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Inspector Maigret #4
The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien
A new translation of a haunting tale about the lengths to which people will go to escape from guilt and book four of the Inspector Maigret series
On a trip to Brussels, Maigret unwittingly causes a man's suicide, but his own remorse is overshadowed by the discovery of the sordid events that drove the desperate man to shoot himself.
Collect this and other novels in the Inspector Maigret series, now available in thrilling new English translations.
On a trip to Brussels, Maigret unwittingly causes a man's suicide, but his own remorse is overshadowed by the discovery of the sordid events that drove the desperate man to shoot himself.
Collect this and other novels in the Inspector Maigret series, now available in thrilling new English translations.
137 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1931
268 people are currently reading
5510 people want to read
About the author
Georges Simenon
2,732 books2,287 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 418 reviews
May 31, 2023
May 2023 Lunchtime Listen
I think my review from reading the book in 2019 covers it quite well, but I have to say it was given added gravitas by the reading of Gareth Armstrong. Why did the man commit suicide when an old worn out suit he was carrying around was stolen ? Why does a wealthy man come to see the body at the morgue, and then quickly dash ahead of Maigret to get to Paris first ? Why does an engraver in Liege have dozens of pictures of hanged men in his office ?
All becomes clear as Maigret investigates whether there was any crime at all.
Maigret Series Read commencing 2019
When is a crime not a crime ? When it’s “The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien”
This was Maigret at his most vulnerable but also at his best.
I read my first ever Maigret last year, and my second, and they both made it into my favourite books of 2018. I can tell you now that this book, will be on my list for 2019, without a doubt.
Maigret is drawn into this affair purely by chance and then becomes so enmeshed he has to see it through to the very end. It takes place in France, Belgium and Germany as he tries to discover the story behind the mystery, and to truly understand why a man shot himself after loosing an old suit.
The writing is, as ever, atmospheric and just so typically French, I think I mentioned in one of my status updates I could even smell the Gauloises aroma wafting from the page. The story is neatly woven and just pulls you in until you feel you are there alongside the enigmatic Maigret.
I had books 3 to 6 for Christmas so I shall unfortunately be rationing myself through the year, but if previous books are anything to go by, expect to see at least a couple of Maigrets in my 2019 favourites.
( GR is saying this is number 4 in the series but The Maigret website says it’s number 3, so I read it 3rd)
I think my review from reading the book in 2019 covers it quite well, but I have to say it was given added gravitas by the reading of Gareth Armstrong. Why did the man commit suicide when an old worn out suit he was carrying around was stolen ? Why does a wealthy man come to see the body at the morgue, and then quickly dash ahead of Maigret to get to Paris first ? Why does an engraver in Liege have dozens of pictures of hanged men in his office ?
All becomes clear as Maigret investigates whether there was any crime at all.
Maigret Series Read commencing 2019
When is a crime not a crime ? When it’s “The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien”
This was Maigret at his most vulnerable but also at his best.
I read my first ever Maigret last year, and my second, and they both made it into my favourite books of 2018. I can tell you now that this book, will be on my list for 2019, without a doubt.
Maigret is drawn into this affair purely by chance and then becomes so enmeshed he has to see it through to the very end. It takes place in France, Belgium and Germany as he tries to discover the story behind the mystery, and to truly understand why a man shot himself after loosing an old suit.
The writing is, as ever, atmospheric and just so typically French, I think I mentioned in one of my status updates I could even smell the Gauloises aroma wafting from the page. The story is neatly woven and just pulls you in until you feel you are there alongside the enigmatic Maigret.
I had books 3 to 6 for Christmas so I shall unfortunately be rationing myself through the year, but if previous books are anything to go by, expect to see at least a couple of Maigrets in my 2019 favourites.
( GR is saying this is number 4 in the series but The Maigret website says it’s number 3, so I read it 3rd)
May 1, 2020
Maigret's chief talent doesn't seem to be genius, or method, or physical strength, or even hard work - rather, he's simply interested in people, and why they behave the way they do. ~ novelist Scott Bradfield
Detective Chief Inspector Maigret's curiosity about the peculiar behavior of a shabbily-dressed, middle-aged man waiting in the Gare de Neuschanz train station in 1930 Netherlands leads to a tragic suicide, for which Maigret correctly fears he is at least partly responsible. His sense of guilt draws him into a journey through Germany, France, and Belgium, as he looks into the life of the dead man and races against a statute of limitations for a crime committed deep in the past.
This fascinating study of the corrosive effect of guilt is based on the suicide of a friend of author Georges Simenon in his youth in Liege, Belgium, and is among the earliest of his Maigret novels.
I found it gripping and look forward to reading many more of Simenon's works.
The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien
Detective Chief Inspector Maigret's curiosity about the peculiar behavior of a shabbily-dressed, middle-aged man waiting in the Gare de Neuschanz train station in 1930 Netherlands leads to a tragic suicide, for which Maigret correctly fears he is at least partly responsible. His sense of guilt draws him into a journey through Germany, France, and Belgium, as he looks into the life of the dead man and races against a statute of limitations for a crime committed deep in the past.
This fascinating study of the corrosive effect of guilt is based on the suicide of a friend of author Georges Simenon in his youth in Liege, Belgium, and is among the earliest of his Maigret novels.
I found it gripping and look forward to reading many more of Simenon's works.
The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien
September 9, 2020
This book surprised me. It's a classic of detective fiction, which means that after about 120 pages of classic detective work on the part of Chief Inspector Maigret, I could barely keep my eyelids up! Bored - yes, immensely - and yet, I am so completely onboard with Simenon's agenda, or perhaps with a particular theme in the several of this book. The theme that completely caught my sympathy was Maigret's eye for, and understanding of poverty: one of the men in the group he is following says:
Klein and Lecocq d'Arneville were definitely the most forthright, unpretentious members of our group. They were close, like brothers. They'd both had difficult childhoods, with their mothers watching every sou... Both these fellows were desperate to better themselves and agonized over anything that stood in their way.
There is something so profoundly of the humanist in Simenon's writing that I feel as if his talents were wasted on detective fiction.
I have to say I am not a fan of the crime novel, and I realize that part of the problem is this excruciating build up of details. The detective pursues facts, leaving no snippet of information or hint of a clue unfollowed. Maigret with grim reality tracks each opening; he stores names, times, places, events in a careful catalogue in his mind - which is what put me repeatedly into the land of nod. A pity, because his descriptions of Paris, Rheims, the Belgian town of Liège, and Bremen in North Germany form a fascinating picture of this area in the late 1920s.
Simenon based this story on an event in his own life, involving a group of friends he knew in his birth town of Liège - and it is to this town that the story centres and eventually closes around yielding up the secrets of a group of young men from almost 10 years earlier. The 'almost' of particular importance as there is a "statute of limitations" - the crime will be closed after a 10 year lapse.
I suppose the other point of interest is the character of Maigret - a man of absolute reserve, discretion and an uncanny ability to provoke his suspects into revealing what they least want the inspector to know. Several times Maigret's life is at risk, but he handles each moment with a stupendous calm and resilience - he is an extremely admirable character.
Although this is my first reading experience of Maigret, I picked up this volume because I recently re-watched one of the excellent TV episodes with Rowan Atkinson - who does an exact recreation of my own understanding of the book's main character; although Atkinson doesn't have Maigret's girth, height, or breadth of shoulder. He does however have that remarkable - silence, and restraint of manner, simply puffing on his pipe and waiting for the suspect to slip up.
So a mixed read. There are, however 28 Maigret short stories and 75 novels. I must find one of his novels.
Klein and Lecocq d'Arneville were definitely the most forthright, unpretentious members of our group. They were close, like brothers. They'd both had difficult childhoods, with their mothers watching every sou... Both these fellows were desperate to better themselves and agonized over anything that stood in their way.
There is something so profoundly of the humanist in Simenon's writing that I feel as if his talents were wasted on detective fiction.
I have to say I am not a fan of the crime novel, and I realize that part of the problem is this excruciating build up of details. The detective pursues facts, leaving no snippet of information or hint of a clue unfollowed. Maigret with grim reality tracks each opening; he stores names, times, places, events in a careful catalogue in his mind - which is what put me repeatedly into the land of nod. A pity, because his descriptions of Paris, Rheims, the Belgian town of Liège, and Bremen in North Germany form a fascinating picture of this area in the late 1920s.
Simenon based this story on an event in his own life, involving a group of friends he knew in his birth town of Liège - and it is to this town that the story centres and eventually closes around yielding up the secrets of a group of young men from almost 10 years earlier. The 'almost' of particular importance as there is a "statute of limitations" - the crime will be closed after a 10 year lapse.
I suppose the other point of interest is the character of Maigret - a man of absolute reserve, discretion and an uncanny ability to provoke his suspects into revealing what they least want the inspector to know. Several times Maigret's life is at risk, but he handles each moment with a stupendous calm and resilience - he is an extremely admirable character.
Although this is my first reading experience of Maigret, I picked up this volume because I recently re-watched one of the excellent TV episodes with Rowan Atkinson - who does an exact recreation of my own understanding of the book's main character; although Atkinson doesn't have Maigret's girth, height, or breadth of shoulder. He does however have that remarkable - silence, and restraint of manner, simply puffing on his pipe and waiting for the suspect to slip up.
So a mixed read. There are, however 28 Maigret short stories and 75 novels. I must find one of his novels.
February 11, 2021
Poverty, trauma and guilt.
Maigret chances upon a man who does something that he both witnesses and is shocked by. This event, and those leading up to it, with Maigret directly connected begin this story.
As with Inspector Maigret through his creator Georges Simenon, the reader is treated to solid, measured but agile police work that builds a trail from pieces of evidence and information. It is not clear why things have happened the way they have; there are some discoveries that only complicate matters and there are people who are more or less than they appear.
The enjoyment of an author able to complete a murder-mystery with solid police work that is described with detail, and a sharpness that requires no car chases or shoot-outs is to enjoy.
My edition was the Penguin Classics published in 2014, translated into English by Linda Coverdale. 144 pages.
Maigret chances upon a man who does something that he both witnesses and is shocked by. This event, and those leading up to it, with Maigret directly connected begin this story.
As with Inspector Maigret through his creator Georges Simenon, the reader is treated to solid, measured but agile police work that builds a trail from pieces of evidence and information. It is not clear why things have happened the way they have; there are some discoveries that only complicate matters and there are people who are more or less than they appear.
The enjoyment of an author able to complete a murder-mystery with solid police work that is described with detail, and a sharpness that requires no car chases or shoot-outs is to enjoy.
My edition was the Penguin Classics published in 2014, translated into English by Linda Coverdale. 144 pages.
January 18, 2023
Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down!
Favorite passages:
This is suggestive of Maigret's single-mindedness and determination to get to the bottom of things: "He considered stopping by his home on Boulevard Richard-Lenoir to kiss his wife and change his clothes, but the incident at the station was bothering him."
This is reminiscent of my family heritage: "On one of the chairs sat a woman who was still young, dressed with humble care that bespeaks long hours of sewing by lamplight, making do with the best one has."
Maigret again, working stolidly to unravel the mystery: "There was something implacable and inhuman about him that suggested a pachyderm plodding inexorably towards its goal."
Favorite passages:
This is suggestive of Maigret's single-mindedness and determination to get to the bottom of things: "He considered stopping by his home on Boulevard Richard-Lenoir to kiss his wife and change his clothes, but the incident at the station was bothering him."
This is reminiscent of my family heritage: "On one of the chairs sat a woman who was still young, dressed with humble care that bespeaks long hours of sewing by lamplight, making do with the best one has."
Maigret again, working stolidly to unravel the mystery: "There was something implacable and inhuman about him that suggested a pachyderm plodding inexorably towards its goal."
May 10, 2025
Blurb
“While stopped at a railway station on the northern edge of Holland, Inspector Maigret catches sight of a traveler acting oddly: the man glances around furtively, pulls out handfuls of coins to pay for purchases, and guards a small suitcase. Maigret decides to follow the man, thinking he’ll help catch a crook—but then the inspector witnesses something terrible. The stranger leaves behind only a passport with a false name and an old, large, dirty gray suit. Struck by guilt, Maigret resolves to figure out who this man was and why events ended so tragically. The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien is a moving and deep exploration into the burdens of conscience and the lengths one might go in pursuit of absolution.”
Overall Thoughts
This book was so fun to read! 😁
Although it was short, I wasn't confused or left wondering what happened in the world because Georges Simenon goes into great detail with the plot and how the characters play a role in the events that unfolded. I thought it was funny how there were so many exclamation points, but I enjoyed reading each sentence with the same enjoyment with which it was written. I was trying to figure out the correlation between the stranger’s death and the title, and boy, was I surprised! I was not expecting it to turn out the way it did, nor was the ending what I thought it would be. It reminded me of Sherlock Holmes, with the confident and intelligent inspector and how he goes about solving the case. Inspector Maigret seems like such a cool guy, and I can’t wait to read the other books in the series. I highly recommend this book. ❤
Content Warnings
Murder, suicide, death, violence
I received a free e-arc from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux via NetGalley. All opinions and statements are my own.
#TheHangedManofSaintPholienInspectorMaigret #NetGalley
“While stopped at a railway station on the northern edge of Holland, Inspector Maigret catches sight of a traveler acting oddly: the man glances around furtively, pulls out handfuls of coins to pay for purchases, and guards a small suitcase. Maigret decides to follow the man, thinking he’ll help catch a crook—but then the inspector witnesses something terrible. The stranger leaves behind only a passport with a false name and an old, large, dirty gray suit. Struck by guilt, Maigret resolves to figure out who this man was and why events ended so tragically. The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien is a moving and deep exploration into the burdens of conscience and the lengths one might go in pursuit of absolution.”
Overall Thoughts
This book was so fun to read! 😁
Although it was short, I wasn't confused or left wondering what happened in the world because Georges Simenon goes into great detail with the plot and how the characters play a role in the events that unfolded. I thought it was funny how there were so many exclamation points, but I enjoyed reading each sentence with the same enjoyment with which it was written. I was trying to figure out the correlation between the stranger’s death and the title, and boy, was I surprised! I was not expecting it to turn out the way it did, nor was the ending what I thought it would be. It reminded me of Sherlock Holmes, with the confident and intelligent inspector and how he goes about solving the case. Inspector Maigret seems like such a cool guy, and I can’t wait to read the other books in the series. I highly recommend this book. ❤
Content Warnings
Murder, suicide, death, violence
I received a free e-arc from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux via NetGalley. All opinions and statements are my own.
#TheHangedManofSaintPholienInspectorMaigret #NetGalley
June 4, 2025
John Banville, a celebrated author known for his literary fiction, including the Booker Prize winner "The Sea," also writes crime novels under the pseudonym Benjamin Black (until recently). Banville credits the crime fiction of Georges Simenon as an epiphany, revealing to him a wealth of literary avenues. “One (reads Simenon for)... the atmosphere, vividness, and human insight.” Simenon was a prolific Belgian writer, publishing around 400 novels, including 75 novels featuring the police detective Jules Maigret. Over the next three years, the Maigret books will all be reprinted, with 30 standalone works to follow next year.
My introduction to Simenon was “The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien,” a 1931 work that struck me as distinctly of its era. Maigret feels he has inadvertently pushed a man toward shooting himself. The circumstances are unusual as there seems to be no reason for the man’s suicide. Superficially, he appeared a rather unremarkable fellow with access to a substantial amount of money. Further adding to the intrigue is the sudden appearance of various individuals taking a keen interest in Maigret’s investigation.
The Maigret novels are pretty short and efficiently paced. Banville has faulted them for being formulaic, preferring his “hard novels.” I may see the same thing over time, but I will just enjoy these treats until then.
Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Picador, and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #TheHangedManofSaintPholienInspectorMaigret #NetGalley
My introduction to Simenon was “The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien,” a 1931 work that struck me as distinctly of its era. Maigret feels he has inadvertently pushed a man toward shooting himself. The circumstances are unusual as there seems to be no reason for the man’s suicide. Superficially, he appeared a rather unremarkable fellow with access to a substantial amount of money. Further adding to the intrigue is the sudden appearance of various individuals taking a keen interest in Maigret’s investigation.
The Maigret novels are pretty short and efficiently paced. Banville has faulted them for being formulaic, preferring his “hard novels.” I may see the same thing over time, but I will just enjoy these treats until then.
Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Picador, and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #TheHangedManofSaintPholienInspectorMaigret #NetGalley
April 9, 2025
The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien (also published as Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets) begins with Detective Chief Inspector Jules Maigret following a French suspect in Germany, one who commits suicide within the first few pages. Maigret immediately realizes that, without meaning to, he has caused a certain Louis Genet to shoot himself in the mouth.
This terrible turn of event leads Maigret to try to discover more about this Louis Genet — who turns out to be traveling under an assumed name. As Maigret tries to find out this man’s real identity, he stumbles onto a bigger — and older — crime. To say more would be to ruin the mystery, but let me say that, of the four Georges Simenon novels I’ve read, this is the most unusual and the best. The novel really shows Maigret as the unique officer of the law that he is. Highly recommended.
This terrible turn of event leads Maigret to try to discover more about this Louis Genet — who turns out to be traveling under an assumed name. As Maigret tries to find out this man’s real identity, he stumbles onto a bigger — and older — crime. To say more would be to ruin the mystery, but let me say that, of the four Georges Simenon novels I’ve read, this is the most unusual and the best. The novel really shows Maigret as the unique officer of the law that he is. Highly recommended.
September 13, 2017
The more Maigret novels I read, the more I believe I've made a good choice in reading the entire series. I am only through book four and I'm already craving the next one.
This time I'm linking my thoughts on this book directly to my reading journal where I talk about it in conjunction with the other two I've just recently finished, The Carter of 'La Providence' and The Late Monsieur Gallet.
http://www.crimesegments.com/2017/09/...
Simenon is a master of human nature, and considering I read mainly to discover what makes people tick, well, I'm in my element here.
This time I'm linking my thoughts on this book directly to my reading journal where I talk about it in conjunction with the other two I've just recently finished, The Carter of 'La Providence' and The Late Monsieur Gallet.
http://www.crimesegments.com/2017/09/...
Simenon is a master of human nature, and considering I read mainly to discover what makes people tick, well, I'm in my element here.
March 9, 2022
The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien is a 1931 crime novel in a series featuring D.I. Jules Maigret. Maigret observes strange behavior in a man and witnesses this man suddenly commit suicide.
The scene that Maigret sees prompts him to investigate why an obviously indigent man, who had bought dinner and a hotel room, would abandon them to die by suicide when he couldn’t locate his suitcase. Maigret is not only curious but also feels guilty about the man’s death.
His investigation takes place in France, Belgium, and Germany where he encounters several men who appear to have a connection to the victim. Determination and guilt initially fuel Maigret’s actions to figure out the inconsistency surrounding this non-crime. Only what he discovers at the root of this mystery is a ten-year-old crime conspiracy.
This is a fast read that has a heavy police procedural feel. Although Maigret is a police detective, his characterization felt more like a hardboiled P.I. to me. Since it was my first book by Simenon and that I jumped into the series at book 4, I cannot say if the earlier books provided backstory on Maigret. Here, I only got that he was patient, dogged, and believed in “gray” areas when it comes to crime. The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien works fine as a stand alone in my opinion. The only minor confusion I had was when the persons of interest were introduced, I kept getting the setting and name of the person mixed up. I could attribute this to my lack of familiarity about cities within the setting locations. The story has a bleak tone, but it wasn’t gritty and didn’t have any overly graphic or intimate descriptions.
Overall, this novella was a good first introduction to this Belgian author. And with seventy-five primary works about this French police detective, I am sure to discover more on his character arc and another intriguing mystery to read.
The scene that Maigret sees prompts him to investigate why an obviously indigent man, who had bought dinner and a hotel room, would abandon them to die by suicide when he couldn’t locate his suitcase. Maigret is not only curious but also feels guilty about the man’s death.
His investigation takes place in France, Belgium, and Germany where he encounters several men who appear to have a connection to the victim. Determination and guilt initially fuel Maigret’s actions to figure out the inconsistency surrounding this non-crime. Only what he discovers at the root of this mystery is a ten-year-old crime conspiracy.
This is a fast read that has a heavy police procedural feel. Although Maigret is a police detective, his characterization felt more like a hardboiled P.I. to me. Since it was my first book by Simenon and that I jumped into the series at book 4, I cannot say if the earlier books provided backstory on Maigret. Here, I only got that he was patient, dogged, and believed in “gray” areas when it comes to crime. The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien works fine as a stand alone in my opinion. The only minor confusion I had was when the persons of interest were introduced, I kept getting the setting and name of the person mixed up. I could attribute this to my lack of familiarity about cities within the setting locations. The story has a bleak tone, but it wasn’t gritty and didn’t have any overly graphic or intimate descriptions.
Overall, this novella was a good first introduction to this Belgian author. And with seventy-five primary works about this French police detective, I am sure to discover more on his character arc and another intriguing mystery to read.
May 20, 2025
Another great story with an unexpected ending. Something you would never see in a modern crime story. Maigret see’s a poor man post 30000 francs and his curiosity is aroused. On impulse he follows him and swaps his suitcase for a duplicate. Then in Bremen at a cheap hotel Maigret watches through a keyhole the man open the case and in despair shoot himself after seeing it is not his suitcase.
Maigret feels remorse at this sudden suicide and finds in the suitcase he swapped just a suit of old bloodstained clothes. He then investigates why the man killed himself. He uncovers an event that happened almost 10 years ago in Liege amongst a group of young men. Excellent characterizations of Van Damne, Lombard, Belloir, Klein and Lecocq.
A very atmospheric story where Maigret uses silence and his presence to assist in resolving the case. The suspects slowly unravel with the pressure Maigret places on the companions of the apocalypse. I also liked the ending.
SPOILERS AHEAD
I read this story again not remembering the ending clearly. The group of 4 finally confess the murder of their rich companion with the murderer unable to live with the guilt and ends up hanging himself. Lecoq blackmails the others with a suit of clothes covered in blood or what Maigret finds in the suitcase. Lecoq cannot live with the guilt and shoot’s himself in front of Maigret. After confessing their crime Maigret because of their five children decides not to proceed with arresting them. So unlike most modern crime stories the guilty are not arrested with Maigret being the judge and letting them live their lives with their guilt.
Maigret feels remorse at this sudden suicide and finds in the suitcase he swapped just a suit of old bloodstained clothes. He then investigates why the man killed himself. He uncovers an event that happened almost 10 years ago in Liege amongst a group of young men. Excellent characterizations of Van Damne, Lombard, Belloir, Klein and Lecocq.
A very atmospheric story where Maigret uses silence and his presence to assist in resolving the case. The suspects slowly unravel with the pressure Maigret places on the companions of the apocalypse. I also liked the ending.
SPOILERS AHEAD
I read this story again not remembering the ending clearly. The group of 4 finally confess the murder of their rich companion with the murderer unable to live with the guilt and ends up hanging himself. Lecoq blackmails the others with a suit of clothes covered in blood or what Maigret finds in the suitcase. Lecoq cannot live with the guilt and shoot’s himself in front of Maigret. After confessing their crime Maigret because of their five children decides not to proceed with arresting them. So unlike most modern crime stories the guilty are not arrested with Maigret being the judge and letting them live their lives with their guilt.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2022
3.5 stars
ژرژ سیمنون در سال 1975 این داستان رو مینویسه . داستان زندگی چند دوست قدیمی که بازرس مگره می خواهد ارتباط اونها رو با خودکشی لوئی ژونه که در گذشته با هم تحت تاثیر الکل و تفکرات آنارشیستی بودند، مشخص بکنه
سوال عمومی که ایجاد میشه اینجاست که
هر کدام از ما تا چه اندازه می تونیم با اشتباهاتمون که بعضا رنگ خون هم گرفته و در گذشته دور اتفاق افتاده کنار بیاییم؟ اگر در جوانی یا نوجوانی مرتکب یک جنایت یا عمل ضد اجتماعی سطح بالایی بشیم ، در آینده و در زمان بلوغ فکری میتونیم اقدامات گذشته رو فراموش کنیم؟
در این داستان ژرژ سیمنون ، به انواع برخورد افراد در این خصوص می پردازه... گروهی هستند که اصرار دارند که باید مجازات شوند به خاطر خطاهای گذشته و یک لحظه آرامش وجدان ندارند و گروهی دیگر که میخواهند گذشته رو فراموش کنند تا بتوانند با آسایش زندگی کنند
شما جزء کدوم دسته هستید؟ اگر مرتکب یک جنایت بشید در دوران نوجوانی و پلیس هم متوجه نشه با وجدانتان چی کار می کنید؟ آیا خودتون رو مجازات می کنید و اصرار دارید که واقعه رو فراموش نکنید؟ یا سعی در فراموشی دارید ( از طریق فعالیت های اجتماعی، ازدواج، فرزند ، شغل و...) برای بهره مندی از قسمتهای خوب زندگی؟
ژرژ سیمنون در سال 1975 این داستان رو مینویسه . داستان زندگی چند دوست قدیمی که بازرس مگره می خواهد ارتباط اونها رو با خودکشی لوئی ژونه که در گذشته با هم تحت تاثیر الکل و تفکرات آنارشیستی بودند، مشخص بکنه
سوال عمومی که ایجاد میشه اینجاست که
هر کدام از ما تا چه اندازه می تونیم با اشتباهاتمون که بعضا رنگ خون هم گرفته و در گذشته دور اتفاق افتاده کنار بیاییم؟ اگر در جوانی یا نوجوانی مرتکب یک جنایت یا عمل ضد اجتماعی سطح بالایی بشیم ، در آینده و در زمان بلوغ فکری میتونیم اقدامات گذشته رو فراموش کنیم؟
در این داستان ژرژ سیمنون ، به انواع برخورد افراد در این خصوص می پردازه... گروهی هستند که اصرار دارند که باید مجازات شوند به خاطر خطاهای گذشته و یک لحظه آرامش وجدان ندارند و گروهی دیگر که میخواهند گذشته رو فراموش کنند تا بتوانند با آسایش زندگی کنند
شما جزء کدوم دسته هستید؟ اگر مرتکب یک جنایت بشید در دوران نوجوانی و پلیس هم متوجه نشه با وجدانتان چی کار می کنید؟ آیا خودتون رو مجازات می کنید و اصرار دارید که واقعه رو فراموش نکنید؟ یا سعی در فراموشی دارید ( از طریق فعالیت های اجتماعی، ازدواج، فرزند ، شغل و...) برای بهره مندی از قسمتهای خوب زندگی؟
October 9, 2020
John Lanchester, in his excellent article, "Maigret's Room", in the London Review of Books https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v42/n... (I hope that folks can read this without being subscribers) writes:
"When I tell people I'm a fan, I'm often asked which I like best; although it's a good and simple question, it stumps me. They are eerily alike in quality - no especial highs, no especial lows."
I agree with that in general, but occasionally a Maigret novel stands out, and this early one does that. It's a classic example of Maigret as an non-judgemental observer of people and human nature.
"When I tell people I'm a fan, I'm often asked which I like best; although it's a good and simple question, it stumps me. They are eerily alike in quality - no especial highs, no especial lows."
I agree with that in general, but occasionally a Maigret novel stands out, and this early one does that. It's a classic example of Maigret as an non-judgemental observer of people and human nature.
April 6, 2019
Why did a poor man post 30,000 francs to himself?
Why did he shoot himself after misplacing some old blood stained clothes?
Why did the dapper businessman Joseph Van Damme show such an interest in the dead man?
Why are newspaper and police records of February 15 missing?
Why did a man hang himself?
Why is Van Damme always ahead of the Inspector?
Writer Georges Simenon has composed a intricate mystery which does not need;
shoot-outs,
car chases,
explosions,
femme fatale.
There is a however a thoroughly descriptive story of police leg-work, which rates among the best.
Enjoy!
Why did he shoot himself after misplacing some old blood stained clothes?
Why did the dapper businessman Joseph Van Damme show such an interest in the dead man?
Why are newspaper and police records of February 15 missing?
Why did a man hang himself?
Why is Van Damme always ahead of the Inspector?
Writer Georges Simenon has composed a intricate mystery which does not need;
shoot-outs,
car chases,
explosions,
femme fatale.
There is a however a thoroughly descriptive story of police leg-work, which rates among the best.
Enjoy!
August 2, 2019
Maigret has an unusual dilemma in this tale: his conscience is bothering him about a suicide he's witnessed and is certain he has caused. The man who killed himself was using a fake passport, dressed shabbily and acting oddly, but was he a criminal? Maigret finds himself delving deeper and deeper into the mystery surrounding this man -- and examining his own conscience along the way.
January 3, 2024
A strange book this. One written in a way that shows how much has changed, both in society and in the expectations of crime fiction readers, since this book was published in 1931.
The start is strong but odd. Strong perhaps because it's odd.
While spending time in Belgium on police business, Maigret's curiosity is snagged by a man's aberrant and possibly criminal behaviour. On a whim, Maigret follows the man onto a train to Germany and takes an opportunity to steal the man's suitcase, replacing it with an identical one. He follows the man to Germany to see what will happen next. Even Maigret feels some remorse when, on finding that his suitcase has been swapped and its contents lost, the man commits suicide. Partly as a penance and partly to feed Maigret's insatiable curiosity, Maigret decides to find out why the man committed suicide when the stolen case contained only an old and stained suit of clothes.
That was quite a hook. I was taken aback by Maigret's arrogance, by his criminality and by the fact that neither he nor the authorities expected any penalties for his transgression. At this point, I was very much disliking Maigret but I had also been infected by his curiosity. I wanted to know why this man killed himself and that want carried me through the rest of the book.
The middle section of the book shows Maigret doing what he normally does: working alone, keeping his insights to himself and trying to solve the puzzle mostly by turning up where he's neither wanted nor expected and trying to wear people down until they tell him what he wants to know.
I enjoyed the descriptions of the people and the places more than the exposition of the plot. It gave me a window into a world now long gone: Germany and Belgium between the wars through the eyes of middle-aged middle-class men.
The plot was elaborate and improbable but the original incident that all the bad things flowed from was a colourful period piece set in the student days of the now middle-aged men and that brought its own interest.
The final section of the book didn't work for me. Maigret doesn't really work anything out. He just keeps staring at people until they explain it all. This took a long time and wasn't particularly credible. It didn't help that when I finally found out why the man whose suitcase Maigret stole committed suicide, I didn't believe in his response.
This was more of an atmospheric curiosity with some nice contemporary (now historical) details along the way rather than a mystery.
The start is strong but odd. Strong perhaps because it's odd.
While spending time in Belgium on police business, Maigret's curiosity is snagged by a man's aberrant and possibly criminal behaviour. On a whim, Maigret follows the man onto a train to Germany and takes an opportunity to steal the man's suitcase, replacing it with an identical one. He follows the man to Germany to see what will happen next. Even Maigret feels some remorse when, on finding that his suitcase has been swapped and its contents lost, the man commits suicide. Partly as a penance and partly to feed Maigret's insatiable curiosity, Maigret decides to find out why the man committed suicide when the stolen case contained only an old and stained suit of clothes.
That was quite a hook. I was taken aback by Maigret's arrogance, by his criminality and by the fact that neither he nor the authorities expected any penalties for his transgression. At this point, I was very much disliking Maigret but I had also been infected by his curiosity. I wanted to know why this man killed himself and that want carried me through the rest of the book.
The middle section of the book shows Maigret doing what he normally does: working alone, keeping his insights to himself and trying to solve the puzzle mostly by turning up where he's neither wanted nor expected and trying to wear people down until they tell him what he wants to know.
I enjoyed the descriptions of the people and the places more than the exposition of the plot. It gave me a window into a world now long gone: Germany and Belgium between the wars through the eyes of middle-aged middle-class men.
The plot was elaborate and improbable but the original incident that all the bad things flowed from was a colourful period piece set in the student days of the now middle-aged men and that brought its own interest.
The final section of the book didn't work for me. Maigret doesn't really work anything out. He just keeps staring at people until they explain it all. This took a long time and wasn't particularly credible. It didn't help that when I finally found out why the man whose suitcase Maigret stole committed suicide, I didn't believe in his response.
This was more of an atmospheric curiosity with some nice contemporary (now historical) details along the way rather than a mystery.
December 11, 2025
3.5★s
The Hanged Man of St Pholien (also titled Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets and The Crime of Inspector Maigret) is the fourth book in the Inspector Maigret series by award-winning Belgian-born French author, Georges Simenon. Taking a ttrain home from Brussels, an unusual passenger comes to Maigret’s notice: a wan, stubbled little man in threadbare clothing who looks like he might be a petty criminal. Maigret’s interest is piqued.
Otherwise bored, he keeps a subtle eye on the fellow, follows him, no less, as he posts a parcel of cash Maigret has seen him pack, to Liege. He follows the man to Amsterdam, then Bremen. There, while they wait for the next train, Maigret pulls what seems to be a nasty prank on the man, switching the man’s closely-guarded suitcase for one identical, filled with newspaper, and is mystified, and somewhat horrified that his actions result in the man’s suicide.
Inside the suitcase Maigret took, a bloodstained suit too large for the little man, and what turns out to be a false passport. He shot himself with a Belgian revolver. At the morgue, a Belgian-born import-export agent turns up, claiming a casual interest because of the victim’s nationality. He offers his assistance to Maigret, hospitality, and transport.
Once he learns the victim’s true identity, he visits his home, speaks to family, and is even more puzzled. He meets a group of men associating with the importer, all of whom seem unsettled by the presence of a French policeman. As he investigates each lead, it seems that someone is a step ahead of him, removing evidence of crimes committed a decade earlier, and it becomes clear Maigret’s life is under threat. This is a twisted tale, with a convoluted plot that will keep the reader guessing right up to the final reveal.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Farrar, Strauss & Giroux
The Hanged Man of St Pholien (also titled Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets and The Crime of Inspector Maigret) is the fourth book in the Inspector Maigret series by award-winning Belgian-born French author, Georges Simenon. Taking a ttrain home from Brussels, an unusual passenger comes to Maigret’s notice: a wan, stubbled little man in threadbare clothing who looks like he might be a petty criminal. Maigret’s interest is piqued.
Otherwise bored, he keeps a subtle eye on the fellow, follows him, no less, as he posts a parcel of cash Maigret has seen him pack, to Liege. He follows the man to Amsterdam, then Bremen. There, while they wait for the next train, Maigret pulls what seems to be a nasty prank on the man, switching the man’s closely-guarded suitcase for one identical, filled with newspaper, and is mystified, and somewhat horrified that his actions result in the man’s suicide.
Inside the suitcase Maigret took, a bloodstained suit too large for the little man, and what turns out to be a false passport. He shot himself with a Belgian revolver. At the morgue, a Belgian-born import-export agent turns up, claiming a casual interest because of the victim’s nationality. He offers his assistance to Maigret, hospitality, and transport.
Once he learns the victim’s true identity, he visits his home, speaks to family, and is even more puzzled. He meets a group of men associating with the importer, all of whom seem unsettled by the presence of a French policeman. As he investigates each lead, it seems that someone is a step ahead of him, removing evidence of crimes committed a decade earlier, and it becomes clear Maigret’s life is under threat. This is a twisted tale, with a convoluted plot that will keep the reader guessing right up to the final reveal.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Farrar, Strauss & Giroux
October 15, 2019
DAME AGATHA CHRISTIE AND HER PEERS
BOOK 26
My second Simenon. But a rather expected story...
CAST- 4 stars: Maigret "still clenched his pipe between his teeth, but it had gone out. And his fleshy face, which seemed punched out of dense clay by strong thumbs, bore an expression bordering on fear or disaster." Maigret should be afraid as he may have caused the mysterious Louis Jeunet to commit suicide. And this guy named Van Damme: why does he show up at the morgue to see Jeunet's body? Three other characters enter: Belloir, Jef Lombard, and a bearded man. Do these 4 men have some kind of relationship with Jeunet? Very good cast.
ATMOSPHERE - 3: In this relatively short novel, Simenon focuses on people more so than atmosphere. Early (first page) the author writes that a train station restaurant "resembles all those found at international borders...A display case contains Dutch chocolate and German cigarettes. Gin and schnapps are served...the place felt stuffy." And that's about as deep as the author goes until all characters unite in a creepy room with multiple drawings of a hanged man.
PLOT - 3: In 1930 or so, this plot may have felt highly original. But today, it's been done and done and I can't say if, in 1930, it hadn't been done many times by then. A man kills himself as Maigret watches, then 4 men enter the picture. These five had been to school together about 10 years ago. How are the five related?
INVESTIGATION - 3: Maigret doggedly visits newspaper offices and archives to find out what, exactly, happened 10 years ago on a February 15th. But at every archive, a page is missing from the paper on that date. Someone is one step ahead of him. And behind him. And all around him.
RESOLUTION - 3: Solid, as Simenon pulls it altogether. Like I said before, this is an oft-told tale...at least by 2019.
SUMMARY - 3.2. This is a story about people: Maigret and five men with a past. It's a solid, fast read: Simenon doesn't waste a word.
BOOK 26
My second Simenon. But a rather expected story...
CAST- 4 stars: Maigret "still clenched his pipe between his teeth, but it had gone out. And his fleshy face, which seemed punched out of dense clay by strong thumbs, bore an expression bordering on fear or disaster." Maigret should be afraid as he may have caused the mysterious Louis Jeunet to commit suicide. And this guy named Van Damme: why does he show up at the morgue to see Jeunet's body? Three other characters enter: Belloir, Jef Lombard, and a bearded man. Do these 4 men have some kind of relationship with Jeunet? Very good cast.
ATMOSPHERE - 3: In this relatively short novel, Simenon focuses on people more so than atmosphere. Early (first page) the author writes that a train station restaurant "resembles all those found at international borders...A display case contains Dutch chocolate and German cigarettes. Gin and schnapps are served...the place felt stuffy." And that's about as deep as the author goes until all characters unite in a creepy room with multiple drawings of a hanged man.
PLOT - 3: In 1930 or so, this plot may have felt highly original. But today, it's been done and done and I can't say if, in 1930, it hadn't been done many times by then. A man kills himself as Maigret watches, then 4 men enter the picture. These five had been to school together about 10 years ago. How are the five related?
INVESTIGATION - 3: Maigret doggedly visits newspaper offices and archives to find out what, exactly, happened 10 years ago on a February 15th. But at every archive, a page is missing from the paper on that date. Someone is one step ahead of him. And behind him. And all around him.
RESOLUTION - 3: Solid, as Simenon pulls it altogether. Like I said before, this is an oft-told tale...at least by 2019.
SUMMARY - 3.2. This is a story about people: Maigret and five men with a past. It's a solid, fast read: Simenon doesn't waste a word.
January 28, 2019
Thoroughly enjoying reading the Maigret books in their original order (and not the slightly different order of the excellent new Penguin translations). I don't know why that feels important. It probably isn't significant yet the feeling prevails nonetheless.
I love Simenon's bleak, sparse, yet superbly descriptive, writing style. It makes me believe this is how things were in the late 20's/early 30's. He isn't afraid to highlight the prevailing poverty of the age, and the frequently dark and grimy edges of humanity. I also like the fact that, in the main, the 'bad guys' in these novels appear to be less of the 'monster' variety, than victims of circumstance; where a series of events has conspired against the protagonist and taken them down a path they would much rather not have ventured down if things had been any different. Probably. Such are the choices that present themselves, and such are the actions that people take or don't take.
The books are lightning fast reads which only adds to the roller coaster excitement. Doubly so in the final chapters of each novel as the tension is ratcheted. Maigret isn't perfect, not by any stretch, but he is human. And he isn't afraid to place the human cost of a decision ahead of any adherence to the letter of the law. You really do have to admire him for that stance.
I love Simenon's bleak, sparse, yet superbly descriptive, writing style. It makes me believe this is how things were in the late 20's/early 30's. He isn't afraid to highlight the prevailing poverty of the age, and the frequently dark and grimy edges of humanity. I also like the fact that, in the main, the 'bad guys' in these novels appear to be less of the 'monster' variety, than victims of circumstance; where a series of events has conspired against the protagonist and taken them down a path they would much rather not have ventured down if things had been any different. Probably. Such are the choices that present themselves, and such are the actions that people take or don't take.
The books are lightning fast reads which only adds to the roller coaster excitement. Doubly so in the final chapters of each novel as the tension is ratcheted. Maigret isn't perfect, not by any stretch, but he is human. And he isn't afraid to place the human cost of a decision ahead of any adherence to the letter of the law. You really do have to admire him for that stance.
November 23, 2023
Strange enough, Maigret is at the center of a suicide, so he has to discover the reasons behind this act and gets involved in a very old history.
As usual, this one is more a psychological novel rather than a policier. Not to mention that nobody gets punished, and that's quite a novelty, even for Maigret's standards...
As usual, this one is more a psychological novel rather than a policier. Not to mention that nobody gets punished, and that's quite a novelty, even for Maigret's standards...
April 9, 2025
When I saw that a Georges Simenon book was available on Netgalley, I requested it. I hadn't read a Simenon book for over sixty years, and I remembered that I had enjoyed the few I read. But other than the fact that they featured Inspector Maigret, a French police officer, I remembered nothing else.
THE HANGED MAN OF SAINT-PHOLIEN is a novella length story that starts with a man following another—from a train station waiting room, onto a couple of trains, and ending up at a broken down hotel. When waiting at one station between trains, the second man exchanges the first man's cheap suitcase for another that looks identical. Then, in the hotel room, the first man opens the fake suitcase, and after a frantic search for the original one, commits suicide. The second man was Detective Chief Inspector Maigret. Maigret was following the first man out of curiosity; there was no evidence that this man had broken the law. In fact, Maigret broke the law by stealing the suitcase. (This is why the first chapter is titled "The Crime of Inspector Maigret".)
The rest of the novella describes Maigret's investigation into why the first man committed suicide—why Maigret's minor criminal act resulted in such a tragedy. It is a story of a long-ago crime and how the original perpetrators functioned after they managed to hide the crime. Some were able to carry on with their lives; others were burdened by guilt.
Simenon's style is very different from the English-American type of detective story. His approach is philosophical, devoted to understanding why people act as they do. Rather than pursuing "justice", he seeks insight.
I enjoyed this novella, despite the fact that it had some holes in the narrative. Plot was not one of Simenon's strong points. But the story moves quickly, the writing is smooth, and the psychological insights are illuminating.
The story was originally published in the 1930s.
Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.
THE HANGED MAN OF SAINT-PHOLIEN is a novella length story that starts with a man following another—from a train station waiting room, onto a couple of trains, and ending up at a broken down hotel. When waiting at one station between trains, the second man exchanges the first man's cheap suitcase for another that looks identical. Then, in the hotel room, the first man opens the fake suitcase, and after a frantic search for the original one, commits suicide. The second man was Detective Chief Inspector Maigret. Maigret was following the first man out of curiosity; there was no evidence that this man had broken the law. In fact, Maigret broke the law by stealing the suitcase. (This is why the first chapter is titled "The Crime of Inspector Maigret".)
The rest of the novella describes Maigret's investigation into why the first man committed suicide—why Maigret's minor criminal act resulted in such a tragedy. It is a story of a long-ago crime and how the original perpetrators functioned after they managed to hide the crime. Some were able to carry on with their lives; others were burdened by guilt.
Simenon's style is very different from the English-American type of detective story. His approach is philosophical, devoted to understanding why people act as they do. Rather than pursuing "justice", he seeks insight.
I enjoyed this novella, despite the fact that it had some holes in the narrative. Plot was not one of Simenon's strong points. But the story moves quickly, the writing is smooth, and the psychological insights are illuminating.
The story was originally published in the 1930s.
Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.
March 17, 2016
On a train journey, Inspector Maigret espies a shifty, nervous young man guarding a battered old suitcase with odd intensity. Maigret judges the man suspicious and so follows him, then at an opportune moment let’s a strange curiosity gets the better of him and switches the man’s suitcase for a lookalike. Later though he witnesses the man open the new case and be so horrified by what he finds – or what he doesn’t find – that he immediately blows his brains out. But when Maigret opens the real case, he finds that it contains nothing valuable at all, just a stained old suit.
Maigret begins to investigate. But this isn’t a case where the Inspector is called in to meet a strange new crime, but one loaded with guilt as Maigret tries to find out just how responsible he is for this death.
This isn’t so much a whodunit then, as ‘a what the hell is going on’ crime novel. The Inspector swiftly comes across a group of men who are connected to the deceased and are obviously covering up. But what are they covering up? And why is it so important that Maigret now finds his life in danger?
Obviously this is the kind of mystery which only exists in crime fiction. No police force, on either side of The Channel, is going to hold their hands up to ever having a case like this. But the lack of realism, or the fact that it’s all building up to a stagey revelation scene, doesn’t impact how hard this novel hits. Yes, there’s a huge amount of artifice, but it feels like there’s a real humanity at stake here. So by the end we’re not just looking at the denouement (as we sometimes do with Ms Sayers or Ms Christie) for how cleverly the author has deployed the red herrings, but actually feeling real human emotions and a surfeit of compassion.
It’s crime fiction, but it’s not crime fiction just about death – it’s about regrets and escaping your past and making sure that your kids are raised properly. It’s about people, and it’s all the more powerful for it.
Maigret begins to investigate. But this isn’t a case where the Inspector is called in to meet a strange new crime, but one loaded with guilt as Maigret tries to find out just how responsible he is for this death.
This isn’t so much a whodunit then, as ‘a what the hell is going on’ crime novel. The Inspector swiftly comes across a group of men who are connected to the deceased and are obviously covering up. But what are they covering up? And why is it so important that Maigret now finds his life in danger?
Obviously this is the kind of mystery which only exists in crime fiction. No police force, on either side of The Channel, is going to hold their hands up to ever having a case like this. But the lack of realism, or the fact that it’s all building up to a stagey revelation scene, doesn’t impact how hard this novel hits. Yes, there’s a huge amount of artifice, but it feels like there’s a real humanity at stake here. So by the end we’re not just looking at the denouement (as we sometimes do with Ms Sayers or Ms Christie) for how cleverly the author has deployed the red herrings, but actually feeling real human emotions and a surfeit of compassion.
It’s crime fiction, but it’s not crime fiction just about death – it’s about regrets and escaping your past and making sure that your kids are raised properly. It’s about people, and it’s all the more powerful for it.
December 26, 2010
Georges Simenon is the antidote to all those fussy little mysteries where everything is so clear-cut, and all the detective has to do is waltz between a few suspects until he or she finds the guilty party in a final dash of brilliance. No, there is a kind of Gallic fog about Simenon's Inspector Maigret. Maigret is French to a fault. We start out Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets with a few very discordant facts, and very little idea of whether a crime was committed or, if so, the nature of that crime:
A poor unemployed workingman travels to Bremen with a cheap suitcase.
On a hunch, Maigret follows him and, at the station, out of a sense of playfulness, trades suitcases (he has an identical one).
When he finds out that the suitcases have been exchanged, the workingman commits suicide by shooting himself in the mouth with a revolver.
What was in the traded suitcase? Nothing but an old suit with bloodstains on it.
There are four or five men who seem to come together at odd times when Maigret is around; and they are obviously very put out with Maigret's involvement. What does this French cop know? Is he on to us?
And so it goes until Maigret discovers the facts of the case by a process known in French as débrouiller or "cutting through the fog." This case, like so many of Maigret's, is clearly wrapped in some obscuring mists. It is Maigret's stolidity and persistence which sees him through the smoke, despite two murder attempts on him, and outlasting his adversaries (when he doesn't even know why they are his adversaries).
I love reading Simenon's mysteries, and this is one of his good early ones.
A poor unemployed workingman travels to Bremen with a cheap suitcase.
On a hunch, Maigret follows him and, at the station, out of a sense of playfulness, trades suitcases (he has an identical one).
When he finds out that the suitcases have been exchanged, the workingman commits suicide by shooting himself in the mouth with a revolver.
What was in the traded suitcase? Nothing but an old suit with bloodstains on it.
There are four or five men who seem to come together at odd times when Maigret is around; and they are obviously very put out with Maigret's involvement. What does this French cop know? Is he on to us?
And so it goes until Maigret discovers the facts of the case by a process known in French as débrouiller or "cutting through the fog." This case, like so many of Maigret's, is clearly wrapped in some obscuring mists. It is Maigret's stolidity and persistence which sees him through the smoke, despite two murder attempts on him, and outlasting his adversaries (when he doesn't even know why they are his adversaries).
I love reading Simenon's mysteries, and this is one of his good early ones.
January 8, 2022
Maigret Unravels a Conspiracy
Review of the Penguin Classics paperback (2014) of a new translation by Linda Coverdale from the French language original Le Pendu de Saint-Pholien (1931)
Photograph by Harry Gruyaert for Magnum Photos, of which a portion is used for the new Penguin Classics cover of "The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien." Image sourced from L'oeil de la Photographie.
As unorthodox as "The Late Monsieur Gallet", the previous entry in the series was, Georges Simenon (1903-1989) takes even more risks in this one. One of the first English translations even titled it as The Crime of Inspector Maigret in 1932. The opening has Maigret following a suspicious character whom he sees mailing money as 'printed matter.' When the suspect buys a cheap suitcase, Maigret buys an identical one. He then continues to follow and has an opportunity to switch suitcases. Arriving at a hotel with the suspect, he finds the purloined suitcase only contains a bloodied old suit and the suspect has committed suicide after discovering he has been robbed. What to do now?
Maigret sets out to unravel the background to the suicide and gradually unveils a conspiracy that dates back 10 years. He is confounded in that pre-internet age by one of the conspirators going around town and destroying any item in any newspaper archive that would reveal incidents at a certain time and place. But Maigret will not stop until all is revealed.
In order to confuse the completists, this is Maigret #3 in the Penguin Classics series of new translations (2013-2019) of the Inspector Maigret novels and short stories, but it is considered #4 according to the previous standard Maigret Series Listopia as listed on Goodreads.
Trivia and Links
The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien, under its original French title Le pendu de Saint-Pholien, was adapted for French television in 1981 as Episode 48 of Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret (The Investigations of Commissioner Maigret) (1967-1990) with 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 (2014) of a new translation by Linda Coverdale from the French language original Le Pendu de Saint-Pholien (1931)
"You know, vieux, ten more cases like that one and I'll hand in my resignation. Because it would prove that there's a good old Good Lord up there who's decided to take up police work." - Chief Inspector Maigret to his vieux (Untranslated French expression for 'old chum', 'old pal') Inspector Lucas towards the conclusion of The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien.
Photograph by Harry Gruyaert for Magnum Photos, of which a portion is used for the new Penguin Classics cover of "The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien." Image sourced from L'oeil de la Photographie.
As unorthodox as "The Late Monsieur Gallet", the previous entry in the series was, Georges Simenon (1903-1989) takes even more risks in this one. One of the first English translations even titled it as The Crime of Inspector Maigret in 1932. The opening has Maigret following a suspicious character whom he sees mailing money as 'printed matter.' When the suspect buys a cheap suitcase, Maigret buys an identical one. He then continues to follow and has an opportunity to switch suitcases. Arriving at a hotel with the suspect, he finds the purloined suitcase only contains a bloodied old suit and the suspect has committed suicide after discovering he has been robbed. What to do now?
Maigret sets out to unravel the background to the suicide and gradually unveils a conspiracy that dates back 10 years. He is confounded in that pre-internet age by one of the conspirators going around town and destroying any item in any newspaper archive that would reveal incidents at a certain time and place. But Maigret will not stop until all is revealed.
In order to confuse the completists, this is Maigret #3 in the Penguin Classics series of new translations (2013-2019) of the Inspector Maigret novels and short stories, but it is considered #4 according to the previous standard Maigret Series Listopia as listed on Goodreads.
Trivia and Links
The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien, under its original French title Le pendu de Saint-Pholien, was adapted for French television in 1981 as Episode 48 of Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret (The Investigations of Commissioner Maigret) (1967-1990) with 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.
November 27, 2020
Maigret was tall and wide, particularly broad shouldered, solidly built, and his run-of-the-mill clothes emphasized his peasant stockiness. His features were coarse, and his eyes seemed as still and dull as a cow's. In this he resembled certain figures out of children's nightmares, those monstrously big blank-faced creatures that bear down upon sleepers as if to crush them. There was something implacable and inhuman about him that suggested a pachyderm plodding inexorably towards his goal.
Ah, but Maigret is very human indeed! Curious and persistent and it gets him in quite the quagmire of a dilemma in another installment of this excellent series. This novella could be read in a day. The story starts out as somewhat a lark for Maigret and opportunity for a little ego-boost as a man has caught his eye while traveling in Belgium. His internal radar goes off telling him that this man is involved in criminal activity. What happens next, shakes Maigret to his core and he gets starts to investigate the circumstances and finds himself going down a rabbit-hole and someone always seems to be one step ahead of him!
Maigret himself understands he has opened a bag of worms as he exclaims to his assistant: I hardly know myself! A very strange fellow has died, in a way that makes no sense, right in front of me-and THAT incident is all tied up in the most ungodly tangle of events, which I am attempting to figure out. I'm charging blindly at it like a wild boar and wouldn't be surprised if I wound up getting my knuckles rapped.
Ah, but Maigret is very human indeed! Curious and persistent and it gets him in quite the quagmire of a dilemma in another installment of this excellent series. This novella could be read in a day. The story starts out as somewhat a lark for Maigret and opportunity for a little ego-boost as a man has caught his eye while traveling in Belgium. His internal radar goes off telling him that this man is involved in criminal activity. What happens next, shakes Maigret to his core and he gets starts to investigate the circumstances and finds himself going down a rabbit-hole and someone always seems to be one step ahead of him!
Maigret himself understands he has opened a bag of worms as he exclaims to his assistant: I hardly know myself! A very strange fellow has died, in a way that makes no sense, right in front of me-and THAT incident is all tied up in the most ungodly tangle of events, which I am attempting to figure out. I'm charging blindly at it like a wild boar and wouldn't be surprised if I wound up getting my knuckles rapped.
June 12, 2024
There is "oh! so much" guilt to go around in Georges Simenon's The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien that it becomes clear quite early on that this is another case where Maigret is only at work to solve the mystery for himself, and that our idealistic visions of "justice" (whatever that even means) must go unfulfilled. And considering all the guilt floating around this is perfectly acceptable.
In fact, it is Maigret's personal motivations that keep me pressing on in the series. Nothing is easy, nothing is pat, there is very little black, very little white, since the muddiness of the greys is the norm, and Maigret plays by an ethos that is all his own.
One bit of extra fun: of the three Maigret books so far, The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien contains my favourite chase. But it isn't the sort of chase you might expect, nothing full of action or danger; it is a chase where one man stays one step ahead of another in an attempt to cover up all traces of something that happened long, long ago. It's an intellectual thrill, and the victor's victory is all the sweeter for the mental sparring.
I am out of order in my readings so far because I read what I can get my hands on, but I don't think my experience with Maigret is suffering. The novels are all stand alone enough, and he is so well drawn, that I feel I could read this series in almost any order and close the last cover with an experience as rewarding as someone who read them all in the proper sequence.
In fact, it is Maigret's personal motivations that keep me pressing on in the series. Nothing is easy, nothing is pat, there is very little black, very little white, since the muddiness of the greys is the norm, and Maigret plays by an ethos that is all his own.
One bit of extra fun: of the three Maigret books so far, The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien contains my favourite chase. But it isn't the sort of chase you might expect, nothing full of action or danger; it is a chase where one man stays one step ahead of another in an attempt to cover up all traces of something that happened long, long ago. It's an intellectual thrill, and the victor's victory is all the sweeter for the mental sparring.
I am out of order in my readings so far because I read what I can get my hands on, but I don't think my experience with Maigret is suffering. The novels are all stand alone enough, and he is so well drawn, that I feel I could read this series in almost any order and close the last cover with an experience as rewarding as someone who read them all in the proper sequence.
January 3, 2021
Zu dieser Kriminalgeschichte, eine der zahlreichen Maigret-Fälle, passt zwar auf dem ersten Blick kein "erstaunlich" oder "großartig". Sie ist genauso schlicht verfasst wie die anderen. Sogar mit dem Einstieg hatte ich meine Schwierigkeiten, weil ich Maigrets "Scherz" menschlich nicht nachvollziehen konnte. Und trotzdem entwickelte sich eine faszinierende Handlung mit einer gekonnt in Szene gesetzten Auflösung. Ich hatte nicht länger das Gefühl ein Buch zu lesen, sondern vielmehr einen Film anzusehen. Simenons plastische Darstellung aller Beteiligten und ihrer Umgebung lässt mich geradezu erstaunt zurück. Nicht zu vergessen, mit einem Ende, bei dem vielleicht nicht jeder Leser konform mit Maigret denken wird. - Ein Buch, das mich nach dem Auslesen nicht gleich loslässt, verdient fünf Sterne.
August 1, 2017
Questo romanzo, il quarto della serie del commissario Maigret, è stata una lettura molto coinvolgente ed amara. Simenon, con uno stile quasi dimesso, ci precipita nel grigiore della provincia olandese, con ambientazioni povere, squallide, così lontane dai fasti dei viali parigini.
Anche i personaggi sono falsi, ambigui, nervosi e l’inchiesta del commissario procede con fatica in questo clima teso e misterioso, a volte quasi da dramma psicologico più che da romanzo giallo.
Fortemente condizionata da una esperienza autobiografica di Simenon, con inquietanti analogie, la storia parla di una giovinezza ormai andata, lasciando indietro romantici ideali e folli vendette.
Il finale trasuda dell’umanità di Maigret, che va oltre le regole, ma che gli fa sentire il peso degli avvenimenti al punto da dire:
Dieci casi come questo e do le dimissioni... Perché sarebbe la prova che lassù c'è un Dio galantuomo che si incarica di fare il poliziotto…
Anche i personaggi sono falsi, ambigui, nervosi e l’inchiesta del commissario procede con fatica in questo clima teso e misterioso, a volte quasi da dramma psicologico più che da romanzo giallo.
Fortemente condizionata da una esperienza autobiografica di Simenon, con inquietanti analogie, la storia parla di una giovinezza ormai andata, lasciando indietro romantici ideali e folli vendette.
Il finale trasuda dell’umanità di Maigret, che va oltre le regole, ma che gli fa sentire il peso degli avvenimenti al punto da dire:
Dieci casi come questo e do le dimissioni... Perché sarebbe la prova che lassù c'è un Dio galantuomo che si incarica di fare il poliziotto…
October 22, 2019
به طور اتفاقی کتاب را در ایستگاه راهآهنْ شروع کردم به خواندن، و صحنهی آغازین داستان هم دقیقا در ایستگاه قطار اتفاق میافتد! و این هم اولین کتابِ دورهی فشردهی یک-ماه-مرخصی-تا-میتونی-بخونِ من: فال نیک و اینها!
مگره کارآگاهی نیست که دغدغهاش، وسواس اجرای قانون و انجام مأموریت باشد؛ کنجکاو است فقط - بدون ویژگی بارز دیگری که معمولا کارآگاهان را به ابرقهرمان تبدیل میکند.
مگره کارآگاهی نیست که دغدغهاش، وسواس اجرای قانون و انجام مأموریت باشد؛ کنجکاو است فقط - بدون ویژگی بارز دیگری که معمولا کارآگاهان را به ابرقهرمان تبدیل میکند.
June 23, 2018
Maigret follows a suspicious character to Bremen and witnesses his suicide - he determines to find out why, and the back story takes him across Belgium and France. Quite a strong psychological strain runs through this book, with Maigret's doggedness putting on the pressure.
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