Street life...

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Following a robbery, the police are staking out a rooming-house where the suspect had been living in the hopes that he will return. But one evening, one of the police officers, Janvier, is shot outside the house. The police think it may have been the robbery suspect, Paulus, who shot him, so it's even more vital now that they catch him. Maigret is on his own at the moment as his wife is away looking after her sick sister, so he decides to move into the rooming-house to be on the spot should Paulus return.

I enjoyed this one a lot. We know straight away that Janvier is still alive, so the plot isn't quite as dark as it would have been had he been killed, but we still get to see the emotional impact of the shooting on Janvier's wife. The rooming-house is run by the charming Mademoiselle Clément, a lady of middle years and twinkling eye, whose somewhat over-the-top personality provides a lot of fun and humour. As always, Simenon creates an authentic feel of Paris, and the rooming-house setting allows for there to be several characters, each with their own story. Maigret is at something of a loss without his wife though part of him is rather enjoying the adventure of living in the rooming-house, and he doesn't seem averse to a little mild flirting with his landlady. He gradually chats to most of the people in the street, the shop and café owners as well as the neighbours, and while Maigret is gathering together clues that will lead to the solution, Simenon is building up an affectionate picture of life in one of the less fashionable streets of Paris.

I listened to the Audible version, narrated by Gareth Armstrong. He speaks more quickly than most narrators and I rather liked that and felt it suited the tone of the book – kept it going at a rattling pace. He gives different voices to the various characters, using English accents throughout and suiting them well to the class and position in society each holds. I prefer the use of English accents when “foreign” characters are supposed to be speaking in their own language – it sounds more natural than having the characters speak English in a faux foreign accent. His portrayal of Mlle Clément is a little caricatured, which works for her character and adds to the lightness in tone of the book. All-in-all, I think it's an excellent narration.

The solution is more complex than it seems as if it's going to be, and Maigret gets there by a nifty little piece of detective work. And the story behind the crime gives us a glimpse into darkness, so that in the end the tone is nicely balanced. The translation is by Shaun Whiteside, which means that it's smooth and flawless. Most enjoyable – I'm looking forward to reading more of Maigret's adventures, or listening to them.

NB This book was provided for review by Audible via MidasPR.

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2 people found this helpful

Maigret is always entertaining.

Set in a time when police attitudes were a little more relaxed. Maigret himself is slightly mor grumpy than usual but always gets his man in a humane way. The characters are lightly drawn and all seem to respect Maigret as he does them which is why the books are a comforting read.

The reader is highly believable and pleasant to listen to (although he can't pronounce Les Halles).

My only real criticism which makes me hesitate to buy from this series is that most are 3 to 4 hours long which does not get me through a week. For a credit I would like 2 or 3 books on one purchase.

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2 people found this helpful