The Methods of Maigret

Inspector Maigret #31

by Georges Simenon

Maigret is going about his work in rainy Paris, followed around by Inspector Pyke who has come from Scotland Yard to study the famous French detective's methods. Routine is disturbed when Maigret receives a telephone call from the island of Porquerolles off the Mediterranean coast. A small-time crook has been murdered, the night after he had fervently declared his friendship with Maigret in front of a large group of the island's inhabitants. Maigret and Inspector Pyke leave the greyness of Paris for the sunshine of Porquerolles where Simenon creates a wonderfully evocative atmosphere of the square and cafe, the brilliant sea, the humidity in the air and the life and individuality of each of the inhabitants on the small island.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, France, Mystery Thriller, Noir, Detective

141 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1949

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

[JimZ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have to give this a 1 star. The only good thing about this novel was that it was less than 200 pages. It was incredibly boring. 🥱 😴 I literally had to get up off the couch several times to awaken myself while slogging through this novel.

I have read several of Simenon’s roman dur or psychological novels and this Maigret novel is nothing like those. This is my first introduction to Inspector Maigret…I would bet given Simenon wrote ~75 novels centering around this character that there are some really good Maigret novels. But I would be surprised if this novel garners high praise (I have not looked at reviews yet because I don’t want my reviews to be biased by other reviews 😉). [Jim: I am wrong again! Dammit…the 3 blog sites below gave it high marks. What is wrong with me??? 😥 Oh well, here is the rest of my review and I stand by it!]

The first 9/10th of the novel is describing what the 5-8 protagonists look like and what they drink and what they wear. We already know from the outset that somebody was murdered and that Maigret goes to a small Mediterranean island off the French coast where the murder occurs to figure out who dunnit. Nobody has left the island since the murder so everybody is fair game. The reader is not dropped any clues as to who might the culprit(s) be of the 5 to 8 people until, I would say, page 142 of the 195 page novel, and that clue is really nothing to get one’s mind whirring away (e.g., ah, so that could implicate Mr. X!). The rapid-fire deluge of clues is not disclosed until starting with page 173…with almost next-to-nothing prior to this regarding clues. Who in the hell wants to read 172 pages of mundane stuff before getting whiffs of whodunnit? Not me!

The back cover of the book’s dust wrapper even alludes to the problem that I am referring to:
• “Inspector Maigret is compelled to leave Paris to investigate the crime. But no one seems to have a motive for the killing. Not the old English lady and her male ‘secretary’. Nor the aging prostitute or the Dutch anarchist. But all of them have secrets they prefer to keep hidden.”
• Well, they do a damn good job of that!

With that said, I have a lot of respect for this man’s writing and will go gratefully back to his roman durs novels. That should keep me occupied for the next 10 years! 🧐

Reviews:
• From a blog site: http://www.editoreric.com/greatlit/bo...
• Note: I must be wrong again! Here is the beginning of the review: My Friend Maigret is often ranked among the best of Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret crime works, if not the best.
• From another blog site: https://bloodymurder.wordpress.com/20...
• And another who also likes it: https://jiescribano.wordpress.com/201...

[Jayakrishnan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man brags about his friendship with Inspector Maigret at a bar on a Mediterranean island (Porquerolles) and then turns up dead. Inspector Maigret is called up to solve the murder. Accompanying him is an Englishman sent from Scotland Yard to study Maigret's methods. The island is filled with eccentric people - a talented painter and his runaway lover, a heiress and her young spineless lover, an English Major who has served in India, an unmarried man and his domineering mother, a prostitute and many local sailors.

It is an unusual murder mystery. It is also a novel of manners with Maigret being unbelievably self conscious of the Englishman's presence. Maigret is grumpy and frustrated inside. He wants to let himself go on the island, getting drunk, but the islanders look up to him as a star detective, so he plays that role. He is also a bit of a lecher and stares up woman's skirts and at their bare feet.

This is my first book by Simenon. A website recommended this as one of the best books featuring Inspector Maigret while another one had this at number four. Goodreads reviewers don't seem to think much of this book. I liked the setting. But I was unable to completely appreciate Maigret's point of view or the different cultures that were pitted against each other. The mystery is quite abruptly resolved in the end. Most of the book is about Maigret observing people on the island and competing with the Englishman. Maybe I need to read the books in order.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

March 2024 Lunchtime Listen

As with virtually every Maigret , this was a great story and brilliantly read by Gareth Armstrong. Not a story I had read before during my random series read of a few years ago, this was one of the best ones of the 50+ I have read/listened to.

Maigret is unexpectedly called to a murder on the small island of Porquerolles, just off the south of France, simply because the man murdered, claimed on the night the murder happened that Maigret was his friend.
At the time Maigret is being shadowed by Inspector Pike of Scotland Yard, with a view to learning from his French colleague's methods !
Heading to the sunny island from a rainy dreary Paris, Maigret soon begins to soak up the scenery and the relaxed laid back life on the island. Inspector Pike to seems to be relaxing as he heads off every morning for a swim in the turquoise sea.
Focussing on all the characters that were on the island on the night of the murder, Maigret soon finds a number of hidden undercurrents.

An excellent story, with some wonderful voices from the brilliant Gareth Armstrong.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surly Chief Inspector Maigret broods and stymies his usual freewheeling style because he’s being observed by Inspector Pyke, a Scotland Yard detective fluent in French sent over for the express purpose of studying Maigret’s methods. Maigret worries about the stolid Pyke even as the pair leave cold, rainy Paris for Porquerolles and its balmy Mediterranean weather to investigate the murder of a feckless fisherman who was bragging about his friendship with Maigret on the very night of his death.

Maigret seems grumpier and more self-conscious than usual; however, I enjoyed the novel, which — despite the beautiful, sun-dappled setting — was slightly sad. So many of the wonderfully realized characters have doomed themselves with bad decisions, so much wasted life and prospects. Maigret waxes philosophical about the nature of adulthood, wisdom, and aging, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Yet, just as I’m sure Inspector Pyke found shadowing Maigret to be less than satisfactory, I found My Friend Maigret a bit less thrilling than Georges Simenon’s usual fare.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more Maigrets I read, the more addicted I become. This one finds our aging friend leaving his Paris precinct to go to a small island in the Mediterranean where a former petty thief and current layabout was heard to boast that he was the famous inspector's friend--shortly before he (Marcellon) was killed.

As an added difficulty, Poirot is accompanied by an English policeman who is studying his method of detection to help his English colleagues see how it is done. Maigret feels self-conscious in this man's presence and seems to himself to have no method at all. It's all done by gut instinct and endless conversations.

Of course, Maigret discovers the truth hiding amongst a small, rather tight-knit community. And I would hope Pyke is impressed.

Full of lovely phrases and the perfect touches to create the sun-drenched environment filled with suspects.

[Aloke · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was the perfect beach (actually cottage) read for me. I could feel the mistral even on the shores of Lake Simcoe.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable read. Maigret is saddled with an observer into his methods from Scotland Yard. Pike the English detective makes Maigret grumpy and second guessing himself. Should he take him to an expensive restaurant for lunch, should I book an expensive sleeper berth on a train, is it to early for a wine.

A fisherman on an island in the south of France is brutally murdered after boasting that Maigret is a good friend. Maigret travels with Pike to the island escaping the wintry weather of Paris. There are a wide range of eccentric suspects, Charlot a dodgy intelligent criminal, the Madame and her son who owns a string of brothels in France, an eccentric elderly English lady on a yacht with her young gigolo companion, an English Major, a Dutch artist with his young girlfriend Anna and Ginette the ex girlfriend of the murdered fisherman.

Maigret ponders life enjoying the sunshine and the atmosphere of Porquerolles island. Once again lots of booze and a few red herrings. However, Maigret solves the case and Pike sees the methodology he uses in studying the people and of course identifying the motive.

SPOILERS AHEAD

De Greef the artist has been forging paintings and the elderly woman has been conned by her gigolo to buy them. The fisherman ex criminal saw De Greef forging a famous painter and tried to blackmail him. Not sure why Anna killed herself except fear of De Greef or losing him.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The bells were still sending their circles of sound into the air.

A petty crook has been shouting his mouth off about Mon ami Maigret in a popular hotel bar on one of the Îles d’Or off the southern French coast. The next day he is dead, shot first and his body mashed. Chief Inspector Maigret, shadowed by a colleague from Scotland Yard, is despatched to Porquerolles to investigate, leaving a drizzly late spring Paris for a balmy Mediterranean island.

Feeling his investigative style cramped by the English detective observing his famous methods Maigret finds himself additionally seduced by the sounds, smells and sights that assail his senses. Can he make progress in solving the mystery of who on the island would want Marcellin dead, and why?

As is familiar from many Maigret stories Simenon gets the reader to figuratively sit on the detective’s shoulder, sharing his thoughts and overhearing his quickfire questioning; the reader also has time to get caught up in descriptions of locale and prevailing atmospheres before Maigret’s final suspect or suspects are fingered.

Maigret finds his fame has preceded him to the island when, on arriving, he observes the curiosity of locals that naturally attends the presence of a celebrity. Expectations by the local police inspector Lechat and Yard inspector Pyke, and by the islanders, that he will begin his investigations straightaway of course run counter to his usual modus operandi of quietly observing, keeping a low profile, and dropping the odd seemingly irrelevant question. Porquerolles, as well as the usual complement of fishermen and day trippers, numbers a fair sprinkling of outsiders who’ve apparently gone native—not only individuals from the French mainland, several with disreputable backgrounds, but also a Dutch couple, an ex-Indian Army major, and miscellaneous part-time residents and visitors, among them a brothel madam whom Maigret had once rescued.

Over a couple of days, until a Sunday morning, Maigret conducts interviews but mostly remains in the hotel bar, having meals, drinking, keeping to local routines such as making the twice daily visit to the harbour to meet the passengers disembarking from the ferry. And does he of course eventually get his man? We have to wait till the end to find out whether it’s a man or woman, whether it’s a group of conspirators, or indeed whether the whole mystery is solved without further tragedy

At first I got distracted by Simenon’s apparent punning. Maigret begins to see himself as a former acquaintance views him, no longer thin or maigre but carrying middle-age spread; then there are the names — Lechat, Pyke, even Porquerolles — which grabbed my attention for their feline, piscine and porcine roots. Then I was reminded of Agatha Christie’s island-set mysteries, such as Poirot’s case in Evil Under the Sun (1941). But presently, like Maigret, I became lulled by the sultry setting which the chief inspector absorbed like a rock absorbs the heat of the sun. And when the bells ring for Sunday Mass and he is taken back to his childhood memories we too realise that our accumulated experiences are composed of circles within circles, each remembrance evoking another:

One was led to the belief that the quality, the density of the air was not the same as elsewhere. One could distinctly hear the hammer striking the bronze, which gave out some sort of note, but it was then that the phenomenon would begin: a first ring would carry into the pale and still cool sky, would extend hesitantly, like a smoke ring, becoming a perfect circle out of which other circles would form by magic, ever increasing, ever purer.

Simenon characterises Maigret’s reaction here as “innocent amazement”, as when one watches a firework. Such moments of lyricism, and there are a few, punctuate his steady, patient investigations, with question and answer interviews played out like the games of chess and draughts he observes in the hotel bar. Once he spots the opening to the end game — the motivation for Marcellin’s murder — he is able to home in on the guilty party and wrap up the game. Just like his fictional detective Simenon reveals himself as a master strategist in this accomplished policier.

[Julian Worker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The words "My Friend Maigret" were spoken by a man called Marcellin in the bar area of the Arche de Noe hotel. The room was full of most of the people who live on the island of Porquerolles just off the Cote d'Azur.

Later, Marcellin is found shot dead.

At the time, Maigret was in Paris being shadowed by an officer from Scotland Yard in London, Mr Pyke. As his name was mentioned, it only seems appropriate that Maigret should investigate the case.

Mr Pyke and Maigret catch the Blue Train to the French Riviera and catch the ferry over to the island so Maigret can begin his investigation. The murdered man was known to him previously.

There are many suspects and most of them have eccentricities and unconventional reasons for staying on the island. Maigret talks to his fellow visitors, gets to know the locals, and savours the warmth and culture of the island. He also works out what's going on, what crimes were being committed, and who did what in order to cover them up.

He can't quite work out who killed Marcellin and so arrests all those he suspects.

[Antonella Imperiali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quel che succedeva qui con le campane era straordinario. Eppure non erano vere campane di chiesa, bensì campane flebili e leggere come quelle dei conventi o delle cappelle. Veniva da pensare che la qualità, la densità dell’aria non fosse la stessa che altrove. Si sentiva benissimo il martello colpire il bronzo e produrre una noterella qualsiasi, ma proprio allora il fenomeno aveva inizio: nel cielo pallido e ancora fresco si disegnava un primo anello, che si allargava esitante come una voluta di fumo per poi diventare un cerchio perfetto da cui uscivano per magia altri cerchi, sempre più ampi, sempre più puri. I cerchi superavano la piazza, le case, si espandevano sopra il porto e lontano sul mare dove dondolavano delle piccole barche. Li sentivi alti sulle colline e sugli scogli, ed erano ancora percepibili quando il martello colpiva di nuovo il bronzo e altri cerchi nascevano e si ricreavano, e poi altri ancora, che ascoltavi con lo stesso stupore innocente con cui si guarda un fuoco d’artificio.

Con una prosa del genere, come fai a non amare Simenon?

Siamo a Porquerolles, una piccola magnifica isola nel Mediterraneo a poche miglia dalla costa francese, dove Maigret, accompagnato da un ospite di eccezione, Mr Pyke di Scotland Yard nel ruolo di “osservatore”, indaga sulla morte di un uomo che asseriva, fino a poco prima di essere ucciso, che il commissario fosse suo amico. Amicizia confermata, visto che la vittima era un piccolo delinquente che più di una volta Maigret aveva avuto per le mani.
Strana atmosfera pigra, rilassata e rilassante, pregna degli odori e dei colori caldi dell’estate, del profumo dei fiori; le persone coinvolte sono piuttosto particolari se non eccentriche, l’ambiente è quasi mondano, i luoghi di ritrovo sono sempre gli stessi: la piazza, il bar dell’hotel, il campo di bocce; l’isola ha belle spiagge e richiama turisti, c’è un buon movimento; il traghetto, gli yacht, i battelli, i pescherecci, i pescatori stessi offrono sempre uno spettacolo piacevole.
Come al solito, Maigret più che agire ascolta, osserva, cammina, beve... e si fa una sua idea, arrivando in breve ad assicurare alla giustizia i responsabili, consegnandoci di fatto una bella storia, quasi senza trama, ma quella poca che c’è è intessuta abilmente.


✍️ G.S./Maigret

[Marilyn Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! A wonderful setting, great characterization and an aging but distinguished Maigret. There were some ageist and anti-female remarks but the author allows the women to have comebacks that for 1949, shows Maigret as a man who likes women. A wonderful setting in the south of France might have been the best part. The friend is a young officer from Scotland Yard sent to study the Methods of the famous Maigret. The details of the differences between the cultures of England and France were hilarious. The plot of the mystery, although good, was beside the point.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dame Agatha And Peers
1944
My fav Simenon/Maigret...so far.
CAST - 4 stars: The interplay between Mr. Pyke (Scotland Yard) and Maigret excellent. Add the local Inspector Lecht of a small Mediterranean island in a race to solve the mystery, plus a dozen or so locals, all of whom may be up to no good, and you're gonna have a blast.
Atmosphere - 5: Glorious. The breezes, the food (sea urchins, sardines), the fish (conger eel, pink gurnards), the smells ( aniseed, tanning oil, soap, eucalyptus, $$$ ) and "...alcohol with a whiff of bedroom..." add up to a nice armchair vaca). Plus St. Tropez, Istanbul, Cannes, more.
Crime - 4: A murder, plus many more crimes basically overlooked as this is THE PLACE to end up and chill out.
Investigation - 3: Fast.
Resolution - 4: Bittersweet. A fascinating look at the criminal world and what we choose to overlook.
Summary: 4 stars. Simenon is simply a great writer.

[Sandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Per me i libri di Simenon con protagonista l'ispettore Maigret meritano tutti 5 stelle! :-)

[Amaranta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un cadavere le cui ultime parole sono state di elogio per Maigret, un’isola calda e bollente di sole su cui passeggiare, con barchette che si cullano nell’indolenza del caldo e delle onde, bicchieri di vino bianco dissetante bevuti all’ombra e un investigatore di Scotland Yard che lo segue come un’ombra per carpire i suoi segreti d’indagine. E’ con questo che Maigret stavolta si trova a lavorare, mentre vorrebbe solo stare seduto fuori al tavolino di un caffè a godersi la frescura dissetandosi.
E i suoi metodi questa volta sono duri, irrispettosi, proprio per chi si ritrova di fronte.
“Adesso si tratta di non fare il coglione”
Forse era l'impeccabile correttezza di Pyke a renderlo sboccato

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questa volta lo scenario è diverso dal solito clima uggioso del nord della Francia. Un omicidio viene commesso nell’isola di Porquerolles, di fronte a Tolone, nelle calde acque del Mediterraneo, dopo nove giorni in cui il mistral ha battuto con violenza le sue coste. E’ stato ucciso un uomo, Marcellin, un piccolo malvivente che vive in una barca. Il commissario Maigret entra in scena perché la vittima, prima di morire, si è pubblicamente vantata della sua “amicizia” con Maigret. Sembra impossibile che fra le case bianche e rosa ombreggiate dagli eucalipti e le mimose, sulla piazza in cui gli abitanti trascorrono sonnolente giornate sotto il sole battente, tra un bicchiere di vino all’Arche de Noè e una partita a bocce, sia stato commesso un omicidio. Lo stesso commissario sente l’influenza dell’atmosfera pigra dell’isola, vorrebbe starsene solo a passeggiare per il porto e guardare i pescatori. Invece gli tocca investigare affiancato come un’ombra dall’ispettore Pyke di Scotland Yard, un poliziotto venuto apposta da Londra per conoscere il suo metodo investigativo (una seccatura). Così il “mio” amico Maigret si mette in azione e, con il fiuto di un cane da caccia, annusa gli odori intorno a lui, che provengono da coloro che costituiscono l’eccentrica comunità isolana, fruga, scava nella variegata umanità, lasciandosi impregnare dalle sensazioni che gli provengono dall’ambiente, fino a quando “dalla nebbia delle sue idee” il quadro emerge limpido. Ecco, questo è il “metodo Maigret”, che non fallisce neanche questa volta.

[KOMET · Rating 3 out of 5]

The more I read this novel, the more it felt like an episode of the 1970s TV detective series 'Columbo', albeit with a Mediterranean flavor.

Inspector Maigret is prompted to leave Paris to take up the case of a small-time crook, who was murdered after boasting aloud at a crowded public establishment of his "friendship" with Maigret. So, in company with a French-speaking Scotland Yard detective (named Pike, who was visiting Maigret's jurisdiction from the UK to observe his counterpart's investigative methods), Maigret travels by train to a small Mediterranean island off the coast of Southern France, where the murder had taken place.

There are a number of suspects: a rich, old Englishwoman who lives on a yacht berthed in the harbor; her companion Philippe, a rather vain sort with an exaggerated sense of self-importance; Charlot, a conceited loudmouth who fancies himself a know-it-all; a young Dutch nihilist and painter not much given to talking; a retired British major living the expatriate life; Monsieur Emile, a rather mousy man who lives with a controlling mother; and Ginette, an aging prostitute and an old acquaintance of Maigret whom he had helped years ago escape from a dangerous relationship with the same thief, whose murder Maigret is now investigating.

The story unfolds in an almost leisurely fashion as if in keeping with the languid atmosphere of the island. This is a book best enjoyed in one's quiet hours with a drink or in bed with the overhead lamp alit.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

From BBC radio 4 Extra:
Georges Simenon's detective creation, Jules Maigret, brings his unique style to investigating crimes.

Plot:
Maigret reçoit la visite de Mr. Pyke, agent de Scotland Yard, désireux de connaître ses fameuses méthodes. Mais aucun cas intéressant ne se présente à Paris. C'est alors qu'un coup de téléphone de Porquerolles informe Maigret du meurtre d'un certain Marcellin qui, peu de temps avant sa mort, a prétendu être un « ami » du commissaire.

Two TV series were made based on this book: Mon ami Maigret (1973) with Jean Richard, Micheline Luccioni, Marie Daëms ;



And Mon ami Maigret (2001) with Bruno Cremer, Alexandre Brasseur, Michael Morris.



It should be noticed that in the 1973 version, in the role of De Greef, Gérard Depardieu played in its beginning. He turned, a year earlier, with Jean Richard for some unspeakable scenes in "The Life annuity" Pierre Tchernia, where the two men camped a tasty duo of small-time gangsters ...

[Mark Walker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not actually true that I have read this because I gave up about half way through. The most charitable thing I could say is that perhaps this type of book is not my thing. It isn't a full on police procedural where clues are provided. It is more whimsical and interested in an arch style of humour. I could have put up with all that, but my main problem is that I could not keep track of the characters as they were not properly developed and lazily and thinly drawn. The book is an example of a crime in an isolated community but there was no attempt to develop any sense of the different characters. The effect of this is that you could not remember who was who, they all seemed the same sort of louche posh stereotypes, and therefore you cannot care less who committed the crime.

[Aurélien Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading Simenon is more than merely reading a murder mystery. It's about an atmosphere, an ambiance, the setting of the 1940s-50s transpiring through each page.

The investigation? On Porquerolles island, a petty criminal who boasted of being friend with the famous Inspector is found brutally murdered. Who could have possibly do away with the poor man?

Maigret, accompanied here by an English Inspector willing to learn more about 'his method', would clearly have preferred enjoying the Mediterranean seaside and its slow-paced way of life. Well, no time for unending evenings at the local café here! An old English lady and her secretary (and the drunken parties on her yacht), failed artists, petty thieves and prostitutes... Porquerolles is full of surprise in this time of the year!

If you like these easy detective stories, which are as slow to read as their settings, then it's quite a nice read.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. An engaging crime fiction novel set on the island of Porqueroles, France. Marcellin Pacaud is murdered. The islanders believe Pacaud was killed for sticking up for Maigret. Years before, Maigret had helped Pacaud’s daughter, Ginette. Ginette was suffering from tuberculosis and spent six years in a clinic recuperating. Maigret learns about the people who knew Pacaud, discovering the reason Pacaud was murdered.

This book was first published in France in 1949. The 31st novel in the Maigret series.

[AC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such rich characterization!

[John Frankham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good Maigret, one of a number out of Paris, showing Maigret's unease at the southern heat, and af having a visiting Scotland Yard detective observing his methods. Plenty of characters, atmosphere, and details of an island that is a backwater, as are the people on it.

The GR blurb:

'When a small-time crook is murdered on the Mediterranean island of Porquerolles it transpires he had fervently declared his friendship with Maigret beforehand. The famous French detective, with a Scotland Yard observer in tow, must travel there to Solve the case.'

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is about Maigret. Oh sure, there's a murder and an investigation, and we eventually get to know a good deal about the victim and about the suspects, but above all else, we get to know Maigret.

Scotland Yard has heard about the famous Maigret, and with the permission of the Paris police has assigned an inspector Pike to shadow Maigret and observe his methods. Maigret feels terribly self-conscious about that, knowing as he does that he basically has no method, or no method that can be observed in a few days. Pike is absolutely correct in his dealings with Maigret, never imposing himself, always speaking perfect and precise French, and for that reason, and others, Maigret feels oppressed by Pike's presence, and begins to feel that he must prove himself.

He soon gets the chance: he is called to investigate a murder that has occurred on an island just off the southern French coast. Though it is out of his jurisdiction, he is assigned to the case because the victim had bragged, shortly before being murdered, that Maigret was a good friend of his. Of course, Maigret was not a good friend of his, but had been acquainted with him years earlier, in the course of a criminal investigation.

Maigret and Pike go to the island. It is late spring and the weather is hot. Maigret immediately feels heavy and sleepy and wants nothing other than to simply wander and observe, get the feel of the place. But with Pike watching his every move, he feels compelled to act in a more official way, more energetically. Soon, though, he settles almost into his normal mode: he talks to people, he daydreams, he has a drink. And in the end he catches the killer.

There are something like 70 Maigret novels. If you have never read any, this would be as good as any to start with.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Georges Simenon is a writer who uses various locations in his Maigret series to show his detective in different situations and under new and challenging circumstances. For a reader this is a pleasant change and makes for new and interesting developments.
This story starts in Paris with a new factor in Maigret's world. he has been allocation a Scotland Yard officer to shadow him and observe his famous methods in action. This allows for a running joke between English & French manners and appraoches to life as much as sleuthing. In a way this hampers Maigret who doesn't wish to be judged or let the side down and he feels restricted to do what he does best get amongst the people, observe and ask questions. Equally to be accessible for people to disclose information. There is mention made in the book about an inspector of his rank sitting behind a desk co-ordinating and delegating others to do the leg work. This has never been Maigret's way but he has an unlimited resource of police officers to do background checks to fashion him with information or confirm his suspicions.
A chance phone call has the Chief Inspector and his English companion off to the south of France to investigate the death of a crook previously known to Maigret who having boasted of his friendship with the great detective was subsequently murdered.
We are presented with an island community that is contained and within its residents the murdered must reside.
A clever story where Maigret always seems to be holding back and becoming self aware. A beautiful setting within which a plot turns and twists until Maigret focuses in on the motive and culprits.

[DeAnna Knippling · Rating 3 out of 5]

A French inspector is called to solve a murder on a small island off the Mediterranean coast, British inspector in tow to observe.

This is my fisrt Maigret. I didn't care for it--the plot has a lot of issues with keeping to the flow of events. The scenes jump around, so one second you're in scene x, then scene y, then flashing back to several scenes that happened between x and y, without any clear sense of when anything happened or that you actually have started a flashback. The characters were all irrational and acting suspiciously, so it was difficult to pick up on what were red herrings, let alone the main plot. The main character is obsessed with the impression he.s making on his colleague, then suddenly loses the thread and forgets him entirely. The main plot is assembled at the last minute, out of nowhere. I felt like I was supposed to be impressed with brilliance that was kept out of view.

I know that a lot of people have liked this series. I might try an earlier book at some point, but I can't recommend this one.

[Christopher Roden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the old green and white Penguins. Crime as it was. Crime at it's best, so when I pulled MY FRIEND MAIGRET from the shelf today, and really took a good look at it, and realised that it was a virtually pristine Penguin from 1959 (never read, if I am any judge), I decided that it was time to continue my Maigret season with this particular volume.

This is Maigret. It's good - that's inevitable. But this is Maigret outside of his Parisian surroundings, and it suffers a little for that.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful portrait, as always, of a place and people. But as other readers noted, he solves the mystery in a few brief paragraphs at the end and we are left with the mystery of how he figured it out! I reread parts of the chapter, thinking that I must have missed something!

[Yan · Rating 2 out of 5]

probably better to read simenon SPARINGLY

[The Frahorus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Altro romanzo con Maigret protagonista in trasferta, stavolta va sull'isola di Porquerolles, in Provenza, dove è stato assassinato Marcellin, il quale, prima di morire, ha affermato che Maigret è suo amico. Stavolta il Nostro non sarà da solo ad indagare, ma sarà affiancato da un investigatore di Scotland Yard, un inglese dunque, visto che la sua fama ha raggiunto pure il Regno Unito. E così, come al solito, il commissario Maigret inizia a fiutare ogni pista, a conoscere gli abitanti del porto, a respirare la loro stessa aria, ad immaginare le ultime ore del povero assassinato, con la sua consueta calma e tranquillità che gli lascia il tempo di assaporare anche i piatti locali, sempre fumando la sua immancabile pipa.

Mi piacciono le indagini di Maigret fuori di casa, era un modo per Simenon di far cambiare aria al suo commissario, altrimenti potrebbe risultare un po' ripetitivo ambietare le indagini solo a Parigi.

[Linda C · Rating 3 out of 5]

A murder is committed on Porquerolles, a French island off the coast. The victim was boasting about his friend Maigret in a café the night before he was killed. Maigret is a well-known Parisian homicide Inspector. Since Maigret is not involved in a case at the moment and his name was mentioned, his superior sends him off to investigate. But Maigret is not thrilled since he is being shadowed by a detective from Scotland Yard who has been sent over to study Maigret’s methods and Maigret doesn’t feel he has specific methods to pass on. We follow Maigret interaction with the island locals and the expatriates hanging out on the island, learn his background in connection with the victim and his insecurity in being watched through it all. Interesting plot but not a series I feel drawn to pursuing.