The Bar On The Seine

Inspector Maigret #11

by Georges Simenon

Inspector Maigret has a nasty job to do. He must visit a prisoner who he arrested to tell him he will be executed at dawn.

But the condemned man tells Maigret a story about something he saw years before. A story about a body dumped in a canal, about blackmail, about seeing the murderer again not long ago...

There may be no leads now, but the determined policeman still finds himself in a seedy bar to investigate. Is the killer still one of its regulars?

Maigret has a funny feeling about this case...

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

125 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1931

About the author

Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (1903 – 1989) was a Belgian writer. A prolific author who published nearly 500 novels and numerous short works, Simenon is best known as the creator of the fictional detective Jules Maigret.
Although he never resided in Belgium after 1922, he remained a Belgian citizen throughout his life.

Simenon was one of the most prolific writers of the twentieth century, capable of writing 60 to 80 pages per day. His oeuvre includes nearly 200 novels, over 150 novellas, several autobiographical works, numerous articles, and scores of pulp novels written under more than two dozen pseudonyms. Altogether, about 550 million copies of his works have been printed.

He is best known, however, for his 75 novels and 28 short stories featuring Commissaire Maigret. The first novel in the series, Pietr-le-Letton, appeared in 1931; the last one, Maigret et M. Charles, was published in 1972. The Maigret novels were translated into all major languages and several of them were turned into films and radio plays. Two television series (1960-63 and 1992-93) have been made in Great Britain.

During his "American" period, Simenon reached the height of his creative powers, and several novels of those years were inspired by the context in which they were written (Trois chambres à Manhattan (1946), Maigret à New York (1947), Maigret se fâche (1947)).

Simenon also wrote a large number of "psychological novels", such as La neige était sale (1948) or Le fils (1957), as well as several autobiographical works, in particular Je me souviens (1945), Pedigree (1948), Mémoires intimes (1981).

In 1966, Simenon was given the MWA's highest honor, the Grand Master Award.

In 2005 he was nominated for the title of De Grootste Belg (The Greatest Belgian). In the Flemish version he ended 77th place. In the Walloon version he ended 10th place.

Reviews

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

January 2023 Audiobook Lunchtime Listen
A wonderful listen over a week of lunchtimes. Gareth Armstrong delivers an excellent audio performance truly encapsulating Maigret's sudden involvement in a diverse group of Parisian's regular weekend antics by the Seine. From the initial discovery of the two penny bar and its weekend regulars to the Pernod afternoons at the Royale where he gets sidetracked by alcohol.
All through the story , Paris is in the grip of a heatwave and Mme Maigret keeps expecting him at her sisters in the country.

November 2019 Long term Maigret read
So here we are, 2 Maigret novels read in a couple of weeks, purely to catch up with my challenge.

I think its fair to say that as I mentioned in my previous review, these books are proving exceptionally enjoyable. They are well written, with fantastic characters, a very charismatic lead player and brilliantly atmospheric descriptions of Paris between the wars. Having lived in France, I just love the pictures painted of France by Simenon's wonderful books.

In this episode Maigret is caught up in a old forgotten case that is related to him by a man on death row. Maigret believes the condemned man's tale and starts to investigate this years-old case. He gets caught up with a group of people who meet every Saturday and Sunday at a bar near the Seine, the so called "sleazy underside" of Parisien life. Food, drink and games are their life through the weekend away from their various hum-drum jobs. Somehow Maigret gets involved and becomes part of their clique, until another murder occurs.
Mrs Maigret is away on their annual vacation, and is expecting Maigret to arrive any day. Unfortunately for her Maigret is too involved with the case to escape on his hols and keeps informing his wife he'll arrive.
The days go by and Maigret feels he's closer and closer to a solution to both the ancient case and this new murder. He strikes up an unlikely friendship with one of the main suspects in the case and very quickly they become regulars at the Taverne Royale drinking Pernods early on a Summer's evening. As events unfold, he is still delaying his departure from Paris to join his wife on holiday, and then he gets a final breakthrough. So confident is he in his ability to finally solve the case, that he sends a card to his wife announcing his arrival by a late night train.
Needless to say by means of a clever ruse he forces the killer to reveal himself and so disappears off on holiday for the final few days, promising to return and pop into the Taverne Royale.

Again a wonderfully atmospheric novel, this time describing the sleazy exploits of the Parisien middle class in a hot and sultry Summer and Maigret's superb intuition, intelligence and capability

[Jan-Maat]

Just an over night read really, I think there were three or four exclamation marks more than were strictly necessary (in my opinion) but otherwise it is a little jewel of a piece of writing. A near perfect example of the confessional criminal story. Crime is sin. The criminal through their sinning has alienated themselves from God and communion with the rest of humanity. In their own way they burn to confess, but at the same time they can't bear to do so. But there comes a time when the police priest inquisitor inspector, in this case called Maigret, hears the confession without surprise, he does not offer absolution to the penitent because there is no need to, no word is necessary, Grace has already been received. The plain prison cell is a monastic one in which a soul can win their redemption.

The story opens with Maigret visiting another prisoner with news: do you want the good news first or the bad? The bad news is the President of the Republic has refused your appeal, dawn tomorrow will be your last one, the good news is I have a packet of cigarettes for you. But no ,it is not that type of novel, in truth it is a novel like this: do you want the good news first or the bad? The bad news is the President of the Republic has refused your appeal, dawn tomorrow will be your last one, the good news is the President of the republic is still sincerely concerned about your health and doesn't want you to injure your long term health by smoking.

There is a certain amount of drinking, but poor Maigret only wants beer, even as he is obliged to drink Pernod, brandy and water, and even rum, but he too just wants his beer. This being France in the good old days when there are hardly any telephones or cars about, a spot of honest boozing is not felt to obstruct the pursuit of Justice in any way, perhaps the inspector can even claim for it on his expenses.

I was a little surprised by the last two paragraphs when Maigret joins his wife in her homeland of Alsace. Alsace emerges as the land of purity and innocence, in which a man can wear handsome yellow varnished clogs in good conscience, as opposed to the Paris and environs setting of the novel, a foul basin of the tawdry which invariably results in crime. That juxtaposition seems naive in the context of the novel which specialises in a certain inevitability, businesses will over extend and borrow money to meet their obligations, individuals will likewise over extend and chase after sex and relationships and both coming together will produce unsurprising results, but not in seems in Alsace where your yellow clogs help to keep you pure in mind and bank account.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fun and easy to read; I think it took about two hours. I have loads of books sitting around in various stages of unread abandon - and loads more to choose from but out of all of them I settled on this, Georges Simenon's Maigret. There is something so reassuring about Simenon's books - the criminals are caught; the reasons for crime, the circumstances are covered and Maigret's relationship with said criminals are related in all their psychological detail. In the Two-Penny Bar - there are two murders and two murderers - one victim is unknown to the reader - he died 6 years ago and the present victim is of a shady character - who makes little impact on the reader. The real story lies with Maigret and the relationship that evolves between him and the two men Marcel Basso - the wealthy coal merchant and James - an English man working at a bank in Paris.
About half-way through the story Maigret explains how investigations always fall into two parts - there is the first stage where he enters the lives of a group of people. He is the stranger and he watches their behaviours and their actions - and then the second part where pieces of information start to connect and make sense and then basically the "plot" unravels quickly with Maigret having to keep up with the clues. I love it - Maigret himself states that the first part is the most interesting for him - and that is how it strikes me. From the opening chapter - we are plunged into the lives of several unknown characters. This book begins, however, with the bleak statement from a condemned man who is only 22 years old. He drops the name of the Two-Penny bar - and this is the first clue like a piece of thread on which Maigret pulls.
To return to that first comment above - Maigret loves the process of immersing himself into the lives of the unknown and this also I found fascinating. The city of Paris is emptying for the summer holidays and our inspector is trying to clear his work load - boring cases; he takes a break and goes to buy a new bowler hat and in this shop he overhears a customer mention the Two-Penny Bar - and so he follows this thread - trailing his lead all over the city until he is lead to the small resort town of Morsang - a real place about an hour south of Paris.
Here also is what I love about Maigret - a whole world of Parisian life is recreated in his account - this time the lives of the professional peoples of Paris, a mix of doctors, merchants and their families who spend the summer weekends at their holiday villas on the banks of the Seine.

Here is the point at which Maigret drops into the lives of the people who have aroused his interest:

'Do you know the area?' Maigret asked his driver.
'A bit. . .'
'Is there somewhere to stay around here?'
'In Morsang, the Vieux-Garcon. . . Or further on, at Seine-Port, Chez Marius . . .'
'And the Two-Penny Bar?'
The driver shrugged.
The taxi was too suspicious to stay there much longer by the roadside. The Bassos had unloaded their car. No more than ten minutes elapsed before Madame Basso appeared in the garden dressed in a sailor's outfit, with an American Naval cap on her head.

And a little bit further along . . .

'Let's try the Vieux-Garcon!' said Maigret.
The inn had a large terrace next to the Seine. Boats of all sorts were moored to the bank, while a dozen or so cars were parked behind the building.
'Do you want me to wait for you?'
'I don't know yet.'
The first person he met was a woman dressed all in white, who almost ran into him. She was wearing orange blossom in her hair. She was being chased by a young man in a swimming-costume. They were both laughing. Some other people were observing the scene from the front steps of the inn.
'Hey, keep you dirty paws off the bride!' someone shouted.
'At least until after the wedding!'
The bride stopped, out of breath, and Maigret recognized the lady from Avenue Niel, the one who visited the apartment with Monsieur Basso twice a week.

Needless to say Maigret has already observed this lady in a secret rendezvous with the Mr Basso he has been following from Paris.

The story is set around late 1920s/early 30s - motorcars are beginning to replace the old horse and carriage means of transport in considerable numbers - enough so that there are complaints about police road blocks across the Department of Seine-et-Oise.

I just love Simenon - everything is fascinating and interesting. Can't get enough of Maigret!!

[Jayakrishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An atmospheric thriller in which Inspector Maigret falls in with a group of middle class revelers, some of whom might have commited a murder.

The Bar on the Seine begins with Maigret visiting a man in jail to tell him that he will be executed the next morning. The prisoner informs Maigret about a murder he witnessed many years ago with a compatriot outside a bar - Guinguette a Deux Sous.

Maigret visits the Guinguette a Deux Sous, a bar that looks onto the River Seine, where he is a silent observer of the orgiastic revelries of a bunch of rich party animals. He manages to become a member of the party and things begin to unravel when a murder occurs. The beautiful cinematic descriptions of life around the bar, the river Seine and the boaters are the novel's highlight. Maigret becomes friends with James, one of the party animals. James is a hard drinker, trapped in a bad marriage. Even as Maigret downs pernod after pernod with James, slowly slipping deep into the insidious morally rotten world, he longs to be back with his wife who is holidaying with her sister.

[Paul Secor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd read a few pages of The Bar on the Seine when I realized that I'd read it about 30 years ago. Back then, I think that I read it more to discover the perpetrator of the crime. This time, the solution to the mystery didn't matter to me - even though I had forgotten who had committed the crime - and I read the novel for the psychology of the characters and for the milieu described in the book.
One of Simenon's most perfect Maigret novels.

[Geevee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A condemned man and his final hours moves, via a confession/tip-off, to weekend get-togethers with a group of friends who enjoy drinking, singing and dancing.

As Maigret finds his feet, both in the group who have welcomed him as a bridge player, and in the case of the Two-Penny Bar, he becomes attuned to the dynamics of this circle of friends and begins to understand the links to the death of a man some years ago.

As enjoyable as Maigret always is, this one like many of Simenon's books is vivid in its descriptions of 1930s Paris and rural French life, and how men and women in straightened times act and think.

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not among Simenon's best ones, as the plot is rather awkward and the characters weird.
not to mention that the story was born mainly by chance...

[Marisol · Rating 3 out of 5]

En una cárcel mientras espera su ejecución un joven ladrón cuestiona a gritos la injusticia de que un asesino ande libre por ahí mientras él espera por su pena, el inspector Maigret lo escucha y la única pista que le da es La taberna de los dos centavos, sin obligación ninguna, a punto de salir de vacaciones, el inspector decide investigar esa aguja en el pajar.

A través de un intrincado mapa de relaciones íntimas, fines de semana de fiesta, familias aparentemente normales, va surgiendo un caso dormido y Maigret va tirando el hilo que parece llevarlo a una resolución y solo lo deja en medio de un suceso inesperado, una persona es asesinada y se inicia una persecución que parece complicar todo.

Como siempre el escritor toma de excusa una trama policial para desarrollar personajes oscuros, complejos, que viven vidas bivalentes, otros demasiado pagados de sí mismos que parecen surfear gracilmente las desgracias y otros que de plano viven regocijándose en sus miserias, es un mosaico diverso, interesante pero sobre todo un cultivo donde cualquier puede haber cometido un crimen.

La resolución final es predecible pero al mismo tiempo bien justificada, pues el estilo de Simenon es preocuparse más por las motivaciones y los porqués, en lugar de los quien y como.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pensive condemned man clues Chief Inspector Jules Maigret in to a six-year-old unsolved murder, pointing out the connection to a drinking establishment on a Parisian canal, the Two-Penny Bar. Thus begins one of Maigret’s most convoluted cases — and one of my favorites.

Maigret stumbles on a gay group of revelers who go down to a spot on the River Seine near the village of Morsang-sur-Seine. With his wife away in her native Alsace, Maigret is at a loose end, so he stays and parties with the group and befriends the sardonic, hard-drinking Englishman James. That’s why Maigret is present when one member of the group, Feinstein, is killed and to witness the shameless flirtations of Feinstein’s wife, Mado. The suspected killer is Mado’s adulterous lover, Basso.

Sounds complicated? You won’t think so when reading author Georges Simenon’s expert take on these events. Like so many Maigret novels, The Two-Penny Bar (also published as Guinguette by the Seine, Maigret to the Rescue, The Spot by the Seine, The Bar on the Seine, and Maigret and the Tavern by the Seine) proves to be bittersweet and eminently satisfactory. As with The Grand Banks Café, which I just finished, a femme fatale lies at the heart of all the troubles, but this rendition still felt fresh.

If you have a chance to enjoy the Audible version of The Two Penny Bar, with Gareth Armstrong once again narrating, don’t miss the chance!

[Gearóid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoy these Inspector Maigret books.
As well as good mystery stories I find them very
interesting as here is always a little philosophical
depth to them.
These are books you could read in one day if you have
the time and I think the is the best way to read them
with a nice pot of tea.

Very enjoyable!

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Simenon. Inspector Maigret interrogates a young man charged with murder. The man is already condemned and will face the death penalty. The man has nothing to lose so he sneers at Maigret, letting him know that he witnessed a murder six years ago. Now the inspector must find out who was murdered and where and finally who did it. A very good story line with a great plot.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A radiant late afternoon. The sunshine almost as thick as syrup in the quiet streets of the Left Bank. And everything--the people's faces, the countless familiar sounds of the street--exuded a joy to be alive. There are days like this, when ordinary life seems heightened, when the people walking down the street, the trams and cars all seem to exist in a fairy tale." Within pages of these opening sentences, Simenon immerses his reader in a dark, existential, page turner, with a cast of characters including con men, a condemned inmate, a femme fatale, a loan shark, and a brooding murderer. The Two-Penny Bar (originally published as La Guinguette à deux sous in 1931) was Georges Simenon's eleventh mystery featuring French detective Jules Maigret, and it is everything one would expect in a Maigret mystery. It tells the story of Inspector Maigret's investigation of a six-year-old murder case by frequenting a smoky bar on the Seine before joining his wife on holiday. Recommended for anyone who has a taste for French noir.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Down by the river…

It all begins when Maigret tells a villain, Lenoir, that his final appeal has been refused, and that he will be executed the next morning. In his bitterness, Lenoir says it’s unfair that he should pay the ultimate penalty when others who’ve committed equally serious crimes go free. He then tells Maigret of the night that he and a friend witnessed a man drop a body into the Canal Saint-Martin. They then blackmailed the man for a while, but he later disappeared. Then, a couple of years later, Lenoir saw him again, in a little place called The Two-Penny Bar. But Lenoir was arrested for the crime for which he’ll be guillotined before he got the chance to start his blackmail again. He doesn’t tell Maigret the man’s name, but Maigret decides to visit The Two-Penny Bar anyway…

This turns out to be one of the best of the Maigrets, but I must admit it has an incredibly sloppy start. Not only doesn’t Maigret ask for the name of the murderer, but nor does he get a description of him nor even the address of the bar. It also relies on the premise that the murderer frequents the bar all the time, and wasn’t just a casual visitor on the occasion Lenoir saw him there. And finally, by an amazing coincidence, another murder just happens to take place in the bar while Maigret is there. I did consider giving up on it at this early stage on the grounds that it was all so unlikely, but I’m glad I stuck with it.

It takes Maigret a while to find the bar (which he finally does by another amazing coincidence), but when he does he finds it’s on the Seine on the outskirts of the city, and frequented by a group of regulars who either live nearby or visit regularly to row on the river, play cards, drink and generally relax. They’re a close-knit group. Maigret strikes up an acquaintanceship with James, a man who drinks even more than Maigret but is full of a kind of good-natured charm. Maigret soon comes to think he might develop into a friend in time, and the feeling seems to be mutual. James gives him the entry to the group, and since Maigret’s wife is off visiting her sister for the summer, Maigret takes to spending a lot of time with them all, gradually getting to see the dynamics and relationships among them. But he still doesn’t know who the murdered man was, nor if anyone in the group is the murderer.

Short even by Simenon’s standards, the pace of the book picks up a lot once all this preparatory stuff is out of the way. As I mentioned, there is another murder and there’s an obvious suspect for this one. What’s not so clear is the motive, and since the suspect has run away Maigret’s first job is to find him. But this crisis in the group has brought some of its secrets to light and given Maigret the leverage he needs to investigate them on a more formal basis. Another coincidence gives him the name of the original murder victim, and now he can look for a connection with any of the bar regulars.

It’s the characterisation that makes this one so good, though of the group as a group rather than of each individual within it. They’re a rather louche bunch, lazily drinking their way into flirtations and affairs with each other’s spouses, but always willing to lend a hand to each other whenever trouble looms. Their social gatherings seem to be the main purpose of their rather empty middle-class lives – their tedious day jobs merely the things that fund their lifestyle. However there are a couple of them that we get to know individually – James, whose incipient friendship with Maigret is very well depicted and whose character flaws become clearer as we, and Maigret, get to know him better; and Basso, the man initially suspected of the second murder, and we see his weaknesses and guilt at his feeling that he has betrayed his put-upon but loyal wife. And the last few chapters, when Maigret manages to trick the murderer into a confession, have considerably more emotional depth than is often the case in this series.

Lest you’re wondering that I haven’t mentioned Maigret’s drink problem as usual, I shall merely say that his drink of choice in this one is Pernod, and he downs enough of the stuff over the course of a couple of weeks to float a good-sized armada. However, he manages to stay sober despite it all – what a man!

So after a distinctly dodgy start, this turned into one of my favourites so far. I loved the portrayal of the group and fell under James’ always tipsy but never drunk charm, helped by an excellent interpretation of his character by the ever-reliable narrator of the series, Gareth Armstrong, who always makes these books a pleasure to listen to.

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[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part, this felt like a below-average outing for the stalwart Inspector, but Simenon knows how to turn the screw, and does so to great effect in the last few pages of the novel.

Along the way, we're treated to a brilliant exposition of Maigret's lack-of-a-method:

'He had handled hundreds of cases in his time and he knew that they nearly always fell into two distinct phases. Firstly, coming into contact with a new environment, with people he had never even heard of the day before, with a little world which some event had shaken up. He would enter this world as a stranger, an enemy; the people he encountered would be hostile, cunning or would give nothing away. This, for Maigret, was the most exciting part. He would sniff around for clues, feel his way in the dark with nothing to go on. He would observe people's reactions - any one of them could be guilty, or complicit in the crime.

Suddenly he would get a lead, and then the second period would begin. The inquiry would be underway. The gears would start to turn. Each step in the inquiry would bring a fresh revelation, and nearly always the pace would quicken, so the final revelation, when it came, would be sudden.

The inspector didn't work alone. The events worked for him, almost independently of him. He had to keep up, not to be overtaken by them.'

It is almost a modus operandi for the author as much as his creation; by extension it is something of a manifesto for the dedicated reader of these books. I read a Maigret novel less for the thrill of finding out 'whodunnit' than for the excursion into a small, previously unknown world that has been shaken to its foundations. While not as consistently interesting as some of his more polished novels, Simenon still peoples this specific world with some interesting characters, interestingly observed. And then there's brilliantly mundane Maigret, longing to wrap up this case and join his wife, who is already on vacation and sends him a series of gently chiding telegrams reminding him that he is supposed to follow suit.

Still, this wouldn't have made three stars if not for a particular insight Maigret gains at the very end. I won't reveal this insight - it would make for too much of a spoiler - but I will say that this novel could well have been titled 'Maigret's Friend'.

[The Frahorus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stavolta il nostro commissario dovrà indagare su ben due omicidi il primo dei quali più datato e misterioso e gli viene rivelato da un condannato a morte il quale però non gli dice il nome dell'assassino ma gli indica che lo potrà incontrare in una balera o osteria a sud di Parigi, lungo la Senna, frequentata nei fine settimana da un gruppetto di borghesucci benestanti. Per risalire al colpevole o ai colpevoli il nostro buon commissario inizierà ad indagare le vite e le abitudini di questi protagonisti in apparenza felici e scoprirà che le loro vite non sono quel che sembrano ma nascondono mille fragilità.

Stavolta sono riuscito a capire chi potesse essere il colpevole del primo omicidio, forse intenzionalmente quasi evidente a un occhio attento, ma la bellezza di questo romanzo sta nel fatto non tanto del giallo in sé da svelare, bensì nella maestria di Simenon nel raccontarci i comportamenti e gli animi di questi borghesi insoddisfatti della vita che evadono nell'alcool, nelle belle donne, nella bella vita.

[José Van Rosmalen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dit is een van de vroege Maigrets, geschreven in 1931 toen de doodstraf in Frankrijk nog bestond. Een jonge ter dood veroordeelde maakt Maigret er op attent dat een gast in een herberg bij de Seine meer weet over een oude moordzaak, een lijk dat in de Seine is gegooid. Maigret offert er zijn vakantie voor op en doet speurwerk in de herberg die hij nog niet kende. Het wordt een verhaal vol van chantage, overspel en hele en halve bekentenissen. Maigret drinkt samen met wat later de moordenaar blijkt te zijn menig glas maar uiteindelijk komt er de confrontatie waarbij de moordenaar zijn bekentenis moet doen. Veel hebzucht en wreedheid, weinig illusies over mensen. Ik vind het niet de beste Maigret omdat er nog al veel personages de revue passeren en het geheel daardoor aan overzichtelijkheid te kort komt. Misschien was ik als lezer wat minder geconcentreerd. Ik heb naar aanleiding van dit boek ook gegoogeld op Simenon en antisemitisme. Zeker in zijn jonge jaren heeft hij zich hier ook aan schuldig gemaakt door de associatie tussen joden en geldzucht. In deze roman zit deze suggestie er ook in.

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. Another satisfying Maigret. It's the unknown, the pursuit, and the resolution which is never exactly what I expect that I enjoy. And the sparseness of Simenon's writing, some descriptors, yes, but less than most. Much is left to our imagination. It opens with Maigret visiting a prisoner. The 22-year-old Lenoir had been arrested three months earlier by Maigret and found guilty of murder; he took the whole blame. Yet the Inspector is certain there is more to the case, that he must have had accomplices besides another young man named Victor. But Lenoir isn't talking; he does offer a clue about an unknown man they were blackmailing, lost touch of, and then recently ran into again at a seedy bar called The Two Penny. The only clue. The next day Lenoir lost his head on the guillotine and Maigret had to take his detective work elsewhere. Madame Maigret is away on holiday so he decides to check out the bar on the Seine and become a regular. The crowd welcomes him into their little group. The Inspector has no idea who Lenoir had been blackmailing. Then a second murder is discovered. There are over 100 Maigret stories - I should read them all. (Ap2025)

[JZ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to read every Maigret in my library as soon as it appeared in the stacks, and even bought paperbacks of them, when I was young.
A few years ago, I picked up Dirty Snow, and really struggled with its bleakness and despair. He was a very dark man.
Maigret re-entered my life when I discovered MHz on the internet. The actor who plays Maigret is perfect, and I love hearing the French and reading the subtitles, to see if I got it right. lol Not often. It's been 50 years since French class, and I seldom hear it spoken elsewhere. Let's face it: less than fluent. But, it adds to my enjoyment, nonetheless.
I look for audiobooks of Maigret now, so I can envision different stories with Bruno Cremer clenching his pipe, and pondering the human condition. He has colored my impression of Inspector Gamache in the Louise Penny books. My new favorite mystery author.
All you have to do is watch. They will show you who they are.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another dark and atmospheric thriller from the pen of Simenon sees Maigret visiting a condemned criminal in his cell. He learns of a murder witnessed years earlier, and his investigations take him to a small riverside inn and a group of Parisians who spend their weekends there boating and playing bridge. Gradually he begins to find and connect small facts that lead him to the truth.

I listened to this on Audible and the narration didn’t quite work for me because of the strange voice used for the female characters. However, the story itself is excellent and the mood darkens throughout - at the beginning there is a wedding party full of laughter and the characters appear jolly if a bit odd and bumbling, but as the story progresses things turn more sinister and the ending is quite moving in its depiction of despair.

I always enjoy Maigret’s powerful presence and the rather seedy world that Simenon creates. His work shows the skill in crafting a totally compelling story in brief but telling sentences. This was an excellent example.

[Tighy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maigret are adesea o simpatie (uneori chiar enormă) pentru criminal – chiar dacă face tot ce depinde de el să-l descopere și să-l aresteze. Poate doriți să aveți în vedere acest fapt în timp ce citiți Taverna de pe malul Senei, o povestioara care poate fi citită cu ușurință în câteva ore.

[KOMET · Rating 3 out of 5]

“THE BAR ON THE SEINE” can be summed up as a nice and tidy detective novel peopled with an interesting array of characters, some of whom Inspector Maigret matches wits with.

The drama begins in a prison cell where a man (Monsieur Lenoir) –-- a petty criminal sentenced to death whom Maigret had arrested some time earlier --- awaits word about a possible reprieve. Maigret pays Lenoir a visit, tells him that a reprieve will not be forthcoming, and that he will be put to death at dawn the next day. Lenoir, feeling that he has nothing to lose, shares with Maigret “a story – of seeing a body dumped in the Canal Saint-Martin six years before and of backmailing the murderer…” This story leads Maigret to undertake an investigation on the seamy side of Paris, in particular a dive by the River Seine with the name of “La Guinguette à deux sous.” There he ingratiates himself with the regular crowd (including an expatriate Englishman named James who has a devil-may-care attitude about everything and avidly drinks glasses of Pernod) who have made the bar their special domain, particularly on Sundays. Another murder takes place and brings to the surface a cesspool of secrets through which Maigret must wade to bring the criminals to justice.

I read this novel in 3 days and enjoyed being entertained by it.

[Marie-Therese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite some problematic bits (would it really be a Simenon novel without them?), this is a very good installment in the Maigret series.

Fast-moving, with lots of varied characters (some of them even portrayed in a certain amount of depth!), and a plot just twisty enough to keep the reader on edge without being excessively taxing. Maigret here is at his most likeable-a little bit uncertain, occasionally vulnerable (he makes a friend! well...sort of...), even missing Madame M. who's off visiting her sister in Alsace. As I've said before, Simenon always seems to be at his best when water's part of the scenery, and here we have a quaint riverside village with fishing and swimming and little boats aplenty. This could almost be a modern cozy except that the characters are a bit more louche and the stakes considerably higher than in your average American series mystery.

A very pleasant divertissement and highly recommended to those who already enjoy this unique character.

[David C Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two murders, six years apart, linked psychologically — both caused, as usual, by money problems including paying a mistress who is the trigger for both killings. The usual oppressive closed atmosphere - a strange circle of friends that frequent the bar in the title - and Maigret solving the crime by ratcheting up the psychological pressure.

[Amina (ⴰⵎⵉⵏⴰ) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I didn't enjoy this one...at all
It was too slow and dull, boring sometimes, and Inspector Maigret was clueless till the last pages, it was disappointing for someone that experienced to miss that much.. I'll Give it another try and hope for the best

[AC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very nice.

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

Maigret and the Cold Case
Review of the Penguin Classics paperback (2014) of a new translation* by David Watson from the French language original La Guinguette à deux sous (1931)

In The Two-Penny Bar, Maigret learns from a condemned criminal that a fellow crook and himself had witnessed a murder that was never solved or even discovered by the police. The convict had blackmailed the perpetrator but afterwards lost touch with him until seeing him again at Morsang-sur-Seine, a weekend getaway spot for Parisians. Maigret proceeds to insinuate himself into that same weekend crowd in order to uncover the murderer. Soon yet another murder occurs and the apparent killer is on the run.

Maigret had his lunch, alone, on the terrace of the hotel "Au Vieux Garçon". At about two o'clock the shopkeeper came to collect Maigret. - excerpt from The Two-Penny Bar

A vintage postcard showing the "Auberge Au Vieux Garçon" located in Morsang-sur-Seine near Paris. Image sourced from Maigret in France.

I've now read almost a dozen of the early Maigret novellas in the past four weeks and they continue to impress with how different they are not only from each other, but also from other "Golden Age of Crime" novels of that interwar era. What is even more impressive is that the first dozen were all published in 1931 as if he wrote one every month. Perhaps it is not that surprising from an author who wrote over 500 books in his lifetime, but it still an eyeopener.

In a rare case for completists, this is Maigret #11 in both the Penguin Classics series of new translations (2013-2019) of the Inspector Maigret novels and short stories, and in the previous standard Maigret Series Listopia as listed on Goodreads.

Trivia and Links
* Some earlier English translations have given the title as Maigret and the Bar on the Seine or Maigret and the Tavern on the Seine.

The Two-Penny Bar, under its original French title La guinguette à deux sous, was adapted for French television in 1975, as part of the long running TV series 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.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simenon uses this story to re-inforce his detective, Chief Inspector Maigret as a caring man who loves justice above all things. Its the Summer and everyone has deserted Paris to go on holiday; before Maigret joins his wife in Alsace he pays a last visit to a prisoner on death row, the night before his execution. The policeman doesn't go to gloat but rather bring closure to the process of investigation, arrest, trial and sentence. The condemned man mentions another more deserving of the fate that faces him since he got away with murder. He tells how he observed the aftermath and disposal of the body in a canal; how he went on to blackmail the criminal until he lost touch. He won't name him but drops the clue of The Two-Penny Bar, the trouble is Maigret has no idea where this is and he is due on holiday.
Maigret tries and is frustrated at every turn and the on the way to the station a chance remark enables him to pursue justice and solve a 6 year old crime.
This is an intriguing story which demonstrates how this great detective works to crack a case. He is determined and driven, selfish and selfless in his work and singleminded to get his solution. A larger than life group of people befriend Maigret as enters their world and changes the dynamic forever. A terrific tale that stars Maigret and it is his characterisation that has driven so many more books about this wonderful detective.

[Antonella Imperiali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un condannato a morte, vecchia conoscenza di Maigret, il giorno prima dell’esecuzione confessa al commissario di essere stato testimone qualche anno addietro, insieme ad un amico, di un delitto, senza però fare il nome dell’assassino; a sapere, poi, chi fosse il morto... bah!
Inizia così questa indagine che condurrà il paziente Maigret alla frequentazione di in uno strano ambiente popolato da personaggi altrettanto strani, ambigui, piuttosto legati fra loro. Piccoli borghesi insoddisfatti, che cercano di evadere dal quotidiano perdendosi nell’alcool, accompagnandosi a belle donne, riunendosi in locali dimessi, come appunto la balera da due soldi lungo la Senna, appena fuori Parigi. Ma quanta fragilità, quante debolezze, quanta amarezza, quanti segreti si nascondono dietro questa parvenza di felicità e di allegria, di bella e dolce vita?

Come al solito la bravura di Simenon trova riscontro nell’ambientazione, anche questa volta abbastanza rarefatta, nella definizione di personaggi, stati d’animo e situazioni che a volte mettono in secondo piano la vicenda criminale.

La faccenda era più amara che tragica.

Un po’ delusa dal finale, o meglio dal comportamento inusuale dei personaggi coinvolti.


✍️ GS/Maigret

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un condannato a morte, vecchia conoscenza di Maigret, prima dell’esecuzione confida al commissario di aver assistito, anni prima, insieme ad un suo compare, all’assassinio di un uomo il cui corpo è stato gettato nella Senna. Il fatto fu commesso “nella balera da due soldi”. Nessun altro indizio. Da qui il commissario Maigret comincia ad indagare in una combriccola di borghesi parigini, benestanti, che nel fine settimana si divertono in campagna bevendo e scherzando in un’osteria in riva alla Senna; come sempre l’inchiesta è un pretesto: pur dovendo indagare su ben due omicidi compiuti nella balera da due soldi, non è il giallo, non è la scoperta del colpevole e del movente che interessano Simenon, è soprattutto ricostruire l’ambiente piccolo borghese, dove sotto la patina di gioioso ed innocente divertimento si nascondono tradimenti coniugali, ricatti e soprattutto disillusione, amarezza per una esistenza vuota scandita da riti e abitudini nella quale ci si sente come imprigionati, in cui gli unici momenti “felici” sono quelli concessi dalla consolazione dell’alcool che tutto fa dimenticare.
Stavolta il finale mi ha un po’ deluso, ecco il perché delle tre stelle.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great one - these authors of the past knew how to write. No repeating everything over and over or rehashing previous cases. In 200 or so pages both Simenon and Christie get the story told and the crime solved without pages of filler - authors nowadays waste 150 unnecessary pages on drivel. Any in this series can be a stand alone.

I like Maigret better than Poirot, he is very low key and not arrogant and smug as ole Hercule!

I have two more to read that I bought - hope the library at least offers curb pick up soon. Their shelf has a slew of them and now I’m determined to read them all.