L' inspecteur Cadavre - 3
Analysis of the locality
The novel itself gives a rather good description of the geographical position of the locality.

"The train slowed down and finally stopped in the station of Niort. Maigret rushed to an employee on the cold and wet platform.
- When is the train for Saint-Aubin leaving?"

"- They live about one kilometer from the village, next to the railroad-track, the line from Niort to Fontenay-le-Comte."

"- He went to Fontenay-le-Comte. That's a litlle less then twenty-two kilometers away..."(9)
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Saint-Aubin-les-Marais is situated at about one kilometer from the railway-line from Niort to Fontenay-le-Comte (see sketch below).
The village lies in the department of the Vendée at a little less than twenty-two kilometers from Fontenay.
La nuit du
carrefour
Benet
La guinguette
à deux sous
The only village that corresponds completely with this depiction is Benet.
It is situated at 20.7 kilometers from Fontenay-le-Comte, it lies on the railroad-line from Niort to Fontenay and it is to be found in the department of the Vendée a few kilometers from the border line with the department of Deux-Sèvres.

Simenon traveled the region extensively he almost certainly visited or passed by Benet. However, it seems that there are no indications of this visit to be found in his work or in the biographical texts.
L' inspecteur
Cadavre - 1
L' inspecteur
Cadavre - 2
L' inspecteur
Cadavre - 3
Les larmes
de bougie
Vente à la
bougie
La maison
du juge
Mon ami
Maigret		 Benet is almost 60 kilometers away from Saint-Mesmin. For most of the inhabitants of these villages in that period it was an insuperable distance, an other world. Out of precaution, very much sentient of his precarious position, Simenon could easily have transferred his observations and impressions from Saint-Mesmin to a random village with which he had no connection at all.

Therefore this analysis concludes that Saint-Aubin-les-Marais actually is Saint-Mesmin, transposed to Benet.
Maigret à
Vichy
l'Affaire
Saint-Fiacre
L'Auberge aux
noyés
Le notaire de
Châteauneuf
M.Gallet, décédé
Le charretier de
"La Providence"
Chez les
Flamands
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Images
From top to bottom:
- Sketch of situation: G. de Croock.
- Map by:Route 66, Route Europa 2000, Copyright Route 66 Geographic Information Systems B.V., Ede (NL). Adaptation by G. De Croock .
- Mediasys - Images de la France d'autrefois. Old postcard of the church of Benet, Vendée.
Notes
(9) Georges Simenon, L'Inspecteur Cadavre, 1944. Excerpt translated in English by G. de Croock out of the Dutch edition, "Maigret als ongewenste gast", vertaling K.H. Romijn, Bruna Pockethuis b.v., Utrecht,1985.
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La nuit du carrefour - 1, - 2
La guinguette à deux sous - 1, - 2
L' inspecteur Cadavre - 1, - 2, - 3
Les larmes de bougie - 1, - 2
Vente à la bougie - 1, - 2
La maison du juge - 1, - 2, - 3
Mon ami Maigret - 1, - 2, - 3
Maigret à Vichy - 1, - 2
l'Affaire Saint-Fiacre - 1, - 2
l'Auberge aux Noyés - 1, - 2
Le notaire de Chéteauneuf - 1, - 2
M.Gallet, décédé - 1, - 2, - 3
Le charretier de "La Providence" - 1, - 2
Chez les Flamands - 1, - 2