Maigret in Court

Inspector Maigret #55

by Georges Simenon

In a great courtroom drama, Maigret has to explain why he does not believe that Gaston Meurant was capable of slitting his aunt's throat for money and smothering a small child. But in saving him from the gallows, Maigret must expose some dark secrets about Meurant's life.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, France, Novels, Detective, Belgian

126 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

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 is (was?) my fifth Simenon novel and fourth Maigret story, and I finally noticed the common thread that runs through all of them - Cherchez la femme. There is at least a woman at the root of not just crime but all problems it seems, if five books are a large enough sample only further reading will reveal. Of course when I say a woman it is not every woman, there are various women who appear to be non-dangerous: Maigret's wife, an old possibly mad-woman with a yard full of ducks and geese, a former nanny, the Virgin Mary (presumably, but the stories are unclear on that point so far), all other women are certainly dangerous - they tend to be voluptuous, and may wear trousers. All of which strikes me as so much Smurf sociology. As I recall the Smurfs lived peacefully under the leadership of their Abbott, or cardinal, or Pope, until one day a female Smurf was introduced, she went on to cause all kinds of problems until she became blonde. To revert to my usual crude psychologising this seems a plain case of projection on Simenon's case, as it was his own sexuality (and or various woes) that led him to charge around chasing after one night stands and prostitutes even when married and living with one or two mistresses under the one roof as well. But in his fictional world it is the women who are the mobile, disruptive force which, as I gather from these stories , keep Maigret, squads of detectives, and legions of technical staff in well paid jobs. Whoever it was who said that crime never pays plainly was not thinking of the bigger picture. It is not then that the woman commits the crime necessarily, but she might be there in the background pushing a man over the edge.

I'm mildly interested that while in a Crime in Holland Maigret makes fun of the idea of not punishing criminals, yet on the whole the books imply to my mind that punishment is pointless. The circumstances that lead to crime in these stories are all so particular to the psychology and environment of a particular individual caught up in a web of relationships that punishment seems pointless, resettlement to Alpine goat farms for a life of herding and cheese making seems more useful all round. In Simenon's somewhat Augustinian viewpoint, even if trousers for women are banned, voluptuousness will still occur and so crime will follow - this explains why there are so many Maigret novels.

On the plus side, if the foregoing seems too constricting, the stories are magnificently atmospheric. In this one, beginning in a court case Simenon stresses the ritual of justice, it is a religious act, Maigret, here two years away from retirement is possibly a bit too old to be an altar boy, but he is a participant in this mass presided over by the priest-magistrate. That is I suppose why there has to be punishment, justice is not a rational endeavour it is a ceremony to restore the divine order disturbed by sin. I am not sure that Simenon takes himself too seriously because he tells us that Maigret and wife buy themselves a home out of Paris for their retirement on the basis that at least one room smells like an Abbey.

Simenon is also a master craftsman, there is no mystery really in this story, but in how Simenon tells it the tale is still a page turner, chasing down the details and watching the unfolding of the inevitable is as satisfying as some flashy revelation, maybe more so, the slow patient turning over of facts gives each story its own beating heart.

A crime in Holland
Tropic Moon
Maigret and the Saturday Caller
The Two-penny bar

[Supratim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Maigret book, and what a read it was! I really wish I had been introduced to the French policeman earlier.

In this book, Maigret is preparing for his retirement. He has only 2 years of service left. Probably not the best book to start the series, but the character I “met” in this book has piqued my curiosity, and I would love to explore the series.

Anyway, now let us come to the story. A mild-mannered craftsman, Gaston Meurant, has been accused of murdering his aunt and a child for some money. But, the good policeman is not convinced of Meurant’s crime.

If you are expecting that through some brilliant detective work, Maigret would prove Meurant’s innocence, then, my dear reader, you would be wrong! The court would set Meurant free due to lack of substantial evidence, and thus begins our story.

This police procedural is not a mystery per se, but a thriller. You would have guessed, at least partially, the real culprits, but you would still keep turning the pages.

In this novel, Maigret does not play an active role; instead he is keeping a watch. He knows what it was all about and possibly how the story would end.

This is the story of what a good man is capable of doing when his world is shattered. I can’t recall the names, but I have come across stories with similar plots in those thriller/mystery TV shows.

What I really liked was the atmosphere of the novel. For me, France in the late fifties was a novel experience. I also appreciate the realistic setting and characters.

I had purchased two Maigret novels in a book sale. I am reading the other one, Locke 14, as of the time of writing this review. That one is a good-old mystery story.

From what I have seen, this series is indeed worth exploring!

Recommended! 

By the way, this book appears in the Crime and Mystery: The 100 Best Books by H.R.F. Keating, the English crime fiction writer

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

November 2023 Lunchtime Listen

An excellent example of a Maigret novel. The book opens with Maigret in court giving evidence at a murder trial where a man is accused of murdering his Auntie and a young child for the money his Aunt had in her flat. Whilst all the evidence points to the poor man, Maigret is not convinced and since the official investigation ceased he has been unofficially investigating further and completely against normal procedure, he informs the judge of his further findings.
So begins a further official investigation that leads to unexpected quarters and totally unexpected results. Should Maigret have bothered or did he do the right thing ?

Brilliantly read as ever by Gareth Armstrong.

[Luís · Rating 4 out of 5]

The originality of this episode is that it begins at the end, with the trial of the presumed culprit. This culprit needs to count on the testimony of Maigret, which comes to shake certainties.
Spinning mills, Parisian Maigret gruff and human simultaneously, a good opus I devoured.

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

The novel opens with Maigret in the witness room waiting to testify. He is not at ease, but apparently he feels that way each time he testifies. Court proceedings are different than in the US and it is the Judge (Magistrate) who asks the questions. It is all very matter of fact. We learn of the crime - a double murder - and the investigation. And then, while in the witness chair, Maigret drops a bombshell.

I'll just say outright that I think this is my favorite Maigret so far. I remarked to myself about halfway that there were parts of this that had more of Simenon's noirish feel as in his roman durs. It reminded me that I should get after another of those.

Anyway, I am obviously not reading Maigret in order (I have read 6 others and this is #55) and I won't pretend that one ought to do so. All the same, though there are another nearly 20 in the series, there is every indication that Maigret is nearing the end of his career. I'll be happy to read more of them, but probably intentionally avoid reading #75 until I've read the others. I don't want him to retire - ever. I try save the harder noir novels for my 5-stars, so this is among the better of the 4-star group.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another page turner by Simenon. Gaston Gerant is on trial for the murder of his aunt and a small child. There also is missing his aunts savings of gold coins and bank bearer bonds. Maigret gives evidence where it is apparent he believes that the suspect is innocent in a roundabout way.

Once again a woman 👩 is the driving cause behind the murder. In this case Ginette the wife of Gaston who we find was having an affair with his brother and another man. That man her lover is revealed in the final pages.

Maigret has also just bought his retirement house in the countryside as he nears retirement. He is gradually winding down his career and reflecting on his life and the difference with court and the separation of reality.

Gaston is acquitted and sets off to find the murderer after realizing what sort of woman is wife is in reality. A sad ending beside a canal and it has an inevitability about it. Perhaps Maigret could have prevented it but that is not his style.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

From previous books we have learned that Maigret is dissatisfied how things are going at the Quai des Orfèvrrs. His role has been greatly diminished since the prosecuting magistrate gets involved and ties his hands. His famous methods are no longer in vogue, as a policeman of his stature, needs to delegate more and be a commander in chief from his desk not out on the streets of Paris.
In Maigret in Court we find a more sanguine Maigret no longer just thinking about his future but taking great steps planning and procuring for his retirement.
He is ruminating along these lines as he is in court being asked questions about the case he led into a double murder and the suspect being brought to trial.
He wonders how in this snapshot of time anything he says can help the jury understand the milieu of the neighbourhood where the crime occurred or the lives of those involved. When he needs to look in people’s eyes, watch them in situ, understand relationships and the world they inhabit to build his investigation. Their backgrounds and dreams into adulthood all must be comprehended and reflected upon. He is normally asked for a ten-minute summation and testimony when asked to attend court. He cannot begin to convey all these things and open a window onto the crime or the defendant.
The jury has little chance, as of all the witness testimonies and statements only a brief insight is gained by the lawyers questioning for a truth and outcome they seek.
In this case he goes on for nearly an hour, his mind seeing the formal working of the court through eyes of a young server in his childhood church.
But his evidence is telling he has no direct opinion of Gaston Meurant’s guilt either way he’d contend. However, the judge is made aware that Maigret has not closed the case; he has continued to investigate matters, he even has his men watching in court. Something does not sit right with him. He doesn’t say as much directly but as a result the defendant is acquitted but not before learning some damming truths about his wife’s behaviour. There is also suspicion raised upon his wife’s conduct; fortunately, she isn’t the one on trial.
I really love this novel.
It has this reflection by Maigret through his evidence in court.
The case is back to front.
The investigation has realised a suspect and he has be committed to trial. But the evidence while never conclusive to Maigret, he knows the verdict could equally have been guilty. We then have a new dynamic in the investigation and through watching Meurant and his wife following his realise, Maigret plays a waiting game.
You can share the frustration he further feels as he is just a spectator for once, directing operations, being kept in touch with events as the net is cast outside Paris. It is as though his time to retire is about right for him although his approach and intuition could never be replaced. It is what makes Simenon’s detective so compelling and human.
He sees a possible frame to send Meurant to his execution, a perfect fall guy, whose life has stalled. But Maigret greatest insight in why he could not have committed this crime is because he would have murdered his aunt when she was alone. He would never have harmed a child in this way. Yet it is this very fact that had the papers and public baying for a guilty verdict.

Something else the great detective will not miss. This is a book any fan of Maigret will not want to miss.

[José Van Rosmalen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In deze thriller beschrijft Simenon in de eerste helft een rechtszitting waarin commissaris Maigret als getuige wordt gehoord in een gruwelijke moordzaak waarbij een oude vrouw en een klein meisje om het leven zijn gebracht. De verdachte is Gaston Meurant, de neef van zijn vermoorde tante, maar de getuigenis van Maigret leidt er toe dat hij bij gebrek aan bewijs wordt vrijgesproken. Na zijn vrijlating laat Maigret Meurant en zijn vrouw in de gaten houden en daarbij voltrekt zich opnieuw een drama. Daarbij speelt de tweelingbroer van Meurant een rol en ook een minnaar van zijn vrouw. Dit leidt tot spannende achtervolgingen. Simenon is erg goed in sfeertekeningen en hij weet het huwelijksleven van Meurant en zijn vrouw goed te treffen. Het is in die zin een originele Maigret dat ik geen ander boek uit de Maigretreeks ken, waarin een rechterlijk verhoor zo’n duidelijke rol speelt. De spanning blijft in het hele boek in stand, met een geloofwaardige ontknoping.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uno dei migliori Maigret (ma lo dico sempre al termine di ogni lettura)

[Toby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take a love triangle featuring two brothers and a wife who likes to sleep around, take a relative who's quite old with a quantity of cash hidden in her apartment, take a detective who isn't satisfied that the right man has been charged with a crime, take any one of these concepts and you're sure to find some trashy melodrama written or filmed based around them. It takes somebody talented, somebody with a gift, somebody like Georges Simenon, to turn it in to something more, something better, something with depth and interesting characters.

This is the first Maigret I've read that feels like it might come close to matching Simenon's more serious non-Maigret work.

H.R.F. Keating chose it as the best of the Maigret series in his Crime and Mystery: The 100 Best Books and he's quite probably right, I'm quietly hopeful that he isn't as I still have over 60 of the series to read and that'd would mean I'll be let down by all of tehm from now on.

The quality of writing is what stands this head and shoulders above the others that I've read so far. Maigret is a very enjoyable character but with this story we are treated to much more, his almost existential fears are on display as he contemplates retirement and the failings of the police/judicial system of France in the 50's. His understanding of human nature and especially human weaknesses are second to none, and in this novel Simenon delves further, allowing us to witness his self-analysis and doubts over his own actions.

The crime in this story seems irrelevant, a mere means to an end; the study of the dark side of humanity as seemingly ordinary people behave in ways you wouldn't normally think possible.

A note about the cover of the edition I own, the photographs are from the incredibly talented Chris Marker (director of La Jetee and Sans Soleil) and combine in a collage to create a visual feast of starkly contrasting light and dark set off quite wonderfully by the classic Penguin Crime green. Somehow the scan that I added to GR has made it look even better.

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat obliquely framed as a courtroom drama followed by a tale of pursuit in which the action mostly takes place offstage, once the pieces fall into place this is a classic Maigret mystery in which the solving of the puzzle seems to take second place to the unravelling of another dark tale of human frailty.

[Ioana · Rating 3 out of 5]

O lectură ușoară, numai bună pentru o după-amiază de vară

[Owen Townend · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps reading a book in the middle of the long-running Maigret series wasn't the wisest decision, but I must say this one didn't require much broader context to appreciate.

I comfortably kept pace with the tight crime plot that is framed by court procedure. The fact that the accused murderer owns a frame shop seems to me particularly droll. Simenon clearly has an eye for understated wordplay as well as criminal detail.

While I was on the whole impressed by how he reveals suspect movements through dialogue between the titular detective and his hardworking men on the street, I did wish that Maigret had actively engaged in the pursuit himself. During the final quarter of the book, he is never far from the telephone and doesn't apprehend the killer till others have tracked them down first. Then again I suppose this is simply how Maigret operates at this advanced stage of his career. The man is actually two years from retirement (maybe this is where the joke came from) but will he be able to stop?

I may well pick up another Maigret story in future, this time from earlier on in the series. If all the books are as short and precise as this one, I would say it's worth a binge. In the meantime, I recommend Maigret in Court to those who are curious about the seminal French detective and not too bothered about reading his cases out of order.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From Tout Simenon:
En Cour d'assises, à la barre des témoins, Maigret rend compte de l'enquête qu'il a menée huit mois auparavant à propos du meurtre d'une vieille dame et de sa petite pensionnaire, meurtre qui a permis au coupable de s'emparer d'une somme importante. Une accusation anonyme, des taches de sang sur un costume, une traite urgente à payer, autant d'indices qui ont permis à la police d'inculper l'encadreur Gaston Meurant du meurtre de sa tante, Léontine Faverges, et de la petite Cécile Perrin. Cependant, faute de preuves suffisantes, l'accusé est acquitté après un procès houleux où des témoignages inattendus font rebondir l'enquête.

Opening lines:
Était-il venu ici deux cents, trois cents fois ? davantage encore ? Il n'avait pas envie de les compter, ni de se remémorer chaque cas en particulier, même les plus célèbres, ceux qui étaient entrés dans l'histoire judiciaire, car c'était le côté le plus pénible de sa profession. La plupart de ses enquêtes, pourtant, n'aboutissaient-elles pas à la Cour d'Assises, comme aujourd'hui, ou en Correctionnelle ? Il aurait préféré l'ignorer, en tout cas rester à l'écart de ces derniers rites auxquels il ne s'était jamais complètement habitué.

A TV adaptation was made based on this book: Maigret aux assises (1971), with Jean Richard, Jacques Serres, Muriel Baptiste.

[Sofia Capriani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great plot. It is somewhat atypical because half of the book is set in a courtroom, where we meet the presumed brutal killer of the middle-aged woman from higher strata of demi-monde and of the little girl who lived with the woman. Maigret's testimony changes the almost solved case, because - athough responsible for charging the accused - he continued his investigations after seeing certain inconsistencies in the behaviour of the accused's sexy wife. In the book, then, we do not follow the usual path of discovered crime, and the routine investigation. Instead, we have the interruption of the presumed finished investigation, and then the real hunt for the criminal. Compared to earlier Maigret novels, this one presents advanced crime-fiction, focused very much of the subtleties of the crime solving, as well as on the fearlesness and instincts, but also cool head of the chief inspector. It is really fascinating how Simenon was not tired of writing about the famous detective, and managed to find fresh material as well as unused paths of writing about it. Very good!

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this one, a sad but satisfying conclusion. Slowly but surely finishing this series, maybe I will get it finished this year.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging, concisely written crime fiction novella that begins in a courtroom with Detective Inspector Maigret doubtful that Gaston Maurant, the defendant, is guilty of strangling his aunt and smothering to death a four year old girl. An interesting story about Gaston Maurant, a loner, who has a picture framing business. When he is just over 30 year old he falls in love and from this time his life changes in ways he would never have foreseen.

First published in France in 1960. The 55th book in the Maigret series.

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A woman has been killed in her Paris flat for the secret store of gold that she kept in a vase. Her throat was cut, and the child she minded during the day was also murdered. Her nephew is on trial for the crimes, but Maigret has a doubt.

I’m not a big fan of courtroom detective stories, but this one fairly soon moves away from the trial and concentrates on what led up to it and follows from it. I wouldn’t say it’s a favourite Maigret for me, but it was an enjoyable short read. I would have given 3.5 stars if that were possible.

[Claudiu · Rating 3 out of 5]

ma asteptam la un roman mai ingenios decat a fost. mi s-a parut usor previzibil, dar scris foarte literar.

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great- read it at the shore. one day. Typical fast Maigret read. Maigret must go to the overhot court where he is NOT in his element. Everything is made straightforward- yes and no- what date - etc. but in reality none of M. cases are like that as we know. They are in the mileau... and we are slowly recounted into the environment where the the accused lives a tormented home life. He has been accused of killing his rich aunt and a child in her care. Of course he didn't do it and M. manages his peeps well enough to uncover the truth before the man can be convicted. Great for it's M. reflections on court and what justice amounts to. Also poignant in it's slow consideration of M.'s upcoming retirement and what that will mean. Beautiful.

[Seth Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published in 1960 along with three others. Four books in a year was not an unusual occurrence for Georges Simenon. He has claimed that he could write a novel in eleven days. Those days were spent locked in a study where he would go into a frenzied trance and live out the book. I’m not sure I believe him – the books I have read of his seem too well written to have been churned out in eleven days. He produced something like two-hundred novels over his life time, along with another couple of hundred novellas and short story collections.


I’m not so keen on the Maigret novels once the move beyond the 1930′s and 1940′s. I haven’t been able to discern why not. I do like reading them and they are good stories. I think it is something to do with the character of Maigret. There is something I don’t really like about him. This something is less obvious in the early novels. Perhaps it is his complacency. Whatever it is hasn’t stopped me buying his books – this one is probably the tenth I have read in the series.

Simenon (despite my slight dislike of Maigret) is probably one of my favourite writers. This is a fact which caught me unawares one day. His crime novels – outside the Maigret series – are excellent. The Maigrets are good but these are in a higher class. A particular favourite is Stain on the Snow. The Blue Room is also a fantastic book. Both of them are sordid, dealing with pettiness and bitterness. The crimes are virtually pointless. Yet these two books are excellent studies on the human condition. The disgusting man from Stain on the Snow becomes something of a hero – not because he improves but because the people round are so much worse. The events in The Blue Room are being recounted to an examining magistrate investigating the murder of the man’s wife. He had never meant to kill her, never intended for her to be killed, and yet…it’s on Amazon if you want to read it. If you live in a town larger than Douglas it may also be in a bookshop too.

[Tiarnán · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and a half*

[Kb · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to talk about this book? Simenon is changing things up again, just a little, but by now I can compare this book to others in the series.

It starts out with Maigret testifying in court and then staying for some of the court proceedings, which makes this book reminiscent of “Maigret at the Coroner’s” (#32), even though that one takes place in Arizona rather than Paris and the cases involved are very different. The wife of the accused is somewhat similar to Félicie (in the eponymous book #25 in the series); that is, small, coquettish, and airheaded, but also willful and determined, though arguably not very intelligent.

After the court case is resolved, the story takes a different direction and we see another crime in the making. Simenon, using Maigret as a close observer, takes us through it step by step.

In this book Maigret spends most of his time either in the court at the Palais de Justice, or in his office at Quai des Orfèvres. His connection with the outside world is mainly through reports from his men. We do learn that this is the summer when he buys the house in Meung-sur-Loire that he eventually retires to. Maigret drinks beer with his lunch, but otherwise alcohol does not play a big role.

This book would be fine as a stand-alone, but a better experience if you have read some other books in the series, particularly #19 “Maigret”, and #33 “Maigret and the Old Lady”.* Recommended.

* Just realized I am mixing up #33 and #26, “Maigret Gets Angry”. Both involve an old woman from a provincial town asking Maigret to get involved in a case, but #26 takes place post-retirement.

[Ann Dewar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maigret is a conundrum in a very French sort of way. He is lugubrious and quietly cynical but an observer of human nature and seems to allow events to unfold without judgment until it is finally time for him to act.

What Simenon does incredibly well is draw you into the world of Paris of the period and give a real flavour of the different types of people who inhabit the various arrondissements. He manages to ratchet tension and involve the reader in such an unshowy way within such short novels.

This is one of the best I have read, moving from courtroom to action instead of the more customary reverse procedure. The tale of a decent man pushed to his emotional limits. Well worth the few hours it takes to read it.

[arcobaleno · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intermezzo...
Fa respirare un’aria tranquilla, rasserenante e familiare, nonostante il duplice efferato omicidio; nonostante la stanchezza di Maigret, alle soglie della pensione; e nonostante le atmosfere malinconiche che l’Ispettore sembra riflettere, immedesimandosi negli ambienti stessi degli indagati, alla ricerca delle più intime motivazioni e di una ricostruzione, dal profondo, del crimine.
Gradito intermezzo di lettura (in una vecchia edizione "Oscar Mondadori" tutta scompaginata), che mi ha suscitato piacevoli ricordi di un Gino Cervi televisivo, burbero ma umano, piacevole per me bambina.

[Davidg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the Maigret novels I have read so far, this has been my favourite. Whilst planning his retirement, Maigret finds himself, yet again, in court to give evidence in a murder case. The nephew of a woman who kept cash and gold in her apartment, is accused of her murder and of her 4 year old ward. Maigret adds his evidence which seems to confirm the defendant’s guilt but then he starts to make reference to the nephew’s wife.

Who has tried to frame the nephew and how is his wife involved? Maigret has to involve police forces all over France as he keeps tabs on the couple.

It is just a short entertaining read as the he draws the threads together.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Events are a part of a pre-ordained ritual in this novel, be it the trial, the various cross-country chases or, even, Maigret's retirement. They follow a timetable and have an outcome that is inescapable.

The trial of Gaston Meurant follows a pattern, Maigret recognizes this as a necessary ritual, one designed to elicit the facts, but not the truth. On this occasion, Maigret helps the truth along. However, there are consequences and Maigret is all too well aware of them, even if the participants are not.

This is a well-observed tale of domestic betrayal and revenge, all of it, seemingly, understood and foretold by the God of the Quai des Orfèvres, Maigret.

[Dvora Treisman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good one. All the Inspector Maigret stories are good only some are even better than others. The characters were good as was the ending. This was on my regular shelf among many other Maigrets so I thought I had read it before, but not a single thing about it was familiar!

Ha! Just read it again, more than three years later and again I didn't remember a thing. Not a thing.

[Jrobertus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorites in the series. The first half is set in a trial where as a witness Maigret reveals the actions that led to the arrest of a picture framer for the murder of his aunt and a child living with her. Some things don't add up however and he casts doubt on his own case before finding the real killer. Very atmospheric and witty as usual.

[(Mark) EchoWolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another very enjoyable Maigret short novel, as they all are, with the culprit eventually being found.
This is also a lesson in relationships, and how important it is to marry the right person for you, or end up being psychologically persecuted for much of your life, either that, or you simply turn a blind eye and live a delusion.