti sulla Senna sa che “la vita non è facile per nessuno” e che per questo motivo “quello che è impossibile è giudicare”. Bastano queste poche parole – e bastano gli sguardi che gli rivolge nel silenzio del letto d’ospedale- perché il dottor Keller si intenda alla perfezione con il commissario Maigret , che, per il suo mestiere, ben conosce gli emarginati e i reietti. Non solo li capisce, li compatisce, perché tutti si è parte di una umanità affratellata dalla fragilità. E così il caso viene risolto dal nostro commissario, ma la soluzione non è quella che si realizza nelle aule dei tribunali, la “giustizia” per Maigret è un fatto di coscienza, nasce dalla comprensione della debolezza della natura umana, seppur senza farsi illusioni.
Ancora una bella avventura del commissario più “umano” che io conosca.

[Rhys · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good 'Maigret' novel, one of the best in fact. It has a plot that some other readers have described as implausible or even absurd, but I thought it was ingenious and satisfying. 'Maigret' novels aren't really about plots but about other things. Very few of them have a surprising plot (The Late Monsieur Gallet is a notable exception) but this one does. My problem was that four pages were missing from the penultimate chapter and I didn't notice until I reached that point. I don't think they were torn out deliberately but simply fell out. I had to buy the book online again and wait for it to arrive before I could finish reading it! Quite frustrating, I must say!

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A homeless man is pulled from the Seine, barely alive. It's up to Maigret to find out who hit him on the head and threw him in, because the homeless man isn't talking.

An enjoyable episode that involves Mme Maigret more than usual.

[Georgiana 1792 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un'indagine senza un cadavere in cui, per una volta, Maigret coinvolge persino la signora Maigret, dal momento che il barbone aggredito proviene da Mulhouse, lo stesso paese in cui vive sua sorella, che viene subito contattata per saperne di più. Ancora una volta mi è sembrato che Simenon abbia nascosto degli indizi fino alla fine per far arrivare Maigret alla soluzione prima del lettore, però mi è piaciuta moltissimo l'ambientazione fluviale.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging crime fiction novel. A Paris tramp known as ‘Doc’ is saved from drowning. The tramp had been badly beaten and thrown in the Seine river. Luckily two barge men were on hand to rescue the tramp. Maigret finds out about the tramp’s interesting life story which helps Maigret to find out who wanted to murder the tramp.

One of the better Maigret novels with a couple of differences from the ‘standard’ Maigret scenarios!

This book was first published in 1963 and is the 60th novel in the Maigret series.

[Tzu · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been years since I finished a French novel. This one is small and light, fairly easy as well.
Though the novel is relatively short, the ending is quite powerful. I didn't expect the story to take this turn, especially the homeless dude's decision to not say a word in the end.

[Claudiu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Multa vreme nu m-am înțeles deloc Maigret, dar incepem sa ne împrietenim.

[Sandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tanto per cambiare, anche questo per me si merita 5 stelle, come d'altronde tutti i libri di Simenon con protagonista Maigret! :-)

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

Simenonin myöhäisempään tuotantoon sijoittuva Maigret ja mies siltojen alta, 1964 (Maigret et le clochard, 1962) on taattua Maigretia niin hyvässä kuin pahassa, mutta enimmäkseen hyvässä. Pariisiin sijoittuvan murhamysteerin tapahtumapaikkoina ovat pääasiassa Île Saint-Louis -saari keskellä Seine-jokea ja sen silloista etenkin Pont Marie sekä viereisen Île de la Cité -saaren Hotel-Dieu -sairaala ja tietenkin Maigretin tuttu työpaikka Quai des Orfèvres -kadun varrella. Mantereella piipahdetaan vain lyhyesti muutamaan otteeseen. Tarina pysyy ihan mukavasti kasassa, ja Simenonin humaani, myötätuntoinen ja jopa aavistuksen ihaileva ote siltojen alla asuvia kulkureita (clochard) kohtaan lämmittää sydäntä, vaikka ei yllätäkään. Simeonin tarjoamat loppuratkaisut saattavat tulla pettymyksenä uusille lukijoille, mutta tuskin enää hämmästyttävät kirjasarjaan paremmin tutustuneita. Jotenkin tähän tarinaan tuo lopun antikliimaksi sopii loistavasti.

Arvioni 3,4 tähteä viidestä.

[Antonio Ippolito · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chi può aver interesse a uccidere un povero barbone gettandolo nella Senna?
Per saperlo, si potrebbe seguire una teoria made in USA, secondo la quale in otto casi su dieci la vittima “chiama” il proprio carnefice (“non” è una versione aggiornata dell’odioso ritornello “se l’è andata a cercare”, per fortuna).
Oppure si può essere Maigret: e impegnarsi a impregnarsi di atmosfere e umanità, senza trascurare alcuna pista o alcun dettaglio e soprattutto senza rispetto per le apparenze borghesi. Come mai la moglie “socialite” del barbone, che in gioventù fu affermato medico, non ha mai divorziato nonostate lui glielo proponesse? Che cosa ha permesso a una modesta donna di provincia di diventare scalatrice sociale a Parigi, nell’isola Saint-Louis? E davvero due tizi bislacchi hanno buttato nella Senna un grosso cane, quella stessa sera? Ma la scalata sociale è affannosa e senza scrupoli soprattutto per chi parte da più in basso ancora..
Eppure, in questo squallido panorama, si staglia la figura del dott. Keller, oggi povero barbone sotto il ponte Marie, di cui solo la collega di vagabondaggio Léa sente la mancanza; anni prima, medico dedicato ai poveri del suo quartiere, ingiustamente privato della vittoria a un concorso, poi medico missionario in Gabon sulle orme del dott. Schweitzer, finchè le corrotte autorità coloniali non hanno imposto di finirla anche con quell’impegno (ma ci viene detto solo fra le righe: la moglie ne è imbarazzata); fino all’ultima pagina del romanzo, prima dal suo letto d’ospedale poi dal suo giaciglio lungo il “quai”, spande una luce di vero amore cristiano, che Simenon, attraverso Maigret, sa apprezzare.
La trama a qualcuno è sembrata debole: pur considerando che le trame non sono il punto forte dei romanzi di Simenon e che il movente del delitto non è fortissimo, è sembrata più che adeguata.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who hit a homeless man over the head while he was asleep and chucked him in the Seine in midwinter, and why? What could anyone possibly stand to gain? Is his social-climber wife trying to get rid of him, or does he know too much about something? And just exactly what is the Belgian bargee's problem?

This installment is more of a psychological study of Inspector Maigret himself, showing how he goes about investigating, getting a handle on a case and the people involved. He breaks precedent by discussing the case with Madame Maigret, who offers a helping hand as well as a listening ear.
Not my favourite Maigret, as I found it unsatisfying, but then so did the Inspector. Just goes to show that real police work is not always open and shut, there isn't always a confession or even decent clues. All right to pass an hour or two, but not up to Simenon's usual standard. And I'm not sure I would agree with the idea that no homeless people who sleep under bridges would ever, ever steal from each other or ever be violent. That premise certainly wouldn't stand up to scrutiny in my city, and I wonder if it did in 1960s Paris.
One of the few cases in which the film is much better than the book, though the script is faithful to the novel; the performances carry what is otherwise a bland and uninteresting tale.

[Phillip Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maigret and the Dosser was first published as Maigret et le Clochard in 1963, and translated into English by Jean Stewart. This is a lesser Maigret, which depends on an incredible coincidence for its plot structure. The “dosser” of the title is the chief character, a witness to a crime of which he won’t speak and now the victim of an attempted murder. Simenon is mainly interested in this character, but is unable to develop his story except in a perfunctory way. Yet it still takes the focus of the book away from Maigret’s investigation and leaves the book without a centre. The crime is extremely unlikely, even for a routine detective story, which this book is. Maigret is unsuccessful in proving his case, because it is all his own supposition, without a shred of evidence, and very fanciful indeed. No wonder the man accursed sneers at him. And Simenon seems unsuccessful in doing what he set out to do with the book, which might have developed into a novel more successfully than remaining the basis for a detective story.

[Procyon Lotor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una incursione di un occhio borghese nel mondo dei clochard, di cosa sono diventati oggi, di cos'erano, dei perch� alcuni di loro lo sono diventati e delle loro regole, degenerazioni, speranze, vizi, virt�, valori e interessi. Non � una agiografia romantica della gente di strada. Simenon non pubblic� mai agiografie e il romanticismo lo usa come Madame l'essence o parfum: gocce concentrate nel luogo, posto o incavo o impasse o boulevard opportuni. Non lo spruzza come disinfettante d'igiene e profilassi, per questi - se vi sentite proprio cos� pulciosi - sapete dove rivolgervi. E' chiaro qui che con alcuni di loro non varrebbe la pena di passarci un secondo ma con altri - volessero - ben di pi� sarebbe perfettamente gradevole e sensato. Gi� che c'� - in centoquarantadue paginette -Simenon include pure un giallo.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Con la sua solita pazienza e perseveranza Maigret riesce a cogliere la chiave di questo caso di tentato assassinio. Però la soluzione e come Maigret ci si avvicina stavolta sono forse un po' tirati, ma fa niente!, perché a pensarci bene il crimine sembra quasi una scusa per avvicinare Maigret al mondo dei clochard, un mondo di cui Maigret riesce a intuire le regole, consuetudini, intrecci e al quale nessun altro dei personaggi riesce invece ad avvicinarsi.

[Jase · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well crafted narrative. Yet again Simenon reflects Maigret’s humanity as he investigates an attempted murder of a Tramp. He pieces it together, accounts for people’s way of thinking and reaches the right conclusion.

[Diabolika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grande finale a sorpresa!!! 🤩

[Alessandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ancora una volta Simenon ci sorprende e ci avvince con questa inchiesta del geniale commissario parigino,che si potrebbe definire un po' anomala rispetto alle altre. Maigret,infatti,in questa particolare occasione,non si trova di fronte ad un morto,ma all'intricata matassa di un tentato omicidio in cui la vittima appartiene alla schiera degli ultimi fra gli ultimi:che cosa può avere spinto qualcuno ad attentare alla vita apparentemente inutile di un barbone? Una vicenda originale, quindi,narrata con il consueto stile narrativo al quale l'autore ci ha abituato:limpido ed essenziale,con una progressione in crescendo man mano che i nodi si vanno districando. Ed all'originalita' della vicenda narrata fanno da contraltare almeno due costanti:quello che si potrebbe definire,da un punto di vista investigativo, "il metodo Maigret",incentrato su un'analisi a tratti quasi ossessiva della personalità della vittima,delle sue abitudini e relazioni,e su una sorta di instancabile,chirurgica attenzione a particolari apparentemente insignificanti. Poi,altra costante di non minore rilievo,ogni volta ci ritroviamo immersi in atmosfere familiari che sembrano quasi appartenerci:quella domestica della impagabile signora Maigret con la sua pazienza,la sua forza gentile ed i suoi straordinari manicaretti,e quella professionale,con gli uffici della Polizia Giudiziaria al Quai des Orfevres,lo stuolo dei fedeli ispettori,la birra ed i panini portati durante gli interrogatori dalla vicina brasserie Dauphine e l'immancabile pipa.
Ma su tutto sembra dominare la Senna,con il suo respiro costante,vera anima della città e delle sue storie.