Maigret and the Saturday Caller: Inspector Maigret

Inspector Maigret #59

by Georges Simenon, Siân Reynolds (Translator)

'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' John Gray Inspector Maigret is followed home one evening by a man who reveals his intention to kill his wife and her lover. Maigret intervenes and speaks to the man daily but when the calls suddenly stop Maigret finds a murder on his hands.'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, Thriller, Detective, Noir

150 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1962

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

[Jan-Maat]

This was a fun read, very atmospheric with a distinctive tone and sense of place (late 50s early 60s Paris). It is a slightly world weary, police procedural, kitchen sink story in which the first question to be answered is if a crime has been committed or not. The story has such a made for TV (or possibly the radio) feel that I could almost see the comb overs.

It is economically written with a lot conveyed just through dialogue so incidental details really shine out. Mr & Mrs Maigret's new television, the winter weather, the cold that Maigret develops - treated (sensible man) with hot rum.

The drive is entirely psychological, maybe not even that, possibly instinct would be the better choice of word. There are no clues, there's not even really a mystery, just an inevitable journey towards the conclusion. Even the word journey is wrong, the solution condenses within Maigret.

There's a great moment when Maigret is canvassing for information in a bar and the drinkers recognise the inspector. Clearly they were all fans of Georges Simenon's series too. In the background of this story there are a series of jewellery thefts carried out in grand hotels by an aristocratic Englishman, but that that type of story is left for a different type of fictional Detective to deal with. This is a story about painters and decorators, cheap boozers and people who never had enough of an education to develop good penmanship.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent as ever, more tomorrow !

So this was brief, but very enjoyable Lunchtime Listen in early November. As ever read by the fabulous Gareth Armstrong. The good thing with Maigret novels is that you (generally) don't have to read/listen to them in order, only a very few refer to other stories or actually "date" Maigret. Some do mention he is nearing retirement, but then I know there are 30+ books still to go after that one, so maybe Simenon himself didn't write them in order (maybe ?).
Anyway what all that means is that whenever a Maigret is advertised as discounted on either Kindle or Audible, then I pounce ha ha.
So although this is episode 59 it doesn't matter in terms of the fact that I haven't heard or read everything before.
In this episode, Maigret feels he is being watched as he leaves the office one Saturday evening, and finds a person waiting to speak to him when he arrives home. This man is at his wits end and tells Maigret that he will kill his wife and her lover. This has a profound effect on Maigret who, despite having to investigate a major series of jewel robberies, focusses a lot of his energy on finding out what happened to his Saturday caller, when a few days later the man goes missing.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leonard Planchon a harelipped decorator follows Maigret home a wintry night. There he confesses he wants to murder his wife and her lover. They all
live in the same house with their young daughter. He says this has been going on for two years where he sleeps on a camp bed. Each night he goes out and gets drunk.

Maigret convinces him to ring him each day to say he has not done anything. He rings once and then disappears. This story shows Maigret’s humanity and is also psychological where the dialogue reveals what has happened. The wife and her love slowly turn in each other and the inevitable ending with the trial. The fact that Maigret’s evidence about Leonard wanting to kill them saves them from the guillotine is testament to his honesty.

What Simenon also captures for me is the atmosphere of a gritty 1960s Paris.

[Saeed abedi · Rating 3 out of 5]

کارهای سیمنون بیش از این که معمایی باشد پلیسی است مخصوصا کارهای با محوریت کمیسر مگره اغلب گناهکار همان مظنون اصلی است و پیچیدگی در روش شناخت او در سیر داستان است
این کتاب هم مستثنی نیست
امتیاز اصلی دو و نیم است

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maigret is a Chief Inspector but still likes to be involved. In this case he had no choice as a guy follows him home and shares his story in that intimate setting.
Simenon is a clever writer and he presents a case back to front and Maigret relegated to an observer unable to be directly involved as no crime has been committed.
The weather and time of year are influences on the case and the tipples drunk are in keeping with his mood. Later he relies on grog to fight off a cold.
So trying to close the case he has to leave it to his detectives to do the legwork. “..., but he would have preferred to change places with Janvier and Lappointe, who were just then doing the rounds of the Montmartre he knew so well, walking through streets familiar to him, .....”
And the crux of what makes Maigret the Chief.
“Wasn’t it true that in high places he was still criticised for being too willing to leave his office and go out in person on a job that was really one for a bloodhound? How could he explain, ......, that he needed to see, to smell, to absorb the atmosphere of a case?”
This is why Maigret stories are so special and meaningful for me. Why I am reading them in sequence and loving this whole experience.

[Arash Ashrafzadeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

شاید 4.5 امتیاز دقیق تری باشه واسه این کتاب. اصن نمیدونم چرا گودریدز امتیازاشو از 20 نمیذاره !
کتاب خیلی خوبی بود. وسطاش یه کم خسته کننده شد ولی آخر ماجرا خیلی خوب شد. کاش فیلماش رو هم بسازن.
فک میکنم واسه همین دلیل هم جذب داستانای کارآگاهی-جنایی شدم که یهو آدمو غافلگیر میکنن با یه اتفاق غیرمنتظره!
تصور کردن صحنه ها هم با توصیفای نویسنده تا حد قابل قبولی ممکن بود و جزییات بیخودی نداشت.
ازین به بعد بیشتر از این ژانر میخونم !

[PuPilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kicsit rendhagyó a szombati kliens története, hiszen egész a végéig nincs meg a bűntény sem, csak homályos elképzelések, találgatások vannak, kicsit olyan Schrödinger macskája érzés.
Maigret felügyelőt felkeresi a lakásán a "szombati kliens", aki azért kapta ezt a ragadványnevet, mert szombatonként mindig megjelent a bűnügyi rendőrségen, Maigret-re várva, de végül mindig elment, mielőtt beszélhettek volna. Most megvallja a felügyelőnek: kettős gyilkosságot tervez. Maigret-t nyomasztja a beszélgetés, és figyeltetni kezdi a házat, de talán már késő?
Planchon, aki egyébként szobafestő, eltűnik... Maigret-re vár a feladat, hogy kibogozza, mi is történt azon az utolsó hétfői estén, amikor utoljára látták. Valamint meg kell győznie az ügyészséget is, hogy itt bizony van mi után nyomozni. Néha ő maga is elbizonytalanodik, de a végén kiderül, megérzései természetesen jók voltak.

Roger Prou kihallgatása különösen tetszett. :)
Most már a második Rayman Zsófia fordítást olvasom egyébként, és nagyon furcsa, hogy nem Quai des Orfévres szerepel, hanem Aranyművesek rakpartja, nem Madame Maigret, hanem Maigret-né, és a Dauphine söröző helyett is Dauphine -kifőzés van... Elég zavaróak, jót tenne egy újrafordítás, és új kiadás ezeknek a köteteknek.

[Rhys · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is very little plot to this novel. It is one of the simplest of the 'Maigret' books, yet I found it engaging and fascinating. It has a sad ending, perhaps the saddest of all I have read so far in this series -- and I have read most of the 'Maigret' novels.

In fact this is the 65th 'Maigret' novel I have read since I began reading them back in 2014. There are only ten more left to go. It has been a richly rewarding series and I am glad I just happened to pick Pietr the Latvian at random off a library shelf when I did.

[Three · Rating 3 out of 5]

un’altra infelicità, altre vite distrutte, le storie in cui si imbatte Maigret sono spesso queste. Eppure c’è sempre una sfumatura diversa, qui c’è la sua sensibilità verso un uomo così fragile da poter fare di tutto.

[Loki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Már csak pár Maigret könyv maradt hátra az életműből, azt hinné az ember, hogy unom, de nem. Simenon még mindig képes új, szánalmas, de szerethető figurákat bemutatni és érdekesen előadni egy amúgy szokványos bűntényt.
Előre siratom a sorozatot, mert úgy olvastam volna még. El tudtam volna képzelni akár havilapként, tuti előfizettem volna, minimum egy évre. Sajnos Simenon ezt nem tudja már megvalósítani, pedig állítólag két hét alatt meg tudott írni egy Maigret sztorit.
Piszkosul fog hiányozni a felügyelő. 🖤

[Tretratti]

Il miglior compagno per una fumatrice prigioniera in un treno in ritardo di due ore.

[Antonella Montesanti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dopo innumerevoli libri letti ho trovato il Mio Libro del Cuore.
Troppe coincidenze me lo hanno fatto amare fin dal principio.
Vabbè protagonista il mio commissario preferito Maigret.
Scritto da Simenon nel 1962, mio anno di nascita.
La storia inizia con un uomo che va in casa di Maigret, per parlargli, un sabato sera di gennaio dopo le 18...io sono nata un sabato sera di gennaio '62 dopo le 18...
Le vicende prendono il lettore fin dall'inizio, Maigret con la sua calma in cui sembra non faccia mai nulla risolve il caso, come sempre, anche se ogni lettore non si aspetta mai una fine così...
Alcuni personaggi si amano per tutto il libro così come altri si odiano per gli stessi motivi.
La penna straordinaria di Simenon colpisce e affonda sempre.
Bellissimo e consigliato.

[Baz · Rating 4 out of 5]

As good as ever. A total pleasure.

[Sandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stelle come tutti gli altri libri di Simenon con protagonista Maigret!
Questo è particolare, perché in sostanza Maigret comincia ad indagare su un omicidio prima che sia avvenuto...

[Esdaile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who Cares Who Killed Roger Ackroyd? Cet question provocante se referai bien sûr au roman d’Agatha Christie "Who killed Roger Acroyd" et est le titre d'un article écrit par Edmund Wilson et publié dans “The New Yorker” en 1945. Selon Wilson, le roman policier s'occupe des façons de tuer le temps, ils furent des romans dont la valeur étaient surestimée par la publique en somme un genre dont les louages sont prétentieux et commerciales ou les deux ensembles. . Surtout Wilson affirmait son rejet total du genre comme littérature. Il faut admettre que le roman policier s'occupe des crimes qui ne sont pas commis bien qu'il puissent bien être inspirés par des événements et des crimes réels, comme par exemple Murder on the Orient Express était inspirait par la crime de l’enlèvement du fils de Charles Lindbergh.

Je suis tout à fait d'accord aussi que il a par mal de romans policiers qui ont une réputations qu'ils ne méritent en aucune façon, ils profitent de la possibilité rehaussés dans leurs cas d'être mis en filme avec souvent des détails sensationnels a fin d'augmenter le sucés du film. Ngaio Marsh, Dorethy L Sayers et plus récemment des auteurs d'une médiocrité frappante comme Ian Rankin ou Martha Grimes.

J'ignore si Le Client du Samedi fut jamais réalisé comme filme. Je sais que je ne pouvait pas arrêter de lire cet roman, que j'ai laissé tombes autres choses, je l'ai lus vite. Et bien entendu on peut dire tant a propos d'un roman de gars dont le contenu on oublie vite après qu'on a tourné la dernière page. Mais dans ce cas je suis sûr que je n'oublierai pas l'histoire d'un pauvre mec un mec médiocre qui est entendu, vengé on peut dire par Maigret. Ce qui me frappe, m’impressionne dans cette histoire très mélancolique, c'est l’atmosphère sombre du Paris de son temps, pas de tout la Gaie Paris que connurent les riches, mais un Paris des fauves, des vies tristes et décevantes dans la quelle les plus fort mangent les moins forts comme les buccins, les escargots carnivore de mer qui se trouvent tous dans un grand panier dans un marché au fruits de mère. C'est décelant de faire comparer Agatha Christie et Simenon, qui représentent la génie et la culture surtout culture sociale de leurs peuples. La psychologie, l'authenticité des comtes de Simenon laissent frémir. Je ne trouve pas d'amusement dans ses romans mais de tristesse, une grisaille comme la grisaille de Paris, le commissaire enrhumé sa femme résignée ici, les deux époux soumis à leur routine familière ou madame Maigret est jalouse de la maitresse de Maigret qu'est sa carrière et sa volonté de faire ce qui est juste. Mais quelle vérité dans ces histories!

La question de Edmund Wilson aussi la question de Harold Bloom et de FR Leavis ou dirais-je plus correctement leurs conclusions, leurs réponses, ne me convainquent pas. Je n'arrive pas encore à comprendre comment ce roman me lassent près des larmes tendis que par exemple La Chartreuse de Parme me laisse presque indifférant. Peut-être Edmund Wilson aurait du nous expliquer pourquoi c’est absurde selon lui que nous nous intéressions pour le meurtrier de Roger Acroyd ou dans ce roman classique de son genre le destin du pauvre client du samedi, pourquoi en revanche nous pouvons sans rire nous intéresser au destin d'un Fabrice del Dongo.

[Sara Eslami · Rating 4 out of 5]

سربازرس مگره، یکی از معروف‌ترین شخصیت‌های ادبیات پلیسی و جنایی است. من تاکنون چندین جلد از داستان‌های او را خوانده‌ام و مشتری شنبه‌ها را اخیرا.



ژرژ سیمنون، خالق شخصیت جذاب، جدی و پیگیر مگر، در این اثر نیز مثل همیشه، تعلیق و کشش معمایی را با احساسات ناب بشری در هم می‌آمیزد.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Georges Simenon's writing is as distinctively French as the Gallic shrug. And just as eloquent. And almost as taciturn. I am so glad that none of that was lost in the translation.

This is a short book -- my edition was 110 pages. It contains three distinct mysteries: The main one that Maigret solves; the secondary one that the department solves "offstage"; and a third one that plays quietly in the background like white noise and remains unsolved.

This was my first Simenon book, but it definitely will not be my last.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing with Simenon is you have to be prepared to sit back and let him get you to the story in his own time. His novels mostly seem to follow the same path: You start out in a very leisurely way, often with something that seems like nothing and then they build and build and wrap up at the end in a flurry.
This one is about a twisted domestic situation and two surprisingly clever and very brazen people, who are eventually brought to justice, thanks to the patience and wile of Maigret and his team.

[TAB · Rating 2 out of 5]

Talk about a quick read, my buddy has over a hundred of these novellas and I'll have to go visit him in December when I need to hit my reading goal.

The story itself was alright, not a lot of twists or mysteries about it, plenty of details though and very realistic. This is the stuff that most police cases are probably like, pretty mundane but important work nevertheless. I like the style of the writing though and will definitely seek out more Maigret stories in the future.

[Karmakosmik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un altro Maigret minore e dai toni fortemente negativi. In questo nuovo caso, la vittima o presunto futuro omicida, si presenta direttamente a casa di Maigret, dopo averlo atteso invano per diversi sabati al commissariato, chiedendogli un aiuto per la sua straziante storia. Una storia lenta e opprimente, che finisce nel modo esatto da me previsto.

[Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect focus and logic tell a ironic tragedy.

[Fede La Lettrice · Rating 3 out of 5]

• Maigret e il cliente del sabato è uno di quei romanzi in cui Simenon mette da parte l’azione serrata per concentrarsi di più sull’umanità del suo commissario.

• Qui Maigret è nostalgico, pensieroso e mostra una tenerezza inattesa verso chi ha davanti. È come se riuscisse a capire il dolore delle persone prima ancora di scoprirne i crimini.

• La storia ruota attorno a un uomo che si presenta ogni sabato da Maigret senza denunciare nulla, solo per parlare. È un'indagine che scorre lenta e meditativa, dove più che i fatti contano i silenzi, gli sguardi, le mezze parole. Maigret ascolta, osserva, riflette. E in tutto questo c'è una sorta di malinconia, quasi come se anche lui avesse bisogno di qualcuno che lo ascolti.

• Il finale non sorprende più di tanto: si intuisce presto dove andrà a parare, non ci sono colpi di scena o rivelazioni conclusive ma il bello di questo racconto sta nel modo in cui viene raccontata la trama.

• È un giallo che parla di solitudine e di rimorsi. Maigret, con la sua calma e il suo sguardo comprensivo, si conferma più che un investigatore: un uomo che sa ancora mettersi nei panni degli altri.

[Sebastian Cardemil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tal vez no haya sido la mejor novela que haya leído en mucho, pero Simenon y Maigret (y Monsieur Planchon) me hicieron volver a disfrutar, de una manera en que no había sentido desde que salí del colegio, una lectura que simplemente no se puede dejar de lado hasta terminarla.
Mi primera novela del comisario Maigret (y tengo otras tres esperándome para otra ocasión) ya me ha hecho tener cierto afecto con el personaje, llegando a estar totalmente ansioso en la parte final del libro porque Maigret haya acertado.
Esta lectura me hizo sentir muy bien con todo. Y creo que eso no se logra muy seguido.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

The height of the series for me so far, not in terms of character development or lovely subtle Simenony poetic turn of phrase, but just from a sheerly fun and readable story, which starts with a great premise (a down on his luck guy comes to Maigret warns that he sees no other path in life than committing a murder) and moves confidently forward toward more intrigue.

[Géraldine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dans la série des Maigret, se déroule à Montmartre. Un ménage à trois dans lequel le mari persiste à rester et campe au salon. Il vient confesser ses envies de meurtre au commissaire. Une histoire bien menée.

[Rui Sousa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very humane Maigret and definitely a character builder story. The plot wasn’t very exciting but any book where Maigret feels the case in his heart and soul gets a 4⭐️

[Francesca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Jrobertus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe it's the horrible political environment but I find myself hiding out in these Simenon novels as purely escapist pleasure. In this novel a rather pathetic man, Léonard Planchon, scarred with a harelip, tells Maigret he has no choice but to kill his wife and/or her hairy chested lover. The latter is an employee of his company, but has moved into his house and displaced him from the bedroom, and the office. The cuckold is at his wits end and though no crime has been committed, Maigret starts to watch the situation. When Planchon disappears M investigates to see if a murder has been committed. As usual, Simenon paints an interesting picture of the characters and their motivations and as usual, matters are rarely clear cut.

[elenakermani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carino

[Carla]

This was one of the better Maigrets. Many rich characters, for one, plus the opening scene (a drunk man tells Maigret he wants to kill his wife) is well-developed. As is unfortunately common with Simenon, the wife's a heartless promiscuous woman (naturally beautiful because...) but it's fun anyway.