Books in series
#1
Pietr the Latvian
1931
The first novel in the famous Inspector Maigret series.
What Maigret sought, and what he waited and watched out for, was the crack in the wall. In other words, the instant when the human being comes out from behind the opponent.
Who is Pietr the Latvian? Is he a gentleman thief? A Russian drinking absinthe in a grimy bar? A married Norwegian sea captain? A twisted corpse in a train bathroom? Or is he all of these men? Inspector Maigret, tracking a mysterious adversary and a trail of bodies, must bide his time before the answer can come into focus.
This one's a gripping translation. This Penguin Simenon series features brilliant renderings by some of today's best translators from French to English. "Pietr the Latvian," and the ones which follow, introduce the intrepid Inspector to a brand new audience.
#2
The Carter of 'La Providence'
1931
What was the woman doing here? Why was her body found in a stable, wearing pearl earrings, a stylish bracelet and white buckskin shoes?
She must have been alive when she got there because the crime had been committed after ten in the evening. But how? And why? No one had heard a thing! She had not screamed. The two carters had not woken up. If a whip had not been mislaid, the body might not have been discovered for a couple of weeks and only by chance when someone turned over the straw.
These questions lead Maigret into an unfamiliar world of the navigable rivers and canals of France, with their run-down cafes, shadowy towpaths, and eccentric inhabitants.
This is a recent translation of the second novel in the Inspector Maigret series - Georges Simenon's tragic tale of lost identity. The Penguin series features brilliant renderings by some of today's best translators from French to English and introduces the intrepid Inspector to a brand new audience.
#2
The Carter of "La Providence"
1931
A glamorous woman suddenly turns up dead in the middle of nowhere in a tragic, mysterious puzzle that only George Simenon’s legendary detective can solve.
It’s just another slow, rainy day on a French canal, until the discovery of a woman’s body disrupts the placid scene. Inspector Maigret is baffled by the facts of the an expensively dressed woman, Mary Lampson, has been strangled in a nearby stable, with no road nearby wide enough for automobile traffic. Only by chance was her body found, without a noise, witness, or trace of mud to aid in explaining the scene. How did this glamorous, pearl-laden woman meet her end? It seems that those on board the barge La Providence—Mary’s proud husband, Sir Walter; a friend named Willy Marco; and a parliament member’s widow—might hold the key to the puzzle. In The Carter of “La Providence,” once again, Simenon orchestrates a harrowing plot of secrets and dramas that disturb, and reveal the underbelly of, the everyday.
#3
The Late Monsieur Gallet
1931
A devastating tale of misfortune, betrayal, and the weakness of family ties, newly translated for the Inspector Maigret series
In the third Maigret mystery, the circumstances of Monsieur Gallet's death all seem fake: the name he was traveling under, his presumed profession, and, more worryingly, his family's grief. Their haughtiness seems to hide ambiguous feelings about the hapless man. Soon Maigret discovers the appalling truth and the real crime hidden beneath the surface of their lies.
Collect this and other novels in the Inspector Maigret series, now available in thrilling new English translations.
#4
The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien
1931
A new translation of a haunting tale about the lengths to which people will go to escape from guilt and book four of the Inspector Maigret series
On a trip to Brussels, Maigret unwittingly causes a man's suicide, but his own remorse is overshadowed by the discovery of the sordid events that drove the desperate man to shoot himself.
Collect this and other novels in the Inspector Maigret series, now available in thrilling new English translations.
#5
A Man's Head
1931
Maigret sets out to prove the innocence of a man condemned to death for a brutal murder. As his audacious plan to uncover the truth unfolds, he encounters rich American expatriates, some truly dangerous characters, and their hidden motives.
#6
The Yellow Dog
1931
The fifth book in the new Penguin Maigret series: Georges Simenon's gripping tale of small town suspicion and revenge, in Linda Asher's timeless translation.
There was an exaggerated humility about her. Her cowed eyes, her way of gliding noiselessly about without bumping into things, of quivering nervously at the slightest word, were the very image of a scullery maid accustomed to hardship. And yet he sensed, beneath that image, glints of pride held firmly in check. She was anaemic. Her flat chest was not formed to rouse desire. Nevertheless, she was strangely appealing, perhaps because she seemed troubled, despondent, sickly.
In the windswept seaside town of Concarneau, a local wine merchant is shot. In fact, someone is out to kill all the influential men and the entire town is soon sent into a state of panic. For Maigret, the answers lie with the pale, downtrodden waitress Emma, and a strange yellow dog lurking in the shadows...
#7
Night at the Crossroads
1931
Georges Simenon's riveting tale of deception in an isolated community, part of Penguin's series of new Inspector Maigret translations
"She came forward, the outlines of her figure blurred in the half-light. She came forward like a film star, or rather like the ideal woman in an adolescent's dream. 'I gather you wish to talk to me, Inspector . . . but first of all please sit down . . .' Her accent was more pronounced than Carl's. Her voice sang, dropping on the last syllable of the longer words."
Maigret has been interrogating Carl Andersen for seventeen hours without a confession. He's either innocent or a very good liar. So why was the body of a diamond merchant found at his isolated mansion? Why is his sister always shut away in her room? And why does everyone at Three Widows Crossroads have something to hide?
#8
A Crime in Holland
1931
'Just take a look,' Duclos said in an undertone, pointing to the scene all round them, the picture-book town, with everything in its place, like ornaments on the mantlepiece of a careful housewife . . . 'Everyone here earns his living. Everyone's more or less content. And above all, everyone keeps his instincts under control, because that's the rule here, and a necessity if people want to live in society'
When a French professor visiting the quiet, Dutch coastal town of Delfzijl is accused of murder, Maigret is sent to investigate. The community seem happy to blame an unknown outsider, but there are people much closer to home who seem to know much more than they're letting on: Beetje, the dissatisfied daughter of a local farmer, Any van Elst, sister-in-law of the deceased, and, of course, a notorious local crook.
Written in the dark, grimly comic prose that Simenon is renowned for, A Crime In Holland will delight lifelong fans and new readers alike.
#9
The Grand Banks Café
1931
Sailors don't talk much to other men, especially not to policemen. But after Captain Fallut's body is found floating near his trawler, they all mention the Evil Eye when they speak of the Ocean's voyage.
Featured the inimitable Inspector Maigret and written in the dark, grimly comic prose that Simenon is renowned for, A Crime In Holland will delight lifelong fans and new readers alike.
#10
La ballerina del Gai-Moulin
1931
«Nell’oscurità il locale è vasto come una cattedrale. Si ha il senso di un vuoto immenso. I radiatori emanano ancora un certo tepore ... Delfosse accende un fiammifero. Si fermano un secondo per riprendere fiato, per calcolare il percorso che devono compiere. E all’improvviso il fiammifero cade, mentre Delfosse lancia un grido acuto ... Anche Chabot ha scorto qualcosa. Ma non è riuscito a distinguere bene ... Sembrava un corpo disteso sul pavimento, accanto al bar ... Dei capelli nerissimi...».
#11
The Two-Penny Bar
1931
'We saw a door opening ahead of us. There was a car parked by the roadside. This guy came out pushing another guy in front of him. No, not pushing. Imagine you're carrying a shop dummy and trying to make it look like it's your friend walking next to you. He put him in the car and got into the driver's seat . . . The guy drove all over the place. He seemed to be looking for something, but seemed to keep losing his way. In the end, we realized what he'd been looking for.'
A series of chance encounters sends Inspector Maigret down yet another winding path of murder and mystery. While visiting a criminal in his cell, the young convict tells Maigret of a man who'd been spotted dumping a body in a Parisian canal some years ago. On an unexpected trip to a popular inn, Maigret finds himself in the very place the suspected killer was last seen, and the Inspector is pulled deeper into the web of blackmail and deceit.
Previously published as The Bar on the Seine.
#12
The Misty Harbour
1931
A new translation of Georges Simenon's gripping tale of lost identity. Book sixteen in the new Penguin Maigret series.
A man picked up for wandering in obvious distress among the cars and buses on the Grands Boulevards. Questioned in French, he remains mute . . . A madman? In Maigret's office, he is searched. His suit is new, his underwear is new, his shoes are new. All identifying labels have been removed. No identification papers. No wallet. Five crisp thousand-franc bills have been slipped into one of his pockets.
A distressed man is found wandering the streets of Paris, with no memory of who he is or how he got there. The answers lead Maigret to a small harbour town, whose quiet citizens conceal a poisonous malice.
Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Death of a Harbour Master.
'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant.' - John Gray
'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.' - The Guardian
'A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness.' - The Independent
#13
The Shadow Puppet
1932
A new translation of this gripping domestic tragedy, set in Simenon’s very own neighbourhood. Book twelve in the new Penguin Maigret series.
One by one the lighted windows went dark. The silhouette of the dead man could still be seen through the frosted glass like a Chinese shadow puppet. A taxi pulled up. It wasn’t the public prosecutor yet. A young woman crossed the courtyard with hurried steps, leaving a whiff of perfume in her wake. Summoned to the dimly-lit Place des Vosges one night, where he sees shadowy figures at apartment windows, Maigret uncovers a tragic story of desperate lives, unhappy families, addiction and a terrible, fatal greed.
#14
The Saint-Fiacre Affair
1932
When an ominous note predicting the time and place of a death finds its way to Maigret's desk in Paris, his investigation brings him to Saint-Fiacre, the place of his birth. It isn't long before a darkness descends on Maigret and the town, as the prediction becomes a brutal reality and the Inspector discovers he is not welcome in the place he once called home.
As much a thriller as a meditation on alienation, The Saint-Fiacre Affair displays Simenon's unique and searing perspective of the struggles we all are forced to endure.
#15
The Flemish House
1932
A chilling Inspector Maigret mystery set on the Belgian border
“She wasn't an ordinary supplicant. She didn't lower her eyes. There was nothing humble about her bearing. She spoke frankly, looking straight ahead, as if to claim what was rightfully hers. ‘If you don't agree to look at our case, my parents and I will be lost, and it will be the most hateful legal error...’”
Maigret is asked to the windswept, rainy border town of Givet by a young woman desperate to clear her family of murder. But their well-kept shop, the sleepy community and its raging river all hide their own mysteries.
#16
The Madman of Bergerac
1932
A new translation of Simenon's tense novel, book fifteen in the new Penguin Maigret series.
He recalled his travelling companion's agitated sleep - was it really sleep? - his sighs, and his sobbing. Then the two dangling legs, the patent-leather shoes and hand-knitted socks . . . An insipid face. Glazed eyes. And Maigret was not surprised to see a grey beard eating into his cheeks. A distressed passenger leaps off a night train and vanishes into the woods.
Maigret, on his way to a well-earned break in the Dordogne, is soon plunged into the pursuit of a madman, hiding amongst the seemingly respectable citizens of Bergerac.
Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations.
'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant.' - John Gray
'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.' - The Guardian
'A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness.' - The Independent
#17
Liberty Bar
1932
Half an hour later, he was in Cannes . . . White everywhere! Huge white hotels, white shops, white trousers and dresses, white sails out at sea. It was as if life were no more than a pantomime fairy-tale, a white and blue fairy-tale.
Dazzled at first by the glamor of sunny Antibes, Maigret soon finds himself immersed in the less salubrious side of the Rivieria when he tracks the steps of a shabby former spy who is fond of pretty women and dive bars.
#18
Lock No. 1
1933
Cars drove past along with the trucks and trams, but by now Maigret had realised that they were not important. Whatever roared by like this along the road was not part of the landscape... What really counted was the lock, the hooting of the tugs, the stone crusher, the barges and the cranes, the two pilots’ bars, and especially the tall house where he could make out Ducrau's red chair framed by a window.
Maigret is drawn into the orbit of the self-made, mercurial Ducrau, as the latter’s past catches up with him in a claustrophobic provincial town.
#19
Maigret
1934
We present a new translation of this gripping novel which sees the Inspector brought out of his peaceful retirement. It's book nineteen in the new Penguin Maigret series.
"Maigret shrugged his shoulders, buried his hands in his pockets and went off without answering. He had just spent one of the most wretched days in his life. For hours, in his corner he had felt old and feeble, without idea or incentive. But now a tiny flame flickered. 'You bet we'll see' he growled."
Maigret's peaceful retirement in the countryside is disrupted when a relative, his nephew, unwittingly embroils himself in a crime he did not commit. The Inspector returns to Police Headquarters in Paris once again.
Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. This novel had been published in a previous translation as "Maigret Returns."
'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant,' John Gray
'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories," Guardian.
'A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness,' Independent.
#20
The Cellars of the Majestic
1942
Penguin delivers two more vintage Inspector Maigret novels by the legendary mystery author In The Hotel Majestic, Maigret investigates the murder of Mrs. Clark, the wife of a wealthy American industrialist, whose strangled body is found in the basement of an upscale hotel near the Champs-Elysees. Maigret’s inquiries take him from the endless corridors of the Hotel Majestic to the countryside of the Bois de Boulogne and sun-drenched Cannes, into a world of prostitution, drug addiction, and blackmail.
#21
The Judge's House
1940
Exiled from Paris, Maigret discovers some disturbing secrets in a sleepy coastal town in this new translation, book twentytwo in the new Penguin Maigret series.
A short, sprightly man appeared in the doorway, looked left and right, and went back into the passage. A moment later, the improbable happened. The little man reappeared, bent over, clinging to a long mass that he now started dragging through the mud.
It must have been heavy. After four metres, he stopped to catch his breath. The front door of the house had been left open. The sea was still twenty or thirty metres away.
Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Maigret in Exile.
#22
Cécile is Dead
1942
Barely twenty-eight years old. But it would be difficult to look more like an old maid, to move less gracefully, no matter how hard she tried to be pleasing. Those black dresses ... that ridiculous green hat!
For six months the dowdy Cécile has been coming to the police station, desperate to convince them that someone has been breaking into her aunt's apartment. No one takes her seriously—until Maigret unearth a story of merciless, deep-rooted greed.
#23
Signed, Picpus
1944
A small, thin man, rather dull to look at, neither young nor old, exuding the stale smell of a bachelor who does not look after himself. He pulls his fingers and cracks his knuckles and tells his tale the way a schoolboy recites his lesson.
A mysterious note predicting the murder of a fortune-teller; a confused old man locked in a Paris apartment; a financier who goes fishing; a South American heiress ... Maigret must make his way through a frustrating maze of clues, suspects and motives to find out what connects them.
#24
Inspector Cadaver
1943
Maigret's old colleague becomes an unexpected rival in book twenty-four of the new Penguin Maigret series. In everyone's eyes, even the old ladies hiding behind their quivering curtains, even the kids just now who had turned to stare after they had passed him, he was the intruder, the undesirable. No, worse, he was fundamentally untrustworthy, some stranger who had just turned up from who knew where to do who knew what. Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Maigret's Rival. 'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' John Gray 'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century ...Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian 'A supreme writer ...unforgettable vividness' Independent Georges Simenon was born in Liege, Belgium, in 1903. Best known in Britain as the author of the Maigret books, his prolific output of over 400 novels and short stories have made him a household name in continental Europe. He died in 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he had lived for the latter part of his life.
#25
Félicie
1748
Peg Leg Lapie, a crusty old sailor, is found mysteriously murdered in a most incongruous setting: a picturesque cottage near Paris, where he lived attended only by his young housekeeper, Felicie. But Lapie was not alone Maigret, chief inspector of the Paris police, is sure of it. A man at work in his garden, wearing clogs and a straw hat, does not suddenly drop his tools to go indoors and fetch a bottle of brandy to drink alone in the summerhouse. There must have been another glass that someone removed. But Félicie, in her red hat trimmed with an iridescent feather, proves a champion adversary, as skilled in innuendo and evasion as Maigret is in deduction.
#26
Maigret Gets Angry
1947
Maigret is cajoled out of retirement by a case involving an old classmate in book twenty-six of the new Penguin Maigret series.
"All that was still unclear, for sure. Ernest Malik had been right when he had looked at Maigret with a smile that was a mixture of sarcasm and contempt. This wasn't a case for him. He was out of his depth. This world was unfamiliar to him, and he had difficulty piecing it all together."
Peacefully tending his garden in the countryside, Maigret is called upon to investigate a rich family with skeletons in their closet - and finds himself confronted by lies, snobbery and malice.
Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. This novel has been published in a previous translation as 'Maigret in Retirement.'
#27
Maigret à New York
1946
When the son of a wealthy businessman fears for his father's life, Maigret is plucked from retirement to visit New York on an unlikely quest. The twenty-seventh book in the new Penguin Maigret series.
Aged 56 and in his first year of retirement at Meung-sur-Loire, Maigret is surprised with a visit by Jean, the son of wealthy New York businessman John Maura. With the assistance of his aging lawyer, Jean convinces Maigret to accompany him to New York, where he believes his father is in danger. But things take an unexpected turn upon their arrival when it is Jean himself who disappears. Set against the mysterious backdrop of New York City, Maigret's investigation must unearth old crimes, outsmart treacherous characters, and overcome his status as an outsider policeman in the city.
#28
Maigret's Holiday
1947
While on holiday, Inspector Maigret is drawn into the murder of a teenage girl and subsequent disappearance of her brother and must confront an evil that is hidden in plain sight.
During their holidays in Sables-d’Olonne, Maigret’s wife is hospitalized with appendicitis, and Maigret receives a strange note instructing him to visit a patient in another ward. To solve the mysterious case that has left a young woman dead and her brother missing, Maigret must give one of his best performances yet in a story laced with mood, class tension, and in the end, of course, justice.
“One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.”
— The Guardian
Alors que le couple Maigret se repose quelques jours aux Sables-d'Olonne, Mme Maigret est victime d'une crise d'appendicite. A l'hôpital où elle est soignée, une religieuse implore le commissaire de s'intéresser à « la malade du 15 ».
Dans quelles circonstances cette jeune femme est-elle tombée de la voiture que conduisait son beau-frère, le Dr Philippe Bellamy ? Pourquoi ce dernier semble-t-il faire si peur à la jeune Lucile Duffieux, une gamine de quatorze ans qui sera assassinée peu après ? Qu'est devenu Emile, son frère aîné, parti pour Paris où il n'est jamais arrivé?
Et Maigret d'oublier ses vacances. Entre deux visites à l'hôpital, il va percer à jour une de ces passions morbides qui peuvent naître au sein d'une vie en apparence aussi calme et équilibrée que celle du Dr Bellamy...
#29
Maigret's Dead Man
1947
Maigret plunges into the murky Parisian underworld in book twenty-nine of the new Penguin Maigret series.
'That shoeless foot looked incongruous lying on the pavement next to another foot encased in a shoe made of black kid leather. It was naked, private . . . It was Maigret who retrieved the other shoe which lay by the kerb six or seven metres away'
A series of strange phone calls leads Inspector Maigret through the Paris streets towards a man out of his depth amid a network of merciless criminals.
Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Maigret's Special Murder.
'His artistry is supreme' John Banville
'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian
'A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness' Independent
#30
La Première Enquête de Maigret
1948
A sparkling new translation of this flashback to the start of Inspector Maigret's career, part of the new Penguin Maigret series.
The profession he had always yearned for did not actually exist ... he imagined a cross between a doctor and a priest, a man capable of understanding another's destiny at first glance.
The very first investigation by eager young police secretary Jules Maigret leads him to a wealthy Paris family's dark secrets.
Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations.
'His artistry is supreme' John Banville
'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian
'A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness' Independent
#31
My Friend Maigret
1949
Maigret is going about his work in rainy Paris, followed around by Inspector Pyke who has come from Scotland Yard to study the famous French detective's methods. Routine is disturbed when Maigret receives a telephone call from the island of Porquerolles off the Mediterranean coast. A small-time crook has been murdered, the night after he had fervently declared his friendship with Maigret in front of a large group of the island's inhabitants. Maigret and Inspector Pyke leave the greyness of Paris for the sunshine of Porquerolles where Simenon creates a wonderfully evocative atmosphere of the square and cafe, the brilliant sea, the humidity in the air and the life and individuality of each of the inhabitants on the small island.
#33
Maigret et la Vieille Dame
1950
Maigret uncovers some troubling family politics in this new translation, book thirty-three of the new Penguin Maigret series.
'He had realized that it was her eyes as much as her vivacity that made her look so young. They were of a blue that was paler than the September sky over the sea and still had an expression of surprise, of wonderment'
When a charming elderly widow appeals to him for help, Inspector Maigret travels to a seaside village in Normandy - uncovering a lost fortune and some poisonous family politics.
Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations.
'His artistry is supreme' John Banville
'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian
'A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness' Independent
#34
The Friend of Madame Maigret
1952
In The Friend of Madame Maigret, Simenon?s economic prose brilliantly portrays the Marais quarter of Paris and those who haunt its narrow streets as Inspector Maigret attempts to prove that a murder has actually been committed without a corpse anywhere to be found. As the investigation becomes increasingly complex, seemingly unconnected characters are drawn into the case, and Maigret begins to wonder if his wife?s earlier strange encounter with a woman and her baby may be the missing link.
#35
Le memorie di Maigret
1950
Maigret sets the record straight and tells the story of his own life, giving a rare glimpse into the mind of the great inspector - and the writer who would immortalise him.
I can still see Simenon coming into my office the next day, pleased with himself, displaying even more self-confidence, if possible, than before, but nevertheless with a touch of anxiety in his eyes ... He trumpeted these last words as if they were a sensational discovery. 'Making it seem truer than life, that's the crux of it. Well, I've made you truer than life.'
Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations.
'His artistry is supreme' John Banville
'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian
'A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness' Independent
#36
Maigret in Montmartre
1950
Two brutal stranglings and a beautiful corpse lead Inspector Maigret into an underworld of striptease artists and morphine addicts as he tries to uncover the past of a shadowy countess.
Cover artist: A. Pedro
#37
Maigret Takes a Room
1951
When a man is killed outside a Parisian boarding house, Maigret moves in to get to the bottom of it. The thirty-seventh book in the new Penguin Maigret series.
While keeping watch outside Mademoiselle Clément's boarding house to await a suspect in a local bar robbery, a man named Janvier is shot in the chest. When Maigret, whose wife is away caring for her sister in Alsace, hears of the crime, he moves into the boarding house to solve the case. But the web quickly grows ever-more tangled, and Maigret must navigate generations-long secrets and a torrid affair to find his answers before it's too late.
“One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century... Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.” —The Guardian
“I love reading Simenon. He makes me think of Chekhov.” —William Faulkner
“The greatest of all, the most genuine novelist we have had in literature.” —André Gide
“Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth century.” —John Banville
From the Trade Paperback edition.
#38
Maigret and the Burglar's Wife
1951
While committing what he intends to be his last burglary, "Sad Freddie" discovers something completely out of his line: the body of a dead woman, her chest covered in blood, holding a telephone in her hand. Inspector Maigret is called in to solve the crime, and after an exhaustive search, a psychological duel, a marathon interrogation, and innumerable glasses of Pernod, wine, cold beer, and brandy—a sure sign that this is no easy case—the famous French sleuth triumphs.
Maigret is a registered trademark of the Estate of Georges Simenon
#39
Maigret and the Gangsters
1951
'You're a good soul, inspector, and when you're up against the second-rate criminals you get here in Paris, you're a crack policeman. But this business isn't for you. These guys play rough and they may hurt you. Just drop it! What concern is it of yours, anyway?'
In book thirty-nine of the new Penguin Maigret, the Inspector learns that his hapless colleague Lognon is being menaced by some notorious American mobsters, and he makes it his mission to bring them to justice - despite threatening warnings that he is out of his depth.
Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Inspector Maigret and the Killers.
#40
Maigret's Revolver
1952
Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations.
'His artistry is supreme' John Banville
'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian
'A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness' Independent
#41
Maigret and the Man on the Bench
1953
Inspector Maigret must untangle the web of lies left behind by a murdered man whose family didn’t know him as well as they thought. The forty-first book in the new Penguin Maigret series.
When a man is found stabbed to death in an alley off Boulevard Saint-Martin, his identity card shows a workplace that had gone out of business three years earlier. As far as his wife knew, he still worked there, and she insists that the shoes and a tie he was wearing when he was killed “couldn’t be his.” It soon becomes evident that although he had a source of income, he spent most of his time sitting on a bench in the neighborhood, often with the same unknown man. Can Maigret find him?
#42
Maigret Afraid
1953
Maigret stumbles upon a series of murders in Fontenay-le-Comte while visiting an old school friend. The forty-second book in the new Penguin Maigret series.
On his way home from a conference, Maigret stops to visit an old school friend in Fontenay-le-Comte. A man in the same train car introduces himself and asks if Maigret has come to help solve the murder case. In fact, the man’s brother-in-law had been murdered four days earlier, followed by the murder of a local widow in the same way, a blow to the head with a pipe. While Maigret is in town, a third murder is reported. Maigret soon discovers that there are two warring factions in the town, a clear class separation, and an air of suspicion that only he can put to rest.
#43
Maigret's Mistake
1953
When a young woman with a dark past is found dead on the streets of Paris, Inspector Maigret is on the case. This is the forty-third book in the new Penguin Maigret series.
A young woman named Lulu, who has a history of brushes with the law and once lived on the streets of the 18th arrondissement, is found murdered in Paris. Maigret is called to the scene and soon learns that her boyfriend, a musician, has gone into hiding upon reading the news of her death. And when the Inspector learns that the young victim was pregnant, he begins to suspect the case might be more sinister than he imagined.
Librarian's note: this entry is for the novel "Maigret se trompe." #43 in the series. In English "Maigret's Mistake." Amazingly there is also a Maigret short story by Simenon with the same English title; it's original in French is "Une erreur de Maigret." The stories are not related in content.
#44
Maigret Goes to School
1954
“One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.” — The Guardian
Inspector Maigret becomes entangled in the dramas of a small town on his quest to solve the murder of their former postmistress
Maigret is called from his usual duties in Paris to investigate a murder in a small village located close to La Rochelle. A local postmistress has been killed and suspicion has fallen on the local schoolmaster. When Maigret gets there, he discovers a very inward-looking community of people who hated the victim because she knew all their secrets. Maigret must determine if one of those secrets was enough to make someone into a killer.
#45
Maigret et la jeune morte
1942
When the body of a young girl is found in a Montmartre park, Maigret must team up with a rival investigator to bring her killer to justice. The forty-fifth book in the new Penguin Maigret series.
Maigret and fellow inspector Lognon clash in their investigations into the murder of an unknown young woman in Paris. Maigret endeavours to piece together the story of the girl and in doing so uncovers details about her past and her character that lead him to the truth behind her tragic demise.
#46
Maigret and the Calame Report
1954
The Inspector must enter the unsavory world of politics to help a conscientious politician.Maigret is secretly summoned by a distraught cabinet minister who needs help in recovering a document - the Calame report, an engineering study that warned that a government-funded children's sanitarium was of unstable design. The study was hushed up, the report stolen, and the disaster made reality - with 128 children killed in the building's collapse. Now Maigret must plumb the depths of government corruption to find the thief and the report - and let the compromised government fall where it may.
#47
Maigret and the Headless Corpse
1955
A decapitated male corpse, found in a Paris canal, leads Inspector Maigret to suspect the sexually untidy femme-owner of a small bistro.
#48
Maigret Sets a Trap
1955
It is a hot and steamy summer, and Maigret is hatching a plan to capture a serial murderer by playing on the killer's perverse vanity. He finally succeeds when an important clue leads him to a trio of suspects. But the three are entangled in a web of guilt and possessiveness so tight that the unraveling nearly exhausts the Inspector—until, at last, he discovers the tortured motives behind the murders. Maigret is a registered trademark of the Estate of Georges Simenon.
#49
Maigret's Failure
1956
Maigret is not infallible. Had prejudice forced him into filure in the Fumal case? He had been unable to mask his antipathy for the bloated meat-merchant when he called on him, with a recommendation from the Minister of the Interior, to seek police protection. It had made it no better to discover he had been at school with this tough, malicious Midas. He had hated Fattie Fumal, even then. Everybody had: it seemed everybody still did.
When in spite of precautions, Fumal is brutally murdered in his own home, Maigret has to examine his conscience. Could he have done more? And now... which of Fumal's dubious, drunken entourage had acted as executioner for the rest?
#50
Maigret si diverte
1957
When Maigret's holiday plans go awry, he and his wife spend their vacation in Paris on the condition that he has nothing to do with work. However, a case involving the death of a doctor's wife intrigues Maigret, and he assiduously follows its development in the papers. He cannot resist playing a few tricks on his colleague Janvier who is running the case, and along the way Maigret uncovers something that is crucial to the murderer's discovery...
#51
Maigret and the Millionaires
1957
When multi-millionaire David Ward is found dead in the same hotel as a countess who attempted suicide only hours earlier, Maigret presumes that the two cases are connected. When the countess flees Paris after the murder Maigret follows her to Nice and then to Switzerland to uncover the truth.
Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Maigret and the Millionaires.
'His artistry is supreme' John Banville
'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian
#52
Maigret Has Scruples
1958
Qui dit la vérité ? Le nommé Marton, personnage inquiet et fragile, convaincu que sa femme veut l'empoisonner à petit feu ? Ou la froide Gisèle Marton, qui affirme avec un léger mépris que son mari est neurasthénique ? L'un et l'autre en tout cas sont assez étranges pour éveiller la curiosité et le flair de Maigret. Lequel découvrira sans trop de peine l'amant de Gisèle Marton, et les tendres sentiments qui unissent Xavier Marton à sa belle-soeur. Pas de quoi déranger un commissaire. Quand il y aura bel et bien un mort, ce sera différent... Nous découvrons ici le héros de Georges Simenon plongé dans des traités sur les psychoses et les névroses. Il n'y apprendra guère que ce qu'il savait déjà : nous sommes tous, à notre façon, un peu dérangés.
#53
Maigret Et les Témoins Récalcitrants
1955
'His artistry is supreme' John Banville
It was as if suddenly, long ago, life had stopped here, not the life of the man lying on the bed but the life of the house, the life of its world, and even the factory chimney that could be seen through the curtains looked obsolete and absurd.
A once-wealthy family closes ranks when one of their own is shot, leaving Maigret - along with a troublesome new magistrate - to pick his way through their secrets.
'One of the greatest writers of our time' Sunday Times
#54
Maigret Has Doubts
1959
«E se quella sera Maigret aveva iniziato di colpo a parlare era per distogliere l’amico dai suoi pensieri, certo, ma soprattutto perché la telefonata ricevuta da Pardon aveva risvegliato in lui sentimenti non dissimili da quelli che agitavano il dottore. Non era senso di colpa: Maigret, del resto, detestava quell’espressione. Ma neppure rimorso. Entrambi erano a volte costretti, in virtù del mestiere che avevano scelto, a prendere una decisione da cui dipendeva il destino degli altri. Nel caso di Pardon un destino di vita o di morte. Nel loro atteggiamento non c’era nulla di romantico. Né sconforto, né ribellione. Solo una certa serietà venata di malinconia».
#56
Maigret and the Old People
1960
When a wealthy aristocrat is found murdered in his home, Inspector Maigret must navigate a high-stakes case in the moneyed world of Paris’s upper crust.
Maigret is called to the home of Armand de Saint-Hilaire, a highly respected diplomat who has been found by his housekeeper, shot dead in his study. Maigret is urged to be discrete in his investigation, but after interviewing everyone concerned, the inspector is at a loss to the identity of the perpetrator—until he comes across a series of letters spanning decades between the victim and a widowed woman. As Maigret uncovers the details behind the pair’s relationship, he gets closer to discovering the tragic truth behind the official’s demise.
With the pressure mounting, the inspector must navigate class divides and his own position in society to uncover the killer. Maigret and the Old People is an absorbing mystery and a thoughtful examination of the different worlds money creates.
#57
Maigret and the Idle Burglar
1961
Set against a high-profile hunt for the latest criminal gang to hit Paris, Maigret is determined to track down the murderer of a quiet crook for whom he cannot help feeling affection and respect.
#58
Maigret and the Good People of Montparnasse
1962
When he is tasked with solving a seemingly motiveless murder, Inspector Maigret must rely on his famous intuition to discover the truth
A retired manufacturer is found murdered with his own pistol in his favorite armchair, shattering the tranquility of a quiet Paris community. The neighbors describe the Josselin household as a bastion of bourgeois compatibility, and Inspector Maigret is stymied by the absence of motive and by the reticence of the bereaved wife. It is not until a chance witness recalls an odd encounter between the deceased and a man in a bistro that the veil of propriety protecting the killer begins to dissolve.
Maigret suspects that he’s not being given all the facts in this case as he is drawn deeper into the complex web of family dramas and lies at the heart of it. In Maigret and the Good People of Montparnasse, he must rely on his famous intuition above all to uncover the shocking truth.
#59
Maigret and the Saturday Caller
1962
Léonard Planchon, a tense man with a cleft lip, goes to Maigret with an unusual problem. He wants to kill his wife, or perhaps his wife and her lover, who for two years now have been making him sleep on a cot in the dining room. He has even worked out a plan to hide their bodies in concrete. Uneasily investigating a murder that has not yet been committed, Maigret explores the bistros of Montmartre and uncovers a peculiar—and pathetic—ménage à trois.
Maigret is a registered trademark of the Estate of Georges Simenon
#60
Maigret and the Bum
1963
A homeless man is found beaten and unconscious along the banks of the Seine. Inspector Maigret must connect him to a past—and a possible motive for for his attempted murder. The investigation provides Maigret with a chilling look at those who have rejected society and the small measure of justice it offers them.
Maigret is a registered trademark of the Estate of Georges Simenon
#61
Maigret Loses His Temper
1963
Inspector Maigret, after ruling out the possibility of professional murder and having his spotless reputation called into question, solves the perplexing murder of a nightclub owner who at first glance seems to have no enemies. Translated by Robert Eglesfield.
Maigret is a registered trademark of the Estate of Georges Simenon.
#62
Maigret and the Apparition
1964
Maigret arrives home exhausted after cracking an especially difficult case, only to be awakened within hours by the news of a nearly successful attempt on the life of a colleague. Plainclothes detective Lagnon, known to Maigret as "Inspector Hopeless," has become involved beyond his depth in an international art fraud and is suffering the consequences. Maigret's only clue to Lagnon's assailant is the single word "apparition" spoken by the victim as he emerges from the operating room. The apparition leads Maigret to the highest echelons of the Parisian art world—and the depths of greed and cruelty.
Maigret is a registered trademark of the Estate of Georges Simenon.
#63
Maigret on the Defensive
1964
For the first time in his career Inspector Maigret receives written summons to the Prefect's office where he learns that he has been accused of assaulting a young woman. With his career and reputation on the line, Maigret must fight to prove his innocence.
Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Maigret on the Defensive.
'His artistry is supreme' John Banville
'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian
#64
Maigret Bides His Time
1965
Maigrets longest-running case involves two decades of jewelry heists, a generation of conspiracy, and the revelation of a long-buried secret from World War II. [Simenon could] turn the simplest of romans policiers into a moving and memorable form of art. The Times (London) [Maigrets investigation] is a bittersweet elegy for the glory days of both thief and cop. Chicago Sun-Times
#65
Maigret and the Nahour Case
1966
When Maigret receives an urgent call from his friend Dr. Pardon he responds immediately, despite the late hour; it seems that the doctor has just treated an apparently wealthy woman for a suspicious gunshot wound, but before he could notify the authorities she diappeared with her companion. The doctor's story gains some perspective when the same woman turns up at the house on Avenue du Parc-Montsouris where Felix Nahour has just been found - shot to death. This is a masterful exploration of the twin passions of love and hate as they mingle in the shadowy mind of a criminal.
#66
Maigret's Pickpocket
1967
When Inspector Maigret's wallet and badge are stolen on a bus, it sets off a chain of events culminating in a grisly murder case
A pickpocket steals Maigret's wallet only to contact him the following day, returning the stolen items on the condition that he come to the thief's apartment. When the agitated young thief leads Maigret to the body of his wife, dead of a gunshot wound to the head, he implores Maigret to take the case. Unsure whether he can trust him, the inspector becomes embroiled in a most unusual murder investigation.
Putting the detective's knowledge of Paris' underworld to the test, Maigret's Pickpocket is a shocking mystery from Georges Simenon.
#67
Maigret in Vichy
1968
When his relaxing vacation is interrupted by a small-town murder, Inspector Maigret can't resist lending his investigative powers to the case
Inspector Maigret and his wife take a much needed holiday to Vichy, where they quickly become used to the slower pace of life. But when a woman who they regularly pass by on their daily strolls is murdered, Maigret can't help but offer his assistance to the local Inspector, a former colleague of his.
#68
Maigret Hesitates
1968
"One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories." —The Guardian
When a mysterious letter writer warns Inspector Maigret that a murder is imminent, Maigret must trace the messages back to their source before it is too late
When a series of letters, penned on expensive stationery, arrives at Maigret's desk claiming that a murder will take place but that the writer is unsure as to who will die, who will do the killing, and when the killing will occur, Maigret's interest is piqued. He quickly traces the stationery back to the house of Emile Parendon, an eminent lawyer. But once there, the inspector finds that pinning down clues to a crime not yet committed isn't easy. When a murder does take place, the identity of the victim surprises even Maigret.
A twisty and engrossing mystery, Maigret Hesitates puts the great detective's powers to the test.
#69
Maigret's Boyhood Friend
1968
When Maigret receives a visit from an old schoolmate whose mistress has been shot to death, he feels compelled to look into the case. Yet his friend is one of the suspects—along with the dead woman’s four other lovers, each unknown to the others. The basis for a public television Mystery! presentation. Translated by Eileen Ellenbogen.
Maigret is a registered trademark of the Estate of Georges Simenon.
#70
Maigret and the Killer
1969
Maigret, accompanying his physician on an emergency call, is drawn into one of his most stubborn cases yet. The victim, a son of a wealthy perfume manufacturer, had been enjoying an odd hobby before his collecting human voices with a tape recorder, often in the rougher districts of Paris. But his wallet and his tape recorder have been left untouched, so the killer's motive is unclear. The absence of clues begins to exasperate Maigret until an anonymous letter reveals that he is dealing with no ordinary criminal.
Maigret is a registered trademark of the Estate of Georges Simenon.
#71
Maigret and the Wine Merchant
1970
The richest wine merchant in Paris is found dead—shot in front of an elegant house where discreet clients are in the habit of renting rooms for discreet purposes. Everything seems to point to a crime sparked by jealousy. But Maigret is surprised to find a curious absence of shock or grief in the victim's family and colleagues, and further investigation into the life and habits of the murdered man reveals some singularly unlovable traits.
#72
Maigret and the Madwoman
1970
"I'm relying on you. I trust you."
Maigret knew those words would haunt him to his grave. As the famous inspector stared down at the lifeless body of of the frail old lady, her last words to him kept hammering at his ears: "I'm relying on you. I trust you."
The little old lady had been hanging around Police headquarters for days. She insisted on seeing only her hero, Maigret. Finally, she confronted the Inspector and patiently told her story. Somebody was trying to do her harm. She didn't know who, and she didn't know why.
Maigret promised to call on her as soon as he could find a free moment. Maigret felt partially responsible; how could he not. This was going to be a special case. He would find the killer if it was the last thing he ever did!
#73
Maigret and the Loner
1971
When a socially isolated vagrant is found dead in the condemned building where he had been sleeping in Les Halles, Paris, Maigret must delve into the victim's mysterious past to discover who could have killed him.
#74
Maigret and the Informer
1971
The body of a well-known Parisian restaurateur turns up on Avenue Junot in Montmartre, seemingly having been killed elsewhere. Inspector Maigret is on the case, and soon discovers that the murder may be gang-related after a colleague working in the red-light district receives a tip from an anonymous informer.
#75
Maigret and Monsieur Charles
1972
When an elegant but nervous woman appears in Inspector Maigret's office and reports her rich and successful husband missing, Maigret and Lapointe find themselves on the trail of a man leading a double life: a prominent Parisian solicitor by day, a playboy known as "Monsieur Charles" by night.
Author
Georges Simenon
Author · 195 books
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.
