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Inspector Maigret #6
Le Chien jaune
Le commissaire Maigret est appelé à Concarneau un vendredi soir pour enquêter sur la tentative d'assassinat de Mostaguen, principal négociant en vin du pays. Le lendemain, au moment de l'apéritif, avec quelques notables de la ville, dont Jean Servières, on tente de l'empoisonner en mettant de la strychnine dans son Pernod. Le dimanche, la voiture de Servières est retrouvée vide et maculée de sang. Trois drames en trois jours avec chaque fois sur les lieux un mystérieux chien, d'une couleur jaune sale. Au désespoir de son fougueux collègue fraîchement issu de l'école de Police, Maigret applique ses propres techniques d'investigation pas forcément à la pointe du progrès, mais diablement efficaces ...
"Simenon, l'un des auteurs les plus féconds de sa période, a imposé Maigret et sa faculté de comprendre l'autre jusqu'à en assumer son comportement. Dans 'Le Chien jaune' il résout son enquête en s'intégrant à un groupe familier d'un bar de Concarneau, dévoilant à ainsi les zones d'ombres qui règne dans la ville."
Christophe Dupuis
"Simenon, l'un des auteurs les plus féconds de sa période, a imposé Maigret et sa faculté de comprendre l'autre jusqu'à en assumer son comportement. Dans 'Le Chien jaune' il résout son enquête en s'intégrant à un groupe familier d'un bar de Concarneau, dévoilant à ainsi les zones d'ombres qui règne dans la ville."
Christophe Dupuis
250 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1931
456 people are currently reading
7296 people want to read
About the author
Georges Simenon
2,683 books2,267 followersGeorges Joseph Christian Simenon (1903 – 1989) was a Belgian writer. A prolific author who published nearly 500 novels and numerous short works, Simenon is best known as the creator of the fictional detective Jules Maigret.
Although he never resided in Belgium after 1922, he remained a Belgian citizen throughout his life.
Simenon was one of the most prolific writers of the twentieth century, capable of writing 60 to 80 pages per day. His oeuvre includes nearly 200 novels, over 150 novellas, several autobiographical works, numerous articles, and scores of pulp novels written under more than two dozen pseudonyms. Altogether, about 550 million copies of his works have been printed.
He is best known, however, for his 75 novels and 28 short stories featuring Commissaire Maigret. The first novel in the series, Pietr-le-Letton, appeared in 1931; the last one, Maigret et M. Charles, was published in 1972. The Maigret novels were translated into all major languages and several of them were turned into films and radio plays. Two television series (1960-63 and 1992-93) have been made in Great Britain.
During his "American" period, Simenon reached the height of his creative powers, and several novels of those years were inspired by the context in which they were written (Trois chambres à Manhattan (1946), Maigret à New York (1947), Maigret se fâche (1947)).
Simenon also wrote a large number of "psychological novels", such as La neige était sale (1948) or Le fils (1957), as well as several autobiographical works, in particular Je me souviens (1945), Pedigree (1948), Mémoires intimes (1981).
In 1966, Simenon was given the MWA's highest honor, the Grand Master Award.
In 2005 he was nominated for the title of De Grootste Belg (The Greatest Belgian). In the Flemish version he ended 77th place. In the Walloon version he ended 10th place.
Although he never resided in Belgium after 1922, he remained a Belgian citizen throughout his life.
Simenon was one of the most prolific writers of the twentieth century, capable of writing 60 to 80 pages per day. His oeuvre includes nearly 200 novels, over 150 novellas, several autobiographical works, numerous articles, and scores of pulp novels written under more than two dozen pseudonyms. Altogether, about 550 million copies of his works have been printed.
He is best known, however, for his 75 novels and 28 short stories featuring Commissaire Maigret. The first novel in the series, Pietr-le-Letton, appeared in 1931; the last one, Maigret et M. Charles, was published in 1972. The Maigret novels were translated into all major languages and several of them were turned into films and radio plays. Two television series (1960-63 and 1992-93) have been made in Great Britain.
During his "American" period, Simenon reached the height of his creative powers, and several novels of those years were inspired by the context in which they were written (Trois chambres à Manhattan (1946), Maigret à New York (1947), Maigret se fâche (1947)).
Simenon also wrote a large number of "psychological novels", such as La neige était sale (1948) or Le fils (1957), as well as several autobiographical works, in particular Je me souviens (1945), Pedigree (1948), Mémoires intimes (1981).
In 1966, Simenon was given the MWA's highest honor, the Grand Master Award.
In 2005 he was nominated for the title of De Grootste Belg (The Greatest Belgian). In the Flemish version he ended 77th place. In the Walloon version he ended 10th place.
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May 29, 2022
A lunchtime Listen ( May 2022)
I think this is now the second Maigret that has a been a lunchtime ;listen for my wife and I. With most of the renovation on the house complete these are an excellent series of books as they are all only about 4 hrs long. So a few long lunchtimes and you've heard the whole story.
As I mentioned below, when I read the book, it is as ever a fabulous snippet of French life from early last century and I would recommend to anyone who enjoys detective mysteries and has an interest in classical examples of this genre, as well as a flavour of France.
I have to say that the Maigret's we have listened to so far have all been read wonderfully by Gareth Armstrong (maybe he has read them all ? )
Personal Challenge (April 2019)
And so my personal challenge to read all the Maigrets continues.
This is number 5 in the series (despite what GR says) and at my rationed rate of 1 a month (otherwise I’d probably binge read and maybe even get fed up with them ), I have over 6 years to go, woo hoo !!
This was as excellent as all the previous novels, this time marvellously translated by Linda Asher.
Maigret has just returned to Paris after setting up the flying squad in Rennes when he is called in to investigate the (almost) murderous attack on a respected pillar of the Concarneau community.
More to follow tomorrow (when I’m not on my phone) , but this is a solid and eminently enjoyable 5 star read
This book is a marvellous example of Maigret's style, as he himself says, sometimes he allows things to happen, and sometimes he drives the action (these are my words précis-ing what Maigret explains to his junior officer). There are a number of red herrings, a number or people misrepresenting themselves and still Maigret cuts through to the solution of the case, showing his intelligence, his caring side and above all his perceptiveness.
As I said above this is a solid 5 star book for anyone who likes detective stories, it conjures up France in the 1930s and yet above all, it is timeless.
I am going to find it difficult not to choose my monthly Maigret as my favourite monthly book, we shall see.......
I think this is now the second Maigret that has a been a lunchtime ;listen for my wife and I. With most of the renovation on the house complete these are an excellent series of books as they are all only about 4 hrs long. So a few long lunchtimes and you've heard the whole story.
As I mentioned below, when I read the book, it is as ever a fabulous snippet of French life from early last century and I would recommend to anyone who enjoys detective mysteries and has an interest in classical examples of this genre, as well as a flavour of France.
I have to say that the Maigret's we have listened to so far have all been read wonderfully by Gareth Armstrong (maybe he has read them all ? )
Personal Challenge (April 2019)
And so my personal challenge to read all the Maigrets continues.
This is number 5 in the series (despite what GR says) and at my rationed rate of 1 a month (otherwise I’d probably binge read and maybe even get fed up with them ), I have over 6 years to go, woo hoo !!
This was as excellent as all the previous novels, this time marvellously translated by Linda Asher.
Maigret has just returned to Paris after setting up the flying squad in Rennes when he is called in to investigate the (almost) murderous attack on a respected pillar of the Concarneau community.
More to follow tomorrow (when I’m not on my phone) , but this is a solid and eminently enjoyable 5 star read
This book is a marvellous example of Maigret's style, as he himself says, sometimes he allows things to happen, and sometimes he drives the action (these are my words précis-ing what Maigret explains to his junior officer). There are a number of red herrings, a number or people misrepresenting themselves and still Maigret cuts through to the solution of the case, showing his intelligence, his caring side and above all his perceptiveness.
As I said above this is a solid 5 star book for anyone who likes detective stories, it conjures up France in the 1930s and yet above all, it is timeless.
I am going to find it difficult not to choose my monthly Maigret as my favourite monthly book, we shall see.......
March 14, 2021
The shooting of a well-known wine merchant, and the appearance of a yellow coloured dog that no one knows, in the port town of Concarneau creates concern amongst the population and especially those who drink at the nearby Hotel Admiral's bar.
Inspector Maigret, who is currently in Rennes to organise a new mobile squad is called to investigate. At first, this seems to be a shooting of a local man who was drunk in the wrong place late at night, but as Maigret settles into the Admiral hotel, he sees and senses more, especially as other people see the yellow dog as sinister and events create real worry and fear for this town.
What have a retired newspaper journalist, the Danish consul, a rather odd doctor, a lonely waitress and a the officious mayor to do with the events; and who does the dog belong to?
In just 133 pages, Georges Simenon creates plots, characters and atmosphere that pull the reader in for a superb 1930's French coastal Maigret adventure that explores crime, revenge and love.
Inspector Maigret, who is currently in Rennes to organise a new mobile squad is called to investigate. At first, this seems to be a shooting of a local man who was drunk in the wrong place late at night, but as Maigret settles into the Admiral hotel, he sees and senses more, especially as other people see the yellow dog as sinister and events create real worry and fear for this town.
What have a retired newspaper journalist, the Danish consul, a rather odd doctor, a lonely waitress and a the officious mayor to do with the events; and who does the dog belong to?
In just 133 pages, Georges Simenon creates plots, characters and atmosphere that pull the reader in for a superb 1930's French coastal Maigret adventure that explores crime, revenge and love.
May 6, 2025
4 stars for a short mystery at 144 pages. Chief Inspector Maigret is called to the small seaside town of Concarneau, France to investigate a shooting and possible attempted murder. In addition, a strange yellow dog is seen in town. There are more attacks before Maigret solves the mystery. The key to the mystery is found in an elusive giant of a man.
I thought that this mystery was a pleasant read and recommend it to fans Of Georges Simenon and mystery fans in general. There is no graphic violence, graphic sex or bad language. The translation was excellent.
Thank You Farrar, Straus and Giroux/Picador for sending me this eARC through Netgalley.
#TheYellowDogInspectorMaigret #NetGalley
Pub Date Jun 03 2025
I thought that this mystery was a pleasant read and recommend it to fans Of Georges Simenon and mystery fans in general. There is no graphic violence, graphic sex or bad language. The translation was excellent.
Thank You Farrar, Straus and Giroux/Picador for sending me this eARC through Netgalley.
#TheYellowDogInspectorMaigret #NetGalley
Pub Date Jun 03 2025
November 22, 2020
As is true of all of the Maigret novels that I've read - perhaps more particularly the earlier ones - this isn't about the solution of a crime, although there is a solution. It's about atmosphere and psychology, with the spectre and, at the same time, reality of a yellow dog pervading everything.
If someone is new to Simenon's Maigret novels, this might be as good a place to start as any.
I read an amusing anecdote recently that I thought I'd share here:
A recent letter in the London Review of Books tells a story of Alfred Hitchcock telephoning Simenon at his home in Switzerland, only to be told by his secretary that the writer couldn't be disturbed because he had just begun a new novel. Hitchcock, aware of Simenon's prodigiousness, replied: "That's all right, I'll wait."
If someone is new to Simenon's Maigret novels, this might be as good a place to start as any.
I read an amusing anecdote recently that I thought I'd share here:
A recent letter in the London Review of Books tells a story of Alfred Hitchcock telephoning Simenon at his home in Switzerland, only to be told by his secretary that the writer couldn't be disturbed because he had just begun a new novel. Hitchcock, aware of Simenon's prodigiousness, replied: "That's all right, I'll wait."
November 2, 2022
Siempre es un placer leer a Simenon, adentrarse en el ambiente del pueblo pequeño y brumoso que tiembla frente a un mar helado y abriga incontables secretos. Los personajes inolvidables y bien dibujados y una trama que se mantiene hasta el final. Divertido también. Todo un clásico.
Había en la atmósfera del bar algo gris, mortecino, pero era imposible precisar el qué. Por una puerta abierta, se veía el comedor, y unas camareras con el traje típico bretón estaban poniendo la mesa para la cena.
Había en la atmósfera del bar algo gris, mortecino, pero era imposible precisar el qué. Por una puerta abierta, se veía el comedor, y unas camareras con el traje típico bretón estaban poniendo la mesa para la cena.
November 5, 2019
Celebrity Death Match Special: Le chien jaune versus Snoopy
Awarding of match point delayed after Inspector Maigret reminds judges not to draw premature conclusions
Awarding of match point delayed after Inspector Maigret reminds judges not to draw premature conclusions
August 8, 2014
Four hard-drinking, lecherous friends — all of them well to do — meet most nights at the Admiral Hotel’s café in the backwater seaside town of Concarneau — when they’re not carousing. On Friday, Nov. 7, one of their number is wounded, shot in the stomach, on his way home from a night of drinking with these friends. One by one each friend, is attacked — always when a certain yellow dog is present (or appears soon after) — until only one remains: the cowardly Dr. Ernest Michoux. Beside himself with terror, Dr. Michoux refuses to leave the confines of the Admiral Hotel. Will the murderer strike again anyway?
Georges Simenon has crafted an intriguing slim novel in which Inspector Jules Maigret operates at his surliest. He realizes that the perpetrator is sowing red herrings to disguise the real purpose of the crime spree. And that the finest citizens of Concarneau have the most to hide. For those looking for a mystery story with some French flair and an off-beat plot, look no farther than The Yellow Dog.
Georges Simenon has crafted an intriguing slim novel in which Inspector Jules Maigret operates at his surliest. He realizes that the perpetrator is sowing red herrings to disguise the real purpose of the crime spree. And that the finest citizens of Concarneau have the most to hide. For those looking for a mystery story with some French flair and an off-beat plot, look no farther than The Yellow Dog.
June 5, 2024
Не очаквайте кой знай колко заплетени криминални загадки от случаите на комисар Мегре!
Харесаха ми много атмосферата, описанията на героите и на нравите от онова време!
"Жълтото куче" - 3,5*
"Мегре" - 3,5*
Харесаха ми много атмосферата, описанията на героите и на нравите от онова време!
"Жълтото куче" - 3,5*
"Мегре" - 3,5*
January 11, 2024
I've already read quite a lot of Mr. Simenon's stories.
None of them is poor, quite a few are very, very good and some of them just average. That is the case here: the plot, the characters, the atmosphere, even the weather...
Ps: One of the others I like less is Piotr the Latvian. This is no. 6, Piotr is no. 1 , so the first Maigret stories are less attractive than the next ones.
None of them is poor, quite a few are very, very good and some of them just average. That is the case here: the plot, the characters, the atmosphere, even the weather...
Ps: One of the others I like less is Piotr the Latvian. This is no. 6, Piotr is no. 1 , so the first Maigret stories are less attractive than the next ones.
September 7, 2012
There's a reason this one is considered a classic Maigret.
The early books in this series have been a little bit hit and miss in terms of real quality vs Simenon's famed speedy production but The Yellow Dog was reissued as part of the Penguin Red Classics series and is deserving of the accolade.
Set in a sleepy seaside town Maigret is called in to solve the seemingly random shooting of a drunken major from a letterbox of a locked up abandoned building. There's a multitude of suspects and suspicions amongst the locals and many red herrings planted in his path but naturally Maigret has everything under control.
Simenon puts together a fine mystery with a high quality of human observation and a way of setting scene that is second to none. The way he evokes the cold and fog of small town life leaves you thinking you can smell the damp in the air, even when you're on an air conditioned train in Perth, and the games he plays with your sympathies for each character makes for a fun ride.
People have criticised the passivity of Maigret in this story and others from the near hundred in the collection but personally I enjoy them; knowing your hero is playing games with everyone from the beginning to establish proof of guilt brings a different level of pleasure from your mystery reading.
The early books in this series have been a little bit hit and miss in terms of real quality vs Simenon's famed speedy production but The Yellow Dog was reissued as part of the Penguin Red Classics series and is deserving of the accolade.
Set in a sleepy seaside town Maigret is called in to solve the seemingly random shooting of a drunken major from a letterbox of a locked up abandoned building. There's a multitude of suspects and suspicions amongst the locals and many red herrings planted in his path but naturally Maigret has everything under control.
Simenon puts together a fine mystery with a high quality of human observation and a way of setting scene that is second to none. The way he evokes the cold and fog of small town life leaves you thinking you can smell the damp in the air, even when you're on an air conditioned train in Perth, and the games he plays with your sympathies for each character makes for a fun ride.
People have criticised the passivity of Maigret in this story and others from the near hundred in the collection but personally I enjoy them; knowing your hero is playing games with everyone from the beginning to establish proof of guilt brings a different level of pleasure from your mystery reading.
June 23, 2022
Er wordt een man in de buik geschoten in een Frans dorpje. Hij kwam net uit een herberg waar hij naar gewoonte iets gaan drinken was met enkele vrienden, de notabelen uit het dorpje.
Maigret wordt er bij gehaald. Opvallend was de aanwezigheid van een gele (lichtbruine?) hond.
Niet lang daarna wordt getracht om dezelfde heren, in gezelschap van Maigret, te vergiftigen. Dit kan net op tijd vermeden worden. Er volgen nog enkele aanslagen, en telkens is de hond in de buurt. Niemand kent hem, dus men vermoedt dat hij toebehoort aan de dader.
Er begint paniek te heersen in het dorpje. Zal Maigret het raadsel kunnen oplossen? Emma, het barmeisje van de herberg, was ook steeds aanwezig. Heeft zij iets te maken met de zaak? Alle inwoners en ook de journalisten zijn hongerig naar nieuws, maar Maigret lost niets totdat de zaak voor hem duidelijk is.
Ik vond dat het boek een hele tijd maar voortkabbelde, er was ook geen enkel houvast aan wie mogelijke verdachten zouden kunnen zijn. Pas naar het einde toe, kwam het allemaal in een stroomversnelling, en dat was wel spannend om te lezen.
Het is het eerste verhaal van Maigret dat ik las, en eigenlijk vond ik dat het toch niet kan tippen aan de verhalen van Agatha Christie.
Maigret wordt er bij gehaald. Opvallend was de aanwezigheid van een gele (lichtbruine?) hond.
Niet lang daarna wordt getracht om dezelfde heren, in gezelschap van Maigret, te vergiftigen. Dit kan net op tijd vermeden worden. Er volgen nog enkele aanslagen, en telkens is de hond in de buurt. Niemand kent hem, dus men vermoedt dat hij toebehoort aan de dader.
Er begint paniek te heersen in het dorpje. Zal Maigret het raadsel kunnen oplossen? Emma, het barmeisje van de herberg, was ook steeds aanwezig. Heeft zij iets te maken met de zaak? Alle inwoners en ook de journalisten zijn hongerig naar nieuws, maar Maigret lost niets totdat de zaak voor hem duidelijk is.
Ik vond dat het boek een hele tijd maar voortkabbelde, er was ook geen enkel houvast aan wie mogelijke verdachten zouden kunnen zijn. Pas naar het einde toe, kwam het allemaal in een stroomversnelling, en dat was wel spannend om te lezen.
Het is het eerste verhaal van Maigret dat ik las, en eigenlijk vond ik dat het toch niet kan tippen aan de verhalen van Agatha Christie.
August 28, 2020
Συμπαθητικό αλλά άνευρο,χλιαρή ροή και ψιλο-αδιάφορη ιστορία με μεγάλη κοιλιά για τις 210 σελίδες του. Παρόλα αυτά, η επαρχιώτικη ατμόσφαιρα με την χωριάτικη αντίληψη των προληπτικών ντόπιων στην μικρή γαλλική κωμόπολη στις όχθες του Ατλαντικού, περνιέται έντονα και πετυχημένα μέσα από τις σελίδες. Επαρκεί για μια χαλαρή απογευματινή ανάγνωση αλλά με το κλείσιμο της τελευταίας σελίδας, έχει περάσει στα αζήτητα και ξεχνιέται γρήγορα.
Όπως και η Κρίστι, είναι ένας συγγραφέας που εστιάζει στην ποσότητα για να θολώσει τα νερά όσων ψάχνουν ποιότητα στα αναγνώσματά τους. Ευχαριστιέμαι να τον διαβάζω, όπως και την μεγάλη κυρία, αλλά εκτός απροόπτου δεν νομίζω να περάσει ποτέ ένα συγκεκριμένο ταβάνι που ο ίδιος έχει θέσει και να ανέβει στην αφρόκρεμα του crime fiction.
Όπως και η Κρίστι, είναι ένας συγγραφέας που εστιάζει στην ποσότητα για να θολώσει τα νερά όσων ψάχνουν ποιότητα στα αναγνώσματά τους. Ευχαριστιέμαι να τον διαβάζω, όπως και την μεγάλη κυρία, αλλά εκτός απροόπτου δεν νομίζω να περάσει ποτέ ένα συγκεκριμένο ταβάνι που ο ίδιος έχει θέσει και να ανέβει στην αφρόκρεμα του crime fiction.
June 4, 2022
Quel beau livre. The social order, les rangs, are upended in the Brittany port of Brest, with its haphazard old city and its walls, its gendarmerie, and police as well. The suspect throughout the novel, a huge man, un colosse, a vagrant who leaves large footprints; he does not speak, and we don't know his name till later, Leon. We know the habituées of the waterfront cafe at l'hotel de l'Amiral: the Danish consul Pommeret, a journalist Goyard who writes under Jean Servières, and the Doctor, Michoux. Also, the Mayor who lives in a grand villa a short drive, or long walk, away. Of course, the central character-- and Quel personnage!-- Commisaire Maigret, pipe-smoking, fairly large, but impassive.
The Lighthouse of Brest, Le Phare de Brest, also names a newspaper which announces the murder in front of the hotel. The man just went outside to light his cigar. Mostaguen. When Maigret arrives next day, he finds a bottle of Pernod with white grains floating in it, strichnine.
The Mayor urges an immediate arrest, so that business and life can get back to normal * after the terrifying article in the local paper. The Doctor worries, and after the bloody disappearance of the journalist, he becomes terrified. We learn much later that he has debilitating illness, his favorite phrase, "I have only three months to live."
Turns out, the article in the paper someone anonymous had submitted, written left-handed to obscure the writer's cartographic identity. Soon other reporters arrive, including one from Petit Parisien.
Maigret obliges the Mayor, and arrests...the Doctor, for his own safety. The Commisaire Maigret calls the suspect, "mon ours." His younger inspector Laroy asks, "What horse?" (99)
The Mayor invites Maigret to his splendid villa at Blanche Sables to question why he has made no arrrest. The Commisaire can speak eloquently with a tamping of his pipe, or a shrug of his shoulders. Now, when questioned, he spells out exact details of everyone at the Amiral cafe, and even--the yellow dog, who shows up at the first murder, and then at successive crimes, until he is himself shot, though removed by an unknown person (turns out , his owner).
The "horse" worked his boat transporting onions to England, but then was told so much more money could be made (during Prohibition) by carrying alcohol to the U.S. Even officials were doing it. His voyage is ill-starred, though he does find the small port S of N.Y.C., surrounded by three armed coast guard packets. He's sentenced to years in Sing-Sing, which explains his tatoo, S S. A genial American revenuer helps him get out, where he works on the docks, saves money to return to Fance. He had undertaken the rum-running to gain money to marry Emma, who is left to fend for herself as "la fille de halle," waitress and chambermaid, I guess.
My French is middling, so I often enjoy phrases that may be either Simenon's style, or normal phrasing, like "toit de toile," roof of canvas, or the sound of a fountain, "un adorable glouglou." French onomatopoeia differs from English, here I'd guess "gurgle." Curious how every language hears the same sounds differently: the screen of language filters the sound.
* The Mayor would be a Trumpy in 2020 U.S., supporting opening buisness in the midst of Covid 19.
Read in the Fayard pocket edition, 1974.
The Lighthouse of Brest, Le Phare de Brest, also names a newspaper which announces the murder in front of the hotel. The man just went outside to light his cigar. Mostaguen. When Maigret arrives next day, he finds a bottle of Pernod with white grains floating in it, strichnine.
The Mayor urges an immediate arrest, so that business and life can get back to normal * after the terrifying article in the local paper. The Doctor worries, and after the bloody disappearance of the journalist, he becomes terrified. We learn much later that he has debilitating illness, his favorite phrase, "I have only three months to live."
Turns out, the article in the paper someone anonymous had submitted, written left-handed to obscure the writer's cartographic identity. Soon other reporters arrive, including one from Petit Parisien.
Maigret obliges the Mayor, and arrests...the Doctor, for his own safety. The Commisaire Maigret calls the suspect, "mon ours." His younger inspector Laroy asks, "What horse?" (99)
The Mayor invites Maigret to his splendid villa at Blanche Sables to question why he has made no arrrest. The Commisaire can speak eloquently with a tamping of his pipe, or a shrug of his shoulders. Now, when questioned, he spells out exact details of everyone at the Amiral cafe, and even--the yellow dog, who shows up at the first murder, and then at successive crimes, until he is himself shot, though removed by an unknown person (turns out , his owner).
The "horse" worked his boat transporting onions to England, but then was told so much more money could be made (during Prohibition) by carrying alcohol to the U.S. Even officials were doing it. His voyage is ill-starred, though he does find the small port S of N.Y.C., surrounded by three armed coast guard packets. He's sentenced to years in Sing-Sing, which explains his tatoo, S S. A genial American revenuer helps him get out, where he works on the docks, saves money to return to Fance. He had undertaken the rum-running to gain money to marry Emma, who is left to fend for herself as "la fille de halle," waitress and chambermaid, I guess.
My French is middling, so I often enjoy phrases that may be either Simenon's style, or normal phrasing, like "toit de toile," roof of canvas, or the sound of a fountain, "un adorable glouglou." French onomatopoeia differs from English, here I'd guess "gurgle." Curious how every language hears the same sounds differently: the screen of language filters the sound.
* The Mayor would be a Trumpy in 2020 U.S., supporting opening buisness in the midst of Covid 19.
Read in the Fayard pocket edition, 1974.
September 23, 2018
La paura regna a Concarneau
Concarneau, Bretagna, la sera di venerdi 7 Novembre. La cittadina e il suo porto sono spazzate da un forte vento di sud-ovest. L’orologio della città vecchia segna le undici meno cinque, quando uno sparo echeggia e un uomo, appena uscito dall’Hotel de l’Amiral, stramazza a terra …
Il giorno dopo, Maigret, da un mese distaccato alla Squadra Mobile di Rennes, riceve la telefonata del sindaco di Concarneau, che lo prega di recarsi sul posto per indagare sul tentato omicidio.
«Maigret si era fermato di fronte al porto, a cinquanta metri dall’Hotel de l’Amiral. Qualche barca rientrava, ammainava la vela scura facendo il giro del molo e avanzava lentamentea remi. Il riflusso della marea scopriva, ai piedi delle mura della città vecchia, banchi di melma in cui erano come incastonate vecchie pentole e immondizie. Dietro la volta uniforme delle nuvole si indovinava il sole.».
Cette fois, bien sûr, ce n'est pas mon bien-aimé Gino Cervi, mais la magie est presque la même … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLEWit...
Concarneau, Bretagna, la sera di venerdi 7 Novembre. La cittadina e il suo porto sono spazzate da un forte vento di sud-ovest. L’orologio della città vecchia segna le undici meno cinque, quando uno sparo echeggia e un uomo, appena uscito dall’Hotel de l’Amiral, stramazza a terra …
Il giorno dopo, Maigret, da un mese distaccato alla Squadra Mobile di Rennes, riceve la telefonata del sindaco di Concarneau, che lo prega di recarsi sul posto per indagare sul tentato omicidio.
«Maigret si era fermato di fronte al porto, a cinquanta metri dall’Hotel de l’Amiral. Qualche barca rientrava, ammainava la vela scura facendo il giro del molo e avanzava lentamentea remi. Il riflusso della marea scopriva, ai piedi delle mura della città vecchia, banchi di melma in cui erano come incastonate vecchie pentole e immondizie. Dietro la volta uniforme delle nuvole si indovinava il sole.».
Cette fois, bien sûr, ce n'est pas mon bien-aimé Gino Cervi, mais la magie est presque la même … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLEWit...
April 6, 2025
The Yellow Dog is the sixth book in the Inspector Maigret series by Belgian author, Georges Simenon. It is translated by Linda Asher. Chief Inspector Jules Maigret arrives in the town of Concarneau when a local wine dealer (M.Mostaguen) is seriously wounded by a gunshot to the stomach as he stops in a doorway to light his cigar on his way home from drinks with friends at the Admiral Hotel. It’s young local Inspector Leroy’s first case, so he’s an eager student of the famous Paris detective.
Maigret questions the group of friends: a non-practicing doctor (Ernest Michoux), a man of independent means (Yves Le Pommeret), and the editor of the Brest Beacon (Jean Servieres), as well as the waitress (Emma) at the Hotel café, checks the scene of the shooting, and concludes that the shooter must have been someone very familiar with the town. It is also noted that a yellow dog was at the scene, a dog unknown in the town, a lanky bulldog-mastiff cross. It seems intent on hanging around.
Thereafter, a number of things happen in short succession. The café’s bottles of Pernod, and the Calvados, both favourites with the friends, appear to have been poisoned: the pharmacist declares that the white powder is strychnine. The next morning, it is reported that Servieres didn’t come home, and his car is found with a smashed window and blood-soaked driver’s seat.
The Brest Beacon publishes, from an anonymous letter, an article revealing much more about the incidents than Maigret would have liked, causing a sort of mass hysteria in the town. Someone shoots at the dog, and Maigret has to rescue it. Michoux, paranoid for his safety, takes a room in the Admiral, and hides out there. Then Le Pommeret dies of strychnine poisoning.
It really looks like someone has it in for the group, who, from all accounts, aren’t the nicest people, and the Mayor demands that Maigret arrest someone. Indications that a man larger than any known in the town is about, and a search eventually turns up someone living rough who easily escapes his captors. Maigret makes an arrest, but Leroy, the bunch of reporters who have turned up from Paris, and probably the reader, are all at a loss to interpret his actions until the inevitable denouement. Classic Simenon.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Farrar, Strauss & Giroux.
Maigret questions the group of friends: a non-practicing doctor (Ernest Michoux), a man of independent means (Yves Le Pommeret), and the editor of the Brest Beacon (Jean Servieres), as well as the waitress (Emma) at the Hotel café, checks the scene of the shooting, and concludes that the shooter must have been someone very familiar with the town. It is also noted that a yellow dog was at the scene, a dog unknown in the town, a lanky bulldog-mastiff cross. It seems intent on hanging around.
Thereafter, a number of things happen in short succession. The café’s bottles of Pernod, and the Calvados, both favourites with the friends, appear to have been poisoned: the pharmacist declares that the white powder is strychnine. The next morning, it is reported that Servieres didn’t come home, and his car is found with a smashed window and blood-soaked driver’s seat.
The Brest Beacon publishes, from an anonymous letter, an article revealing much more about the incidents than Maigret would have liked, causing a sort of mass hysteria in the town. Someone shoots at the dog, and Maigret has to rescue it. Michoux, paranoid for his safety, takes a room in the Admiral, and hides out there. Then Le Pommeret dies of strychnine poisoning.
It really looks like someone has it in for the group, who, from all accounts, aren’t the nicest people, and the Mayor demands that Maigret arrest someone. Indications that a man larger than any known in the town is about, and a search eventually turns up someone living rough who easily escapes his captors. Maigret makes an arrest, but Leroy, the bunch of reporters who have turned up from Paris, and probably the reader, are all at a loss to interpret his actions until the inevitable denouement. Classic Simenon.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Farrar, Strauss & Giroux.
May 23, 2025
I love how Georges Simenon manages to capture my interest as soon as I begin reading. He places me at the scene with his wonderful descriptions of the various locations.
Simenon's descriptions of people are wonderful also. Consider his description of two local policemen:
"One of the policemen was young, still beardless. His face radiated eager innocence. The other had a large mahogany-coloured moustache, and his heavy eyebrows gave him an almost ferocious look."
It was truly interesting to see how the attitude of the people and the temperature of the town changed as the investigation progressed. People were afraid and their fear was further stirred up by the way the news was reported in the local newspaper, especially with headlines such as, "WHOSE TURN NEXT?" By four o'clock in the afternoon the streets, normally bustling at this time, "were deserted and deathly silent."
"Wisps of discomfiture hung in the air like the wisps of tobacco coiling about the lamps."
The mayor wonders, "what the mood will be in town tomorrow."
Eventually, the truth of this complicated tale is revealed and the ending is quite satisfying. Throughout, Maigret shows compassion and understanding. He is somewhat aloof, but he makes up for it in the end.
Further wonderful descriptions:
"The sky looked freshly laundered. It was blue, a rather pale but vibrant blue, glistening with light clouds. It made the horizon bigger, as if the celestial bowl were hollowed out."
"The sea sparkled, utterly flat and studded with tiny sails that looked like flags pinned to a military map."
Simenon's descriptions of people are wonderful also. Consider his description of two local policemen:
"One of the policemen was young, still beardless. His face radiated eager innocence. The other had a large mahogany-coloured moustache, and his heavy eyebrows gave him an almost ferocious look."
It was truly interesting to see how the attitude of the people and the temperature of the town changed as the investigation progressed. People were afraid and their fear was further stirred up by the way the news was reported in the local newspaper, especially with headlines such as, "WHOSE TURN NEXT?" By four o'clock in the afternoon the streets, normally bustling at this time, "were deserted and deathly silent."
"Wisps of discomfiture hung in the air like the wisps of tobacco coiling about the lamps."
The mayor wonders, "what the mood will be in town tomorrow."
Eventually, the truth of this complicated tale is revealed and the ending is quite satisfying. Throughout, Maigret shows compassion and understanding. He is somewhat aloof, but he makes up for it in the end.
Further wonderful descriptions:
"The sky looked freshly laundered. It was blue, a rather pale but vibrant blue, glistening with light clouds. It made the horizon bigger, as if the celestial bowl were hollowed out."
"The sea sparkled, utterly flat and studded with tiny sails that looked like flags pinned to a military map."
March 26, 2025
In the windswept town of Concarneau, a real place in the Finistère department of Brittany in Northwestern France, a local wine merchant is shot in the stomach when sheltering in a doorway to light a cigar. Who did it?
Then another influential man is poisoned and yet another's car is found abandoned with bloodstains in it. What's going on?
While the townsfolk are panicking and a yellow dog and a customs official are both shot, Maigret is evaluating everything and everybody in his offhand way. He even tells his associate, Leroy, not to copy his methods.
Maigret's hunch that a sickly waitress at The Admiral Hotel is somehow implicated in what's going on is proved correct, though she's not responsible for any of the deaths or attempted murders.
As usual, this is an intriguing story and an absolute pleasure to read.
Then another influential man is poisoned and yet another's car is found abandoned with bloodstains in it. What's going on?
While the townsfolk are panicking and a yellow dog and a customs official are both shot, Maigret is evaluating everything and everybody in his offhand way. He even tells his associate, Leroy, not to copy his methods.
Maigret's hunch that a sickly waitress at The Admiral Hotel is somehow implicated in what's going on is proved correct, though she's not responsible for any of the deaths or attempted murders.
As usual, this is an intriguing story and an absolute pleasure to read.
June 25, 2019
I really like these Penguin editions of Simenon's mysteries. That's just form, not substance, I understand, but some editions make the reading experience more pleasurable. I don't know why.
This mystery is one of Simenon's earlier works. It was published in 1931. It's good to put that in context so you understand, when they talk about The War, they are talking about WWI.
A man leaves a cafe. It is very windy and he cannot light his cigar. He steps into the entrance by the door of an empty house, bends his head over and concentrates on lighting. Then he keels over.
A security guard has been watching him and smiles at the man's drunken gestures, but when the man does not move, he becomes concerned. It turns out the man has been shot.
How and why did this man get shot? This mystery takes place in a small fishing town away from Paris so our Inspector Maigret works with the local police and also his subordinate Leroy. Actually they all work with Maigret. He does not compromise, he ignores the insistent press demanding information and calmly traces the man's connections and finds a network of friends, all who are extremely scared about the attempt on their friend's life.
Did one of them do it? Did someone else? And what about this huge yellow dog that is hanging around? Who does he belong to? Why is the dog and his owner in the town and do they have anything to do with the crime?
And are more crimes going to be committed? Read the book.
This mystery is one of Simenon's earlier works. It was published in 1931. It's good to put that in context so you understand, when they talk about The War, they are talking about WWI.
A man leaves a cafe. It is very windy and he cannot light his cigar. He steps into the entrance by the door of an empty house, bends his head over and concentrates on lighting. Then he keels over.
A security guard has been watching him and smiles at the man's drunken gestures, but when the man does not move, he becomes concerned. It turns out the man has been shot.
How and why did this man get shot? This mystery takes place in a small fishing town away from Paris so our Inspector Maigret works with the local police and also his subordinate Leroy. Actually they all work with Maigret. He does not compromise, he ignores the insistent press demanding information and calmly traces the man's connections and finds a network of friends, all who are extremely scared about the attempt on their friend's life.
Did one of them do it? Did someone else? And what about this huge yellow dog that is hanging around? Who does he belong to? Why is the dog and his owner in the town and do they have anything to do with the crime?
And are more crimes going to be committed? Read the book.
September 1, 2025
Inspector Maigret is one of my favorite detectives—but in The Yellow Dog, he didn’t feel quite like himself compared to earlier encounters.
A drunken man, a successful business man in a small town shot, a poison drink for his friend and bloody car of his another missing friend are who Maigret should deal with. Poor loyal dog!
Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux via NetGalley for the DRC, this is an honest review.
A drunken man, a successful business man in a small town shot, a poison drink for his friend and bloody car of his another missing friend are who Maigret should deal with. Poor loyal dog!
Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux via NetGalley for the DRC, this is an honest review.
October 1, 2015
"Era impossibile indovinare i sentimenti di Maigret, tutto intento a caricare la la pipa con le dita tozze. La sua borsa da tabacco era lisa. Il suo sguardo vagava, attraverso una vetrata, sull'ampio orizzonte del mare".
Basterebbero queste semplici parole che sono la summa di ciò che è Maigret e di cosa rappresenta nel panorama del giallo, non solo francese.
I romanzi di Simenon dedicati al commissario Maigret si caratterizzano per uno stile semplice, breve, ma essenziale. Poche frasi che puntano diritto all'obiettivo, a quello che si vuole raggiungere e dire.
La figura di Maigret si i staglia diventando il protagonista di un giallo con segreti e misteri da svelare. Su questo mondo, si erge la figura di un uomo arguto che fin dall'inizio ci fa entrare in punta di piedi nel mondo di Maigret.
"Il cane giallo" rientra in una indagine che si svolge in Francia, nella zona di mare del Concarneau, in cui le vicende delle persone comuni (la cameriera Emma, su tutte), sono la parte migliore di una storia in cui il genio di Maigret è più vivo che mai e il paese è in continua trasformazione, proprio come i suoi abitanti.
Basterebbero queste semplici parole che sono la summa di ciò che è Maigret e di cosa rappresenta nel panorama del giallo, non solo francese.
I romanzi di Simenon dedicati al commissario Maigret si caratterizzano per uno stile semplice, breve, ma essenziale. Poche frasi che puntano diritto all'obiettivo, a quello che si vuole raggiungere e dire.
La figura di Maigret si i staglia diventando il protagonista di un giallo con segreti e misteri da svelare. Su questo mondo, si erge la figura di un uomo arguto che fin dall'inizio ci fa entrare in punta di piedi nel mondo di Maigret.
"Il cane giallo" rientra in una indagine che si svolge in Francia, nella zona di mare del Concarneau, in cui le vicende delle persone comuni (la cameriera Emma, su tutte), sono la parte migliore di una storia in cui il genio di Maigret è più vivo che mai e il paese è in continua trasformazione, proprio come i suoi abitanti.
October 19, 2022
Dopo aver bevuto il bicchiere della staffa con gli amici, un uomo esce dal locale, si accosta a una porta per ripararsi dal vento e accendersi una sigaretta e riceve un colpo di pistola. Maigret si reca sul posto (un piccolo paesino bretone) e contemporaneamente compare in paese uno strano cane giallo.
Nei giorni successivi avvengono altri misteriosi delitti, fino a che Maigret non riesce a tirare le fila di tutto e a scoprire la sconcertante verità.
Cupo, claustrofobico, prende alla gola e rivela tutta la piccineria di certi esseri umani.
Come sempre, magistrale la lettura di Battiston.
Nei giorni successivi avvengono altri misteriosi delitti, fino a che Maigret non riesce a tirare le fila di tutto e a scoprire la sconcertante verità.
Cupo, claustrofobico, prende alla gola e rivela tutta la piccineria di certi esseri umani.
Come sempre, magistrale la lettura di Battiston.
July 2, 2021
What could be better than a middle-aged inspector who is grumpy, rough around the edges, a little overweight, smokes a pipe, and spends more time in bars than in the office? For years I have enjoyed reading the Inspector Maigret novels of the Belgian/French writer Georges Simenon, who died in 1989. He wrote seventy-five Maigret novels and twenty-eight Maigret short stories. The Yellow Dog was published in 1931 and adapted for the screen the next year, the first of many screen adaptations of Simenon’s work.
The Maigret novels tend to be short—120 to 200 pages. But Simenon’s straightforward realism, almost minimalism, packs a lot into a little space. One of the advantages of reading the novels is that they are relatively quick reads that deliver engaging plot, characters, and dialogue. Simenon’s other novels include the highly praised existential romans dur, again relatively short works that read very much like Camus’s The Stranger. Dark, sultry, and mesmerizing, the romans dur are literary jewels.
The Yellow Dog, though one of the early Maigret novels, is I think one of the best examples of the series. Maigret is gruff and commands great respect and even fear from those who work with him, but he is thoughtful and sensitive to the lives of those he deals with, both victims and the perpetrators. The writing style in this novel is representative of Simenon. It opens with,
“Friday, 7 November. Concarneau is empty. The lighted clock in the old Town glows above the ramparts; it is five minutes to eleven.
The tide is in, and a south-westerly gale is slamming the boats together in the harbour. The wind surges through the streets. Here and there a scrap of paper scuttles swiftly along the ground.”
The yellow dog, seen only a few times in the novel, of course has an important role in solving the case.
Maigret doesn’t always win, but he is a bulldog when he gets the scent. A grumpy, loveable, consmmate detective.
The Maigret novels tend to be short—120 to 200 pages. But Simenon’s straightforward realism, almost minimalism, packs a lot into a little space. One of the advantages of reading the novels is that they are relatively quick reads that deliver engaging plot, characters, and dialogue. Simenon’s other novels include the highly praised existential romans dur, again relatively short works that read very much like Camus’s The Stranger. Dark, sultry, and mesmerizing, the romans dur are literary jewels.
The Yellow Dog, though one of the early Maigret novels, is I think one of the best examples of the series. Maigret is gruff and commands great respect and even fear from those who work with him, but he is thoughtful and sensitive to the lives of those he deals with, both victims and the perpetrators. The writing style in this novel is representative of Simenon. It opens with,
“Friday, 7 November. Concarneau is empty. The lighted clock in the old Town glows above the ramparts; it is five minutes to eleven.
The tide is in, and a south-westerly gale is slamming the boats together in the harbour. The wind surges through the streets. Here and there a scrap of paper scuttles swiftly along the ground.”
The yellow dog, seen only a few times in the novel, of course has an important role in solving the case.
Maigret doesn’t always win, but he is a bulldog when he gets the scent. A grumpy, loveable, consmmate detective.
August 29, 2019
Напълно бях забравил за Сименон и неговият комисар Мегре, четени още в прогимназията. Голяма грешка. Като гледам колко ми допаднаха сега, на дърти години, и стилът на писане, и характерът на комисаря, и методите му за разкриване на престъпленията, ще се чете наред.
Мегре е уверен, спокоен, няма ги надувките на Поаро и Холмс, няма го дразнещото от мис Марпъл и Ниро Улф, няма я дори нахакаността на Арчи Гудуинг и героите на Чандлър. Човекът просто си върши работата, като понякога си позволява да разпъне сериозно рамката на закона. И най-вежното – работи с хора - характери и влечения, не с факти, дедукция и улики (не че ги няма, просто методите на Мегре са доста по-симпатично-манипулативни).
Самата Франция, в типичния за националната си литература стил, е мрачна и мръсна, авторът успява да покаже най-лошото (ама чат-пат и най-доброто) от хората. Може да се каже, че тези произведения на Сименон влизад в хардбойлед поджанра, почти. А пейзажните описания, страшно нетипично за епохата, са позиционирани с по две-три изречения и също са разкошни.
Книгата съдържа две истории (хронологично са третата и деветнадесетата за Мегре).
Жълтото куче – в едно малко градче, което е станало бастион за група западащи аристократи, някой започва да се опитва да ги затрие. Всичко се вързва с един скитащ жълт помиар и едни оставени от гигантски крака следи. Кметът и журналисти от цяла Франция натискат нашия комисар да намери виновен, но той е на ясно, че в тази история не е някакви случайни престъпления на скитник или луд.
Мегре – Комисарят вече е щастливо пенсиониран, но един ден племеникът му Филип го измъква за ушите от пасторалната идилия и го вкарва обратно насред престъпния свят на Париж. Мегре ще трябва да използва всички свои класически номера, за да отърве задника на младия Филип от панделата и да вкара там един влиятелен престъпен бос.
Продължаваме нататък.
Мегре е уверен, спокоен, няма ги надувките на Поаро и Холмс, няма го дразнещото от мис Марпъл и Ниро Улф, няма я дори нахакаността на Арчи Гудуинг и героите на Чандлър. Човекът просто си върши работата, като понякога си позволява да разпъне сериозно рамката на закона. И най-вежното – работи с хора - характери и влечения, не с факти, дедукция и улики (не че ги няма, просто методите на Мегре са доста по-симпатично-манипулативни).
Самата Франция, в типичния за националната си литература стил, е мрачна и мръсна, авторът успява да покаже най-лошото (ама чат-пат и най-доброто) от хората. Може да се каже, че тези произведения на Сименон влизад в хардбойлед поджанра, почти. А пейзажните описания, страшно нетипично за епохата, са позиционирани с по две-три изречения и също са разкошни.
Книгата съдържа две истории (хронологично са третата и деветнадесетата за Мегре).
Жълтото куче – в едно малко градче, което е станало бастион за група западащи аристократи, някой започва да се опитва да ги затрие. Всичко се вързва с един скитащ жълт помиар и едни оставени от гигантски крака следи. Кметът и журналисти от цяла Франция натискат нашия комисар да намери виновен, но той е на ясно, че в тази история не е някакви случайни престъпления на скитник или луд.
Мегре – Комисарят вече е щастливо пенсиониран, но един ден племеникът му Филип го измъква за ушите от пасторалната идилия и го вкарва обратно насред престъпния свят на Париж. Мегре ще трябва да използва всички свои класически номера, за да отърве задника на младия Филип от панделата и да вкара там един влиятелен престъпен бос.
Продължаваме нататък.
October 19, 2022
In uno scenario prevalentemente notturno e piovoso, in cui si susseguono agguati, tentati omicidi, avvelenamenti e il clima di sospetto si stringe attorno ai notabili di paese, l'apparizione di un enorme cane giallo che vaga per i luoghi dei delitti è proprio una trovata d'ingegno sopraffina.
November 7, 2018
Well that was fun, and the ending completely unexpected.
as I keep saying, more on this book shortly.
as I keep saying, more on this book shortly.
January 15, 2019
Very enjoyable, I am loving these books so far. I think this one is my second favourite of the ones I have read up to now.
January 10, 2022
Maigret in a Paranoid Town
Review of the Penguin Classics paperback (2014) of a new translation by Linda Asher from the French language original Le Chien Jaune (1931)
The title card for the French language TV adaptation of "The Yellow Dog." Image sourced from IMDb.
I've now read several of the early Maigret novellas in the past few 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 The Yellow Dog, the usually Parisian-based Detective Chief Inspector Maigret is called into service at a seaside town when he is working administration in a nearby area. The case starts off with what appears to be a random shooting, but then continues to target various prominent citizens in the town with an attempted poisoning, an attack & a disappearance and a murder. In each case, a vagrant yellow dog is spotted in the vicinity. Then a heavy-set stranger becomes the object of everyone's suspicion and the town is on edge while waiting for the next assault. Maigret appears to take a very lackadaisical attitude at times with both the town authorities and the press, but he unravels the mystery nevertheless.
In order to confuse the completists, this is Maigret #5 in the Penguin Classics series of new translations (2013-2019) of the Inspector Maigret novels and short stories, but it is considered #6 according to the previous standard Maigret Series Listopia as listed on Goodreads.
Trivia and Links
The Yellow Dog, under its original French title Le Chien jaune, was adapted twice for French television in 1968 & 1988, as part of the 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.
Review of the Penguin Classics paperback (2014) of a new translation by Linda Asher from the French language original Le Chien Jaune (1931)
Three days, three incidents! Little wonder that Concarneau is in the grip of terror, as anxious citizens wonder who the next victim will be.
The public is particularly disturbed by the mysterious presence of a yellow dog, which no one knows, which seems to have no master and which reappears with each new misfortune. - a newspaper report summarizing early events in The Yellow Dog
The title card for the French language TV adaptation of "The Yellow Dog." Image sourced from IMDb.
I've now read several of the early Maigret novellas in the past few 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 The Yellow Dog, the usually Parisian-based Detective Chief Inspector Maigret is called into service at a seaside town when he is working administration in a nearby area. The case starts off with what appears to be a random shooting, but then continues to target various prominent citizens in the town with an attempted poisoning, an attack & a disappearance and a murder. In each case, a vagrant yellow dog is spotted in the vicinity. Then a heavy-set stranger becomes the object of everyone's suspicion and the town is on edge while waiting for the next assault. Maigret appears to take a very lackadaisical attitude at times with both the town authorities and the press, but he unravels the mystery nevertheless.
In order to confuse the completists, this is Maigret #5 in the Penguin Classics series of new translations (2013-2019) of the Inspector Maigret novels and short stories, but it is considered #6 according to the previous standard Maigret Series Listopia as listed on Goodreads.
Trivia and Links
The Yellow Dog, under its original French title Le Chien jaune, was adapted twice for French television in 1968 & 1988, as part of the 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.
January 12, 2024
Tra i primi Maigret, sempre affascinanti le ambientazioni, i luoghi e volti della piccola provincia. L'umanità di Maigret è già una sua caratteristica che si esprime soprattutto nei confronti dei più deboli.
May 12, 2015
Another of the early Maigret mysteries first published in 1931, this one has Inspector Maigret investigating what seems to be an attempted murder in Concarneau, a small town on the coast of Brittany. There are several more incidents, including a poisoning. And there is a little yellow dog in the vicinity being seen at most of them. As in most small towns, everybody knows everybody else and word gets around fast, so Maigret has to deal with the alarmed public and mayor while investigating. Fast moving with a quite satisfactory ending.
November 8, 2021
Fino ad ora ho letto un trentina dei libri di Simenon con protagonista Maigret.
Mai una volta sono rimasto deluso, anzi più ne leggo, più mi piacciono e più mi appassiono ed affeziono al personaggio di Maigret.
Ogni volta è come rincontrare un vecchio e buon amico che ti racconta una storia.
Mai una volta sono rimasto deluso, anzi più ne leggo, più mi piacciono e più mi appassiono ed affeziono al personaggio di Maigret.
Ogni volta è come rincontrare un vecchio e buon amico che ti racconta una storia.
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