Maigret's Holiday: Inspector Maigret

Inspector Maigret #28

by Georges Simenon, Ros Schwartz (Translator)

A local scandal intrudes on Maigret's seaside holiday in book twenty-eight of the new Penguin Maigret series.

At what point in the day could the note have been slipped into his pocket, his left breast pocket?
It was an ordinary sheet of glazed squared paper, probably torn out of an exercise book. The words were written in pencil, in a regular handwriting that looked to him like a woman's.

For pity's sake, ask to see the patient in room 15.

When Inspector Maigret's wife falls ill on their seaside holiday, a visit to the hospital leads him on an unexpected quest to find justice for a young girl.

Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations.

'His artistry is supreme' John Banville

'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian

'A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness' Independent

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

210 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1947

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

[Luís · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maigret, on vacation? It would be amazing!
Wherever he goes, things happen that will tickle the commissioner and push him to investigate even outside his territory.
While his wife is hospitalized at their vacation spot due to appendicitis, Maigret is immersed in a dark story of adultery and jealousy, disturbing his little habits already found between small fresh white wines on the terrace and visits to Mme Maigret.
Nice work!

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lunchtime Listen on Audiobook September 2022

I think I first re-discovered Maigret in late 2018 and started reading them in order early the next year. 2 years of one book a month (approximately) took me to episode 20 something, when we moved house and my reading quantity plummeted. Since then I don't think I have picked up a Maigret paperback for 2 reasons, 1) I haven't had time and 2) they were all in box somewhere in my new as yet unbuilt library. Luckily I spotted a few on audiobook and with the advent of "The Lunchtime Listen", instigated to give us a break from renovations of more than just 5 minutes to gobble a sandwich, we have enjoyed a few more episodes; both new and some I had read over the last few years.

This was one I hadn't read (I wonder what episode I did actually get up to ? Oh number 24, I just checked) and as ever it is wonderfully read by Gareth Armstrong. Whilst holidaying with his wife, Mme Maigret is taken ill, and following an operation is confined to a nun-led convalescent hospital. Maigret stays on in Sables-d’Olonne so he can visit everyday, and falls into a routine that he struggles to break free from. He soon becomes know to a number of bar owners and shop keepers around the town as well a few of the nuns who are looking after his wife. All seems peaceful and calm until Maigret discovers a note in his pocket suggesting he might like to find out more about one of the other women at the convalescent hospital. Unfortunately before he can even commence any investigations the woman is dead. Having no official status in the holiday does not stop Maigret from asking questions and generally making a nuisance of himself as he always does. With help from the local Inspecteur and also a few characters around town Maigret pieces together the life of the woman who died. Much to the dismay of Mme Maigret he even questions the Mother Superior despite feeling like a small boy up before the headmaster.
Well, as ever wandering around the town routine, his questioning and his dogged persistence pay off and facts begin to fall into place just as his wife is on the mend.

Another wonderfully written (and translated) book, giving such a vivid and colourful picture of early to mid 20th century France, that is brilliantly read by Gareth Armstrong whose characterisations are marvellous

[Cristian Fassi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prima di iniziare la lettura di questo, il mio quindicesimo Simenon, ho letto un commento qui su Goodreads che diceva: "Maigret va in vacanza (e anche Simenon)". Il titolo del libro si presta a questo gioco di parole e mi sono apprestato a leggere con l'idea di trovarmi magari il primo fiasco, ma Simenon non va mai in vacanza, la sua scrittura è sempre scintillante e magistrale.

Già dalle prime righe ci invita a partecipare del suo mondo, ci ambienta in maniera unica, i dettagli e le azioni da subito ci tengono in suspense e con voglia di sapere di più.

In questo romanzo però, come in altri che ho letto di Simenon, il finale non mi è piaciuto più di tanto, alle volte sembra che vada troppo veloce nella scrittura e cerca di finire con la soluzione più semplice: la confessione. Ma ormai lo conosciamo troppo bene al commissario Maigret, non è un uomo fisco che risolve i casi con la rivoltella.

[Stratos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Αδιάφορο....

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably starting a series with the 28th volume is not a good idea. Inspector Maigret is obviously a detective in the same line as Penny's Gamache and James' Dalgliesh, though Simenon was writing at a much earlier time period. Maybe if I'd started earlier in this series I'd be more impressed with it. As things stood, I only chose this book because I'm part a reading group. On the basis of this book, I have no inclination to read more about Maigret.

I found the murderer to be frightfully obvious, merely requiring threshing out the details of where and how the deed was accomplished. Maigret doesn't have charm nor does he easily think of life from any point of view but his own. Figuring out a female outlook on life seems to stretch him much more than I would have expected of an experienced investigator. Some of this is no doubt due to the position of men in society when this novel was written, when men didn't feel much need consider about “female" issues such as shopping or female friends. I liked Maigret even less when he got bent out of shape when women (even if they were nuns) weren't quite deferential enough for his liking. He redeemed himself somewhat by being concerned for Lucile's family, who were not well off and had no defenses against the vicissitudes of life.

Not sorry to have read this, mostly because I can eliminate the rest of these books from my TBR. It is overburdened enough already.

Cross posted at my blog:

https://wanda-thenextfifty.blogspot.c...

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first Maigret in the series that I have read. There are so many--it was difficult to choose one. In the end, I googled "Best Maigrets" and this was one on the list.

So I don't know if this is the most representative or not. It involves Maigret and his wife on a vacation away from Paris in a seaside village. Madame Maigret becomes ill and is hospitalized. While visiting her, someone slips a note into Maigret's pocket begging him to help a young girl who is also in the hospitalized. By the time Maigret discovers the note and returns to the hospital, the girl is dead.

The story is a simple one and the "whodunit" not as much a mysterious as the "why" did he/she/they do it. I read it in two sittings and enjoyed the writing very much. The seaside village was evoked beautifully with telling details. Most of all, however, I enjoyed the character of Maigret. I found him interesting and somehow charming.

I enjoyed the book very much and have already begun another in the series. I'm enjoying that as well: I may have to read them all!

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maigret’s Holiday, first released in 1948, was republished in 1970 with the more accurate title No Vacation for Maigret. Louise Maigret, Chief Inspector Maigret’s placid wife, undergoes an emergency appendectomy while they’re on holiday (vacation, for you Yanks) in Les Sables-d’Olonne. While his wife is recovering at the hospital, Maigret gets a note directing his attention to a young patient; however, by the time he gets to her, 19-year-old Lili Godreau is dead.

Needless to say, Maigret begins to look around — especially at Lili Godreau’s brother-in-law, with whom she lived from the time she was an ungainly girl of 13. Lili was struck by a speeding a car on the day of her concert, and the incident is ruled an accident; however, Maigret thinks the car accident and the girl’s death need a closer look. And readers will love to follow along as Maigret takes on every aspect of this very suspenseful case. Highly, highly recommended.

[Three · Rating 4 out of 5]

basta, non mi ripeto più.
Maigret mi piace sempre

[The Frahorus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il commissario Maigret si trova in vacanza a mare e la moglie si trova in ospedale quando si imbatterà in due omicidi e non può trattenere il suo inarrestabile istinto per le indagini.

Altro romanzo dove Maigret si trova "fuori sede" e dove inizia a indagare "per conto suo", perché anche quando è in vacanza non riesce a resistere al suo sesto senso da bravo detective e arriverà, naturalmente, a scoprire il colpevole.

Stavolta l'indagine mi è piaciuta, mi ha coinvolto (anche se all'inizio stenta a decollare) e forse tutti abbiamo capito fin dall'inizio chi fosse il colpevole, o almeno io lo credo. Coincidenza ha voluto che ho letto questa indagine ad agosto, lo stesso mese in cui è ambientato il giallo.

[Katrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Κλασικός κι αγαπημένος ο Ζωρζ Σιμενόν, τα βιβλία του είναι πάντα μια πολύ καλή επιλογή για όσους λατρεύουν το αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα.

[Jim Coughenour · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd never read the Maigret books before Penguin started re-issuing the series with fresh translations and stylish covers. Now I grab each one as it appears, although I'm reading fewer. Inevitably a certain sameness stares back from the page. The chief character remains enjoyable, the multiple mordant views, the swift sketches from French society at particular points in the past century, always light up my imagination – but there is a law of diminishing returns as with even the best series. (I think the only instance in which I read every book by an author one after the other and didn't weary was when I flew through the flight of Jane Austen's novels. It's risky; this approach will ruin Dickens.)

All to say: this is an enjoyable evening's read. Keep a bottle of white wine handy, take a sip every time Maigret does.

[Mikee · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This book was written either in 1948 or 1953. It really doesn't matter which. In the introduction to the 1953 edition, Simenon writes ""I tried to abandon Maigret after writing some twenty odd novels about him but, just like a dog that wont get himself lost, he soon imposed his presence on me again. Finally he and I reached a sort of compromise. He would allow me to write, each year, three or four novels in a different vein, but each year also I would devote one or two of my books to him."" So it goes.

This is one of the better ones, with the familiar Maigret methods and sympathetic understanding for all, including the guilty. We learn that Maigret had intended to be a doctor when young, but had to drop that idea after his father died. He just goes on and on."

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un giallo ben costruito, un Maigret che nemmeno in vacanza rinuncia alla conoscenza quasi ossessiva di tutti quei piccoli dettagli che costituiscono l'anima di ogni persona, e che invariabilmente lo portano alla soluzione di un caso all'apparenza irrisolvibile, e che alla fine regalerà ben più di una sorpresa.
Maigret mi fa un effetto strano, anche se nella storia è estate, splende il sole e i bambini corrono sulla spiaggia, a me sembra sempre che l'atmosfera sia cupa. Forse sarà perché ogni volta che lui è preso in un caso si rabbuia come ben sanno i suoi colleghi e sua moglie. Come al solito posso affermare che Simenon non mi delude mai.

[Corto Maltese · Rating 4 out of 5]

«Λίγες στιγμές αργότερα, ήταν ήδη παρελθόν, ο Μπελαμύ ούτε που το σκεφτόταν, και συνέχισαν και οι δύο να προχωρούν στη Ραμπλαί με τον ίδιο βηματισμό και να αγναντεύουν και οι δύο, μηχανικά, την αρμονική καμπύλη της παραλίας που είχε κάτι το θηλυκό, το ελκυστικό σχεδόν. Ήταν η ώρα που η θάλασσα άρχιζε να γίνεται πιο ανοιχτόχρωμη και να ρυτιδιάζει ελαφρά πριν από το αγκάλιασμα της δύσης […] Θα έλεγες ότι οι σκέψεις τους, όπως και τα βήματά τους, εναρμονίζονταν και πάλι, ότι, σαν παλιοί εραστές, δεν είχαν πλέον ανάγκη από μεγάλες προτάσεις, αλλά μόνο από ένα είδος άλγεβρας της γλώσσας».
Ένας καλοκαιρινός Μαιγκρέ από τον υπέροχο ψυχογράφο George Simenon.
Κερδίζει ακόμη μια φορά το στοίχημα να συμπαθήσεις τους ήρωες του ακόμη και εαν είναι δολοφόνοι...

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems that Detective Inspector Jules Maigret cannot go on vacation without getting involved in a murder case. Of course his hands are tied because he is outside his jurisdiction, but he manages to solve the case anyhow, usually with a minimum of effort. Georges Simenon's Maigret's Holiday sees Maigret and his wife at the seaside at Les Sables d'Olonne, when Mme Maigret comes down with an attack of appendicitis and has to be operated upon.

Before long, there are three deaths. Our suspicions immediately turn to the noted Dr Bellamy, but it takes a while for Maigret to suss out the murderer.

It amazes me that I have read over 40 Maigrets, and there's not a bad one in the bunch.

[Icewineanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very traditional mystery, Maigret, while on holiday gets involved with solving a murder(s). He runs around denying he's on the case but of course the reader & all of the characters know better.

Enjoyed the seaside setting, and had a laugh at all of the posturing and wine he was able to put away during the course of the day. The mystery had me stumped until I was almost at the end, when of course it all came together.

This was an easy book to follow without reading any of the prior books (he wrote 75 Maigret books + short stories). The series was originally written in French, and the translation is excellent. It's a nice quick read, only 199 pgs, perfect for a commute. I will definitely pick up another Maigret mystery soon. 3.5 Stars

[Mike Finn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the start of this story because it showed me Maigret living very much outside his comfort zone, letting me see the man when he isn't manically focused on solving a case and has to find a way to try and be a normal human being. Frankly, that's something he's not very good at and his discomfiture made me smile, not just in a spirit of schadenfreude but because Maigret's coping mechanisms are described with dry humour and great accuracy.

Maigret and his wife are holidaying in Les Sables-d'Olonne, a seaside town on the Atlantic coast, when Madame Maigret is taken into hospital, leaving Maigret with no obligations or itinerary other than a daily visit to his wife's bedside. This visit is a source of great discomfiture to Maigret, partly because the daily obligation chafes on him but mostly because the hospital is attached to a convent and is run by nuns whose quiet competence and complete control of their environment makes him feel like a schoolboy being guided or admonished by adult authority figures so that he almost feels mocked by their softly spoken civilities. His visits have become a ritual not of his choosing. Every day he phones at 11.00 to confirm that he can visit, for thirty minutes, at 15.00. Every visit occurs as it was the first and is carried out with an unvarying routine that seems more like a ritual observance than a procedure. The setting, the odd mix of innocence, solicitude and serene authority knock Maigret so far off balance that he barely recognises himself. His discomfort is so obvious to his wife that she takes pity on him and tells him, "You can go now." when the thirty minutes of the visit have passed. 

The second thing that made me smile was seeing Maigret dealing with having complete freedom on how he spends twenty-three-and-a-half hours each day by establishing a rigid routine which mostly involves walking, according to an unvarying timetable from hotel, to bar, to café, to restaurant and back to the hotel. taking a glass of white wine or an aperitif at each stop.

Maigret is rescued from his self-imposed Purgatory of enforced idleness when someone at the hospital leaves a note in his jacket pocket saying: "For pity's sake, ask to see the patient in room 15." Maigrer initially ignores the request, focussing more on how it was slipped into his jacket than on what it might mean. By the time decides to act on the request, the young woman in room fifteen has died. Maigret's guilt at having delayed responding to the request and his need to do something that reaffirms his identity pushes him into an informal investigation that sets him on the path of a killer who Maigret is certain will strike again soon,

From that point onwards, Maigret slides into obsession and becomes his usual brusquely brooding, uncommunicative self, thinking of nothing but the solution to the mystery in front of him and interested in the people around him only in so far as they can be instrumental in him solving the case.

Maigret's unofficial status, which he holds on to even when offered the opportunity to lead the investigation, means that he must adopt slightly different tactics for tracking down his prey. He has to do more of the legwork himself and he feels the need to get face to face with potential suspects. Maigret's lack of official status is aggravated by his encounter with an upper-class Investigating Magistrate who regards Maigret with amused interest that turns to outrage when he thinks Maigret is getting above himself.

The mystery itself is not particularly complicated. It becomes obvious who the killer is fairly early on although exactly what the killer has done and how they did it remain obscured for most of the book. Maigret's challenge is to find proof of what has been done and confront the killer with it.

The last third of the book is a duel of wills and wits between Maigret and the killer. As I watched them circle each other, I was struck by how similar they were. Maigret is all insight and no empathy. He is completely focused on his goal. He has no regard for how others view him and is unconcerned with their needs and wants. In these things, he and the killer are alike. Where they differ is that Maigret is driven by a need for justice, or at least his own brand of it.

I felt that the final exposition, a set piece between Maigret and the killer, went on for a little too long. The need to explain how clever the killer and Maigret had been started to erode the drama of the denouement. I wanted to shout at them to get on with it already.

Even so, I had a lot of fun with this book and it's made me hungry for some more Maigret soon.

[marco renzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

[***1/2]

Primo audiolibro completo della mia vita, giusto per provare. Naturalmente lo avevo già letto, perché non penso sarei capace di iniziarne uno ex-novo.
La voce di Battiston tiene molta compagnia; si adatta bene alla prosa di Simenon, o quantomeno alla sua traduzione italiana, e al suo commissario.
Mi sentirei di definirla un'esperienza piacevole, e penso ne ascolterò altri (sempre roba già letta in precedenza, però), tuttavia non la paragonerei alla lettura tout-court; non dico sia peggiore o migliore: è semplicemente un'altra cosa.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so glad Georges Simenon finally brought his detective back and places him pre-retirement back in Paris; however, for this novel we find Chief Inspector Maigret on holiday with his wife at the seaside.
Unfortunately almost immediately Madame Maigret has to be rushed to a local hospital with acute appendicitis. Maigret quickly assumes a routine around the town which includes many a swift half although in this book he has found a liking for white wine, which seems to vary in quality from place to place. He finds time to ring about his wife every morning and visit her for a long 30 minutes each afternoon. The visiting time is brief and painful; Maigret is uncomfortable by the nuns who nurse the patients and the lack of privacy afforded by the twin-bed rooms.
A degree of confidentiality is afforded him however as he is known as monsieur 6; that doesn't stop someone dropping a note into his pocket about a patient in an adjoining room.
The novel is interesting in that the detective is both bored but reluctant to get involved in a case that isn't a case. Perhaps because of his reputation and his initial questioning into how the patient in room 15 was fatally injured, further crimes are committed.
A quite brilliant obversation of the different classes and people in the community which Maigret visits and observes. It is also alluded to that if he hadn't taken been on holiday there no-one would ever of been the wiser to the murder's acts or motives. Indeed it is a real challenge of minds and the vacationing Maigret is left to wonder if he the cause of further death, rather than the deliverer of justice. Interestingly, Maigret at one point wonders if his life will be safe. A great story that speaks of the psycholgy of crime and demonstrates the ways and methods of Maigret. What I liked particularly is his response to and from witnesses compared to the official investigation. It explains alot about his character and why he was so loved by the readers for whom Simenon finally had to continue to write about.

[Rosenkavalier · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maigret in vacanza (e anche Simenon)

Una volta l'anno, anche Maigret va in vacanza, alle Sables d'Olonne, Bretagna, le villeggiature di una volta, con la pensioncina, le passeggiate vista Atlantico, i giorni tutti uguali (P. Conte, cit.) e il paese che osserva l'illustre ospite parigino, protagonista delle cronache nere.

A causa di un'infermità della Sig.ra Maigret, il Commissario non trova di meglio che interessarsi a un incidente che ha l'aria di un delitto, cui ne seguono altri, col contorno di torbidi familiari, indagini frammentarie, reticenze. Insomma, dalla Vandea dell'Ispettore Cadavre alla Bretagna del torpido Commissario Mansuy, sembra che Simenon abbia approfittato dell'occasione per scrivere due romanzi in uno, tanto più che i due titoli si susseguono nella serie.

Come sempre, anche qui qualche lampo c'è, ma annegato in una trama che costeggia il banale e l'improbabile, come un episodio del Barlume (altro paesino con un'incidenza di morti violente per abitante un tantino fuori scala).

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Come spesso accade nei romanzi con Maigret, non è la scoperta dell'assassino il punto focale (qui è abbastanza semplice capire chi sia). A rendere questo romanzo intrigante sono le atmosfere, i giochi di potere tra Maigret e l'indiziato, la malinconia e la rabbia di Maigret e la sua umanità verso coloro che non hanno avuto una vita semplice. Sono il modo in cui i protagonisti affrontano la vita, e il ruolo che decidono di ricoprire nella società e nella famiglia, ad essere al centro della narrazione. Il delitto è un pretesto per mostrare come i vari caratteri reagiscono ad un evento inaspettato e brutale. La signora maigret, le suore, il dottore, sua madre, la famiglia della piccola Lucille, il giudice: tutti modi diversi di reagire di fronte all'inatteso (che sia una morte, un tradimento o una confessione), spesso dettati dalla differente posizione sociale. A volte sembra tutto così ineluttabile.

[Antonella Imperiali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Povero Maigret, neanche in vacanza può stare tranquillo!
La moglie in ospedale, il mistero che circonda la morte di una ragazza e la scomparsa di un ragazzo... e come al solito il nostro commissario, suo malgrado viene coinvolto e con caparbietà e pazienza conduce una sua indagine personale, giungendo con una certa amarezza alla conclusione di questa storia piuttosto articolata.
Una bella trama, avvincente; buono lo studio dei personaggi e dell’ambiente. Nonostante si sia in estate, chissà perché la ridente cittadina costiera che accoglie per qualche giorno il commissario, pur soleggiata e ricca di colori e movimento, pare sempre un po’ grigia e deserta. Pura atmosfera...
Forse uno dei migliori Maigret fra quelli letti finora; peccato solo per tutti quei cicchetti di troppo...


✍️ GS Maigret

[Tim Orfanos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ίσως, το πιο άνισο μυθιστόρημα του Σιμενόν, το οποίο γράφτηκε κατά την παραμονή του στις Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες - το 1ο μισό είναι αρκετά μέτριο, ενώ το 2ο πολύ είναι πιο ουσιαστικό και αγωνιώδες με απολαυστικούς διαλόγους και μια αρκετά πρωτότυπη διαλεύκανση του μυστηρίου.

Βαθμολογία: 3,8/5 ή 7,6/10.

[Maria Altiki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Από τα καλύτερα που έχω διαβάσει μέχρι τώρα.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

All in the family…

Maigret and his wife are on holiday in Les Sables d’Olonne when Mme Maigret is taken ill and needs a sudden operation. As she recuperates in a hospital, cared for by nuns, Maigret dutifully visits her for half an hour each day and spends the rest of his time wandering from bar to bar, creating a worldwide shortage of white wine. One day, Mme Maigret tells him about a new patient, a young girl in room 15, who has been brought in seriously injured following a car accident. Then Maigret finds a pencilled note in his pocket, telling him “For pity’s sake, ask to see the patient in room 15.” Too late, alas – the young girl dies. The local police are ready to write it off as a sad accident, but the note has roused Maigret’s curiosity and he sets out to learn more…

Lili Godreau, the young girl, had apparently fallen out of her brother-in-law’s car while he was driving it at high speed. So the question is simple – did she fall or was she pushed? If pushed, then the murderer can only be the brother-in-law, the respected Dr Bellamy. But the real mystery is, if Bellamy did murder Lili, why would he have done so? Maigret begins talking to the various residents of the town, gradually learning about Bellamy’s marriage to Lili’s sister, Odette, and the murky origins of both girls as the daughters of a woman who had been “kept” by various men throughout her younger life. Odette has inherited her mother’s beauty and Bellamy was so stricken by love for her that he was willing to overlook her social unacceptability and marry her, but only if her mother agreed to leave Les Sables d’Olonne. The mother agreed, leaving the then very young Lili in the care of Bellamy and Odette. So his relationship with Lili has been partly fraternal, partly parental. To the outside world, they got on well, though people gossiped about how strictly Bellamy monitored Odette’s movements, possibly fearing that her mother’s loose morals would have rubbed off on her.

When everything is so tightly held in a small family group, Maigret realises it will be hard to find out the truth about the family relationships and any possible motive for murder. But then another girl is killed – a girl Maigret had previously seen visiting the doctor’s house. Now he has a thread and hopes that, if he pulls it carefully enough, he will unravel the mystery…

Although there’s a real simplicity about this story, I found it absorbing. We follow Maigret almost minute by minute, listening in to every conversation he has, so that we learn the story at the same time as him. In that sense, there’s no big reveal or sudden twist. And yet there is still a degree of suspense in knowing whether Maigret will be able to turn his suspicions into provable facts. As his investigations progress, he begins to realise that the story may be more complex than he first thought, and the murderer may be more dangerous. So he also feels under pressure to work quickly to prevent any more murders.

As always, I like the Maigret books considerably more than I like Maigret! Apart from his incessant wine-swigging and general surliness, he is horrible to poor Mme Maigret in this one. His daily hospital visits are a penance to him and he really doesn’t do a good job of hiding it. Then, once he gets involved in the investigation, he stops phoning to check how she is and even stops visiting every day. Mme Maigret tolerates this with a good grace, putting herself in with a good chance of winning the Doormat of the Year award. I wonder what she ever found attractive about him? Does she perhaps know that he has a huge insurance policy made out in her favour and is hoping he drinks himself to an early death? It’s the only explanation I can think of for why she hasn’t divorced him long ago!

However, his desire to get justice for the victim is a sorely-needed redeeming feature. And the denouement, while low in tension, is strong in its depiction of human weakness and the evil that grows from it. I’m off to the shops now to see if stocks of white wine have recovered yet…

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[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maigret and his wife have gone on a holiday to Les Sables d’Olonne. However, before the novel opens Mrs. Maigret was afflicted with appendicitis. She is in the hospital of the nunnery. Maigret calls her precisely at 11:00 am and visits for a half hour at precisely 3:00 pm. Maigret is bored bored bored and never has he had so much white wine. One day, after visiting his wife, he finds a paper in his pocket that says "for pity's sake, go visit the patient in number 15." Maigret found that message late in the evening and not until after the patient in number 15 had died.

Lili Godreau had fallen out of a car going at high speed. Maigret is suspicious of her having "fallen" out of the car. Maigret cannot officially investigate, of course. The small seaside town is not within his jurisdiction and, besides, he is on holiday. But he is bored and now he has something to do.

Usually, Maigret's suspicions are unknown to us and how he goes about pinpointing the criminal is usually a surprise. This one wasn't all that difficult. In the car, there was only Lili and the driver, a man of some wealth and position. Even so, following Maigret while he nosed out the clues was worth reading every word.

We all know I love this series. From Wikipedia Simenon stated that his Maigret novels were designed to be read by people of average education in a single sitting. I am unable to justify why I continue to enjoy it despite the foregoing and have abandoned Agatha Christie whose novels have the same blemish. There are 75 novels in the series and another 28 short stories. Will I get to read them all? I hope so, but maybe I secretly hope I'll never run out of them. In any case I found myself following this one closely, and, though we all know whodunit, it's still climbs over the 3-/4-star line.

[Rhys · Rating 4 out of 5]

The longest Maigret I have read so far, and I suspect one of the longest Maigret novels Simenon ever wrote. It's also one of the most richly written, but they are all richly written, and one thing is almost guaranteed with Maigret novels, namely that they will be atmospheric and evoke a specific time and place with incredible force. In this book, Maigret meets a very self-controlled villain who is actually less in control of his emotions than he seems to be. It's an extremely well designed novel in terms of plot, pacing and mood.

[Desiree Zamorano · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can a mystery writer NOT learn from Georges Simenon?
Maigret brings us mood, class tension, self-consciousness and self-awareness.
And in the end, of course, justice.
Simply written and simply terrific.

[Emil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inte stormförtjust helt ärligt, men det är så kreddigt med Simenon att jag inte törs ge ett lågt betyg. En person nämns en gång och anses sedan vara helt etablerad i intrigen. Blir lite snurrigt. Men visst, jag förstår väl charmen

[Alina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fantastic. I believe the English title is Maigret on Vacation. Most Simenon readers say that this is not the best mystery to start with, but I absolutely enjoyed it. Highly recommend!