Maigret’s Anger “It was 12.15 when Maigret went through the permanently cool archyway and out of the gate flanked by two policemen who were hugging the walls to get a little shade.” Sometimes it doesn’t feel like Maigret is a cop. He always seems fairly human, and one of the strengths of this series of detective novels is that Maigret feels real and the cases never feel too terribly wild. So the end result is that Maigret solves a mystery using mostly good police work, […]

Maigret and the Ghost “It was just after one o’clock in the morning when the light went out in Maigret’s office.” As Maigret is leaving his office one night he receives word that his friend and colleague Inspector Lognon, he begins appearing in the books about 35 books previous to this one has been shot twice and is clinging to life. As Maigret asks questions and begins to investigate, he learns that Lognon was shot outside the apartment that is mostly associated with prostitution, and […]

“There was a moment, between Quai de Orfevres and Pont Marie, when Maigret paused, so briefly that LaPointe, who was walking beside him, paid no attention.” Maigret fishes out a man who apparently was thrown into the river to murder him and it turns out to be the “tramp” of the title of the book. But further investigation into the man reveals a doctor, now gone missing for some time, and in investigating that disappearance with the classic “qui bono” in mind leads to a […]