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Maigret-of-the-Month lists

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Maigret and the mysteries of the crossroads 5/25/13 – Maigret and the mysteries of the crossroads by Murielle Wenger original French On rereading La nuit du carrefour [NUI], and watching the episodes adapted for the television series with Jean Richard and Bruno Crémer, I wondered about the description of the location, the "Three-Widows Crossroads" where the core of the action takes place. Several years ago, a Maigretphile, Guido de Crook, had a site online where he presented certain locations of Maigret investigations outside of Paris. This site, Maigret's journeys in France, disappeared from the web in 2006, but Steve Trussel was able to recover a part of it. Among the novels studied, we find La nuit du carrefour. Guido, in analyzing the text of the novel, presented his version of the location of the three houses at the crossroads, an important element of the plot. I'd like to reexamine this description, and present my version, relying on my rereading of the text, and compare it with the adaptations mentioned above. Let us then follow step-by-step, the text of the novel... In the first pages, we find Maigret at the PJ, at the end of the interrogation of Carl Andersen, following the discovery of the murder of the diamond merchant. Maigret is summarizing the major points from the transcript of the interrogation, and makes a statement that allows our first determination of the locale of the scene of the crime... "You then rented a country house on the national road between Paris and Etampes, some two miles from Arpajon, at the place called the Three-Widows Crossroads." Thus we realize that the intersection actually exists. Represented schematically it is something like this (north is at the top): After releasing Andersen, Maigret went to the spot himself... A crossing. A garage with its five gasoline pumps, painted red. On the left, the Avrainville road, marked with a signpost. Since we know that Maigret has come from Paris, passing through Arpajon, we know that the route to Avrainville is actually on his left. We're at a true crossroads. The text continues... All around, fields as far as you could see. "We're here!" said the driver. There were just three houses. First, that of the garage keeper... Opposite that, a millstone villa... A copper plaque, "Emile Michonnet, insurance." The other house was 200 yards away. The wall surrounding the yard only allowed a view of the second floor, a slate roof, and some fine trees." Now we have to position the three houses around the intersection. Two early indicators allow us an approach to the locations... first, in the transcript of the interrogation Maigret was reading, it said, "At 7:00 a.m. Sunday morning, M. Emile Michonnet, insurance agent, who lives in a villa 100 meters from you..."; Lucas, on location, had telephoned Maigret: "Hello! I'm at the Three-Widows Crossroads. I'm calling from the garage which is about 100 yards from Andersen's house" We can thus place Michonnet's villa closer to Andersen's house than the garage. But how to position the three houses with regard to each other? That, as we will see, is where the problem lies. After Maigret's first visit with Andersen, Lucas went to find him... "The two of them walked in the darkness, along the shoulder of the road... They had reached Michonnet's villa, which was like one of the points of a triangle, whose other angles were formed, on one side by the garage, and on the other by the House of the Three-Widows. Forty yards between the garage and the Michonnets. A hundred yards between them and the Andersens. Connecting them, the shining, regular ribbon of the road..." It's most logical to begin by situating the garage. By definition, it's along the national road. But on which side? The following text will help... "Maigret regarded the triangle... On the right, the main road, opposite the garage, the Avrainville road branching off..." So Maigret and Lucas are walking north on the national road, and if the Avrainville road which branches right is opposite the garage, then it must be situated on the left. We can add it to our map with a box containing a "G" for garage... To this point, we are in agreement with the representation made by Guido de Crook (here). But now the problem is to situate the Michonnet's house with regard to the garage. We know, from the extract above (Maigret's arrival at the crossroads), that the insurance agent's villa is "opposite" the garage. The problem is, where is this "opposite"... to the east, or the south of the garage? Guido proposes a location to the east, while I advocate a position to the south. Why? Here is my explanation... complete article original French

re: New Penguin Editions 5/20/13 – Penguin has announced the first two in the series of new translations which Frank Wynne drew our attention to [4/11/2013] (and I quote from their web site): Pietr the Latvian by Georges Simenon     The first Maigret novel (1931) in a gripping new translation by David Bellos launches the brand new Penguin Simenon series What he sought, 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 Peter the Latvian? Is he a gentleman thief? A Russian drinking absinthe in a grimy bar? A Norwegian sea captain with a wife and children? A twisted corpse in a train toilet? Or is he all of these men? In Simenon's first novel featuring Inspector Maigret, the laconic detective is taken from grimy dive bars to luxury hotels, as he solves the strange enigma of Pietr the Latvian. 'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century' Guardian. 'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' John Gray. 'I love reading Simenon. He makes me think of Chekhov' William Faulkner Georges Simenon was born in Liège, Belgium, in 1903. Best known in Britain as the author of the Maigret books, his prolific output of over 400 novels and short stories has made him a household name in continental Europe. He died in 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland. David Bellos is Director of the Program in Translation and Intercultural Communication at Princeton University and has won many awards for his translations, including the Man Booker Translator Award. Modern Classics Pub Date: November 13 ISBN: 9780141392738 Price: £7.99 Format: A format pb Extent: 144pp Also publishing in 2013: The Late Monsieur Gallet / 9780141393377 / £9.99 December 2013 No cover images yet Ward Saylor

Le Monde de Simenon pictos 5/19/13 – by Félix Péault... more at Le Monde de Simenon pictos David Simmons

re: BBC Maigret 5/14/13 – A year ago I attended a screening at the BFI in London of Le Chat, the 1971 film of Simenon's novel. I got the impression that many of us there that evening were Simenon enthusiasts. Who else happened to be in the audience? None other than Roger Allam. Richard Thomas Hertfordshire, UK

Roger Allam Maigret 5/10/13 – Curious how producers will decide which 'Maigret' to film. Not Gambon's, surely. If they are open to comments from future viewers, I suggest 'Saturday Caller". Vladimir Canada

re: BBC Maigret 5/4/13 – I agree with Martin. From what I can gather regarding Roger Allam, he seems extremely well qualified to portray Maigret. He’s already a pipe smoker, but he does need be sure he’s carrying enough weight. David Simmons

BBC Maigret 5/4/13 – I hear the BBC are planning to make and broadcast a new series of Maigret. Roger Allam is first choice for the part of Maigret, when I saw him in the series Endeavour I thought then what a good Maigret he would be. I look forward to this project coming to fruition. Regards Martin

Maigret Complete versus the BBC 5/2/13 – Just an observation, but the fact that this complete edition has been issued in the EU, released in its original French language and only with Dutch subtitles surely makes somewhat of a mockery of the BBC hiding behind the fact that they can only re-issue the old BBC Maigret series if they include a selection of EU subtitles? I guess in this financial age there is not going to be anyone out there willing to pay the substantial fees required to create the translations in any case, such a shame and IMHO a very poor decision on their part! Regards Matt Gibbs Yorkshire

re: Advantage for English-language readers? Maybe... 4/27/13 – I don't entirely agree with Vladimir (4/24/13) on these grounds: The novels were a product of their times and much can be learned from them of those times. Ergo "politically-incorrect" statements should be left as they are unless the whole plot and all the characters are advanced to be set in current times. Surely Vladimir wouldn't want Maupassant, Zola, Balzac etc. mucked about with! Also the novels, Maigret and non-Maigret, spanned enough years to show how things change over the years. Jane

From Monsieur Gallet to Monsieur Charles: investigations in images 4/24/13 – A new page (in French) at Murielle's site... De Monsieur Gallet à Monsieur Charles: enquêtes en images... A comparison of the Maigret covers – an attempt at an analysis of the different ways of illustrating the theme of a novel...

Advantage for English-language readers? Maybe... 4/24/13 – Interesting info from Frank Wynne about re-translation of Maigret by Penguin, the new owners of Simenon copyrights. I think that periodic re-translation of literary works is a positive idea, in principle. It makes the language clearer for today's readers. Translators will know, of course, that Simenon avoided 'dating' his stories, so translators will avoid this, too (no cell phones or computer database or email, for example; replacing 'politically-incorrect' statements is fine). Now, what about the original text in French? Does this mean French-language readers will continue reading some Maigret books in language from the 1930's while English-language readers will enjoy text adapted to the 21st century? Cheers, Vladimir

The new Penguin editions 4/11/13 – I hadn't seen any mention of the proposed new Penguin translations of Simenon on the site, and thought I'd bring them to your attention in case they hadn't come up yet… As a translator (one who believes that Simenon's novels constitute much of the finest work produced in France in the 20th Century) I've been campaigning for years to have him retranslated. Initial attempts fell of deaf ears, but eventually I manage to persuade Bloomsbury in the US to look into a major revision of the work. Unfortunately, that too was stalled because then rights-holders Chorion imposed conditions on any new translations that would have been impossibly onerous for both publisher and translator. As you probably know, Chorion filed for bankruptcy a couple of years ago and its assets (including the Estates of Simenon, Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler) were sold. This - wondrously - has led to Penguin books acquiring a license of all Simenon titles not currently in print (both Maigret and the romans durs) and they have already begun process of retranslating the entire canon, commissioning some of the finest translators working from French (including David Bellos, Lydia Davis, Anthea Bell)… I'm not sure when the first titles will be published - and the project is obviously one that will take some 10 years to complete, but I thought you'd be interested to know. Frank Wynne

Maigret, Crémer and cigars... 4/7/13 – Indeed, Maigret doesn't like to smoke cigars, and even if we see him, on very rare occasions, acept one, he does so reluctantly... In the series with Crémer, we also see him smoke a cigar in several rare episodes... for example, in Maigret et les caves du Majestic [MAJ] and Maigret à l’école [ECO]. There too, the actor must show that, like Maigret, he doesn't care much for cigars. But the play is doubly subtle, because actually, Bruno Crémer was a cigar smoker, and very much enjoyed it... He didn't take up the pipe until he took on the role of Maigret. The image on the cover of the coffret of the DVD may have been taken from Maigret et les caves du Majestic [MAJ], but it might also be simply a photo taken on a film set, while the actor was taking a break between takes. That's where the identification game becomes tangled, for what is intended to be shown in this image, Maigret, or the actor playing him? For the passionate Maigretphile, a representation of the Chief Inspector savoring a cigar is contrary to everything we know about our hero's preferences, but for the lover of the series, who knows a little more about the actor, the image of Bruno Crémer and his cigar is not at all incongruous... From the moment we accept the priciple of seeing Maigret played by an actor, we know that the character escapes more or less from his world on paper, and that the interpretation of an actor, putting in, in spite of himself, a little of his own personality, will betray to some extent the intentions of his creator. Simenon knew this well, having commented on the interpretations of his Chief Inspector in the voice of his hero (see Les mémoires de Maigret [MEM]), and even if he wasn't satisfied, he let it go anyway... Best regards Murielle (translation)

Maigret smoking 4/1/13 – Maigret smoking a cigar?! Very poor choice. Not because of the cigar, since we all know Maigret was a 'pipe man', but because smoking is not socially acceptable anymore (and not a moment too soon, if you ask me). Much more so in North America than in Europe. British Columbia is a leader here. No smoking anywhere inside of all public buildings, which covers offices, stores, schools, restaurants, buses... Sorry, but that cigar on the cover is not good for sales here. Vladimir

re: Bruno Cremer DVDs - A cigar!? 3/30/13 – I can see the confusing information on the Fnac site... It says a little lower on the page that it was published in September 2011, and that the languages are French and English, and the subtitles in German. (Clicking on the "ask a question" button brings no result.) Ads for the Just Entertainment (Dutch) series also indicate that the languages are French and English, but that the subtitles are in Dutch... Looks like Fnac has it wrong. Has anyone actually seen any of these? But the real question is... why is Maigret (Crémer) smoking a cigar on the cover?! I can only find him smoking a cigar four times in my casual search of the corpus... and then just as a last resort. More often then not he disdains cigars! ST

re: Bruno Cremer DVDs - Confusing information! 3/30/13 – Here's the answer to Martin's question about the Complete edition of the Maigret series... The coffret offered by Fnac (also offered here at Amazon) is in fact a Dutch edition. The subtitles are in Dutch, and apparently not in English. To learn more about this edition, see this page: Videos hollandaises. Happy Easter to all the internet Maigretphiles! Best regards, Murielle (translation)

Lire April 2013 - favorite Simenon books... 3/30/13 – The new (April) edition of the magazine Lire has a two-page spread on the favorite Simenon books of various authors... Hemingway, Brasillach, Céline, Claudel, Gide, Mauriac, Fellini, Narcejac, Carrère... Regards, Jérôme

Bruno Cremer DVDs - Confusing information! 3/29/13 – FNAC appear to be offering a complete set of the Bruno Cremer Maigret, i.e. 27 DVD's 54 Episodes for a price lower than a single Coffret (10 episodes), namely 70,98 euros. Supposedly with English sub-titles. To my knowledge they have so far only issued the English sub-titles up to Volume 21, although volumes 22 to 27 may be sub-titled in the USA. Can anyone confirm whether this package does in fact have English sub-titles covering Volumes 1 through 27? The cover is written in English. Regards Martin

Simenon in Tahiti 3/26/13 – Here is a short paper published Jan. 19, 2013 in Le Figaro Magazine on Simenon and his travel to Tahiti... Le rêve tahitien de Georges Simenon Regards, Jérôme

In an old edition... 3/26/13 – Browsing through old editions with a watchful eye, you sometimes come acrosss amusing details, like this... My edition of La porte [The Door] is from 1965. Like most of the volumes from Presses de la Cité, Maigrets and non-Maigrets, it includes lists of Simenon's works published in various collections, like this page on the right: Now we find that in the list of the Maigrets, the latest one to appear at that time (original edition, Nov. 15, 1965), La patience de Maigret [PAT], is listed under an unexpected title... "Maigret s’impatiente" [Maigret is impatient]! This is all the more surprising since this title does not appear as an alternative title on Simenon's yellow preparatory envelope, and what's more, the novel, La porte shows a publication date of Nov. 20, actually after the publication of La patience de Maigret. So what happened? The proofreader had no doubt not read La patience de Maigret, in which the Chief Inspector, had in fact demonstrated his patience, and not his impatience… And so who has shown the impatience in this tale? A distracted proofreader or layout person, pressed to finish their work by the end of the day? Unless it's just a prankster… Murielle (translation)

The "semi-Maigrets" 3/26/13 – Hats off to Murielle Wenger. She’s done it again. This thoroughly researched and documented exposition saves those eager to delve into Maigret’s world a lot of trouble. As a bonus, even without any knowledge of French, one can enjoy her wonderful presentation of covers. Les "semi-Maigret" David Simmons

Simenon : Cahier de l'Herne 3/23/13 – Les Cahiers de L'Herne have just published a cahier (285 pages) about Simenon with multiple articles about him: L'Herne Simenon... Contents Regards, Jérôme

Liège de Simenon 3/23/13 – A new book on Simenon's Liège: Liège de Simenon... Joe Richards

Bruno Cremer's autobiography? 3/18/13 – Discovery of this Forum has brought absolute delight to this (almost) 75-year-old mystery reader, and (almost) new computer user! I have been looking for a copy of Bruno Cremer's autobiography, "Un certain jeune homme" [A certain young man], in English. Can anyone help? Regards, DHR

re: Maigret & the Ghost Query 3/16/13 – Voici la réponse qu’on peut donner à Joe à propos du transport de l’intrigue de Maigret et le fantôme à Helsinki : comme l’explique Jacques-Yves Depoix dans le guide qu’il a consacré à la série : « [Les épisodes de la série] exigent des budgets très élevés, car, contrairement aux épisodes avec Jean Richard qui se déroulaient dans la contemporanéité, les nouvelles enquêtes se situent dans la France des années 50. Tous les décors sont à créer ! Chaque épisode coûte en moyenne 1,5 million d’euros. En outre, La 5, co-diffuseur de la série avec Antenne 2, manque d’entraîner dans sa chute la série : la chaîne fait faillite et le gouffre financier apparaît, terrible : 300 000 euros manquent pour chacun des douze épisodes à venir ! Ainsi, les producteurs, Robert Nador et Eve Vercel vont faire appel à la coproduction européenne. Sont sollicitées les télévisions belge (RTBF), suisse (TSR), tchèque (Ceska Televize) et finlandaise (Finnish Broadcasting TV1). Au bout du compte, beaucoup d’épisodes seront tournés à l’étranger, notamment dans les pays de l’Est, mais pas seulement, pour réduire les coûts de production. » Et voilà l’explication, liée à des impondérables financiers… Maigret et le fantôme sera donc tourné à Helsinki, et pour « faire passer la sauce », on modifie quelque peu le scénario d’origine : au lieu de « planquer » avenue Junot, dans le quartier parisien où il travaille d’habitude, après avoir sollicité la permission auprès de Marinette de surveiller l’hôtel des Jonker, qui se trouve en face de l’appartement de la jeune femme, Lognon se rend à Helsinki, appelé par Paulette, qui va lui fournir un renseignement moyennant quoi elle pourra revenir à Paris où elle était interdite de séjour. Petit tour de passe-passe qui n’enlève rien à la qualité de l’épisode… Au passage, Maigret alias Crémer fera la connaissance de l’inspecteur Ari, qu’il retrouvera quelques épisodes plus tard dans Maigret en Finlande, où le Delfzijl du roman d’origine (Un crime en Hollande) deviendra la ville d’une petite île finlandaise… A nouveau une histoire de co-production… Here's an answer for Joe, as to why Maigret et le fantôme was moved to Helsinki... as explained by Jacques-Yves Depoix in his guide devoted to the series... "[The episodes of the series] required very high budgets, since, unlike those of the Jean Richard series set in contemporary times, the new series was set in the France of the '50s. All the scenery had to be created! Each episode cost an average of 1.5 million euros. Furthermore, La 5, co-producer of the series along with Antenne 2, was unable to continue... the channel went bankrupt at a great loss... 300,000 euros short for each of the twelve episodes to come! So the producers, Robert Nador and Eve Vercel searched for European co-producers. They approached Belgian television (RTBF), Swiss (TSR), Czech (Ceska Televize) and Finnish (Finnish Broadcasting TV1). Ultimately, many episodes would be shot abroad, especially, though not all, in Eastern Europe, to reduce production costs." And so the explanation is connected to finances… Maigret et le fantôme was thus made in Helsinki, and to fix things up, they modified the original scenario a bit... instead of "hiding out" on Avenue Junot, in the Parisian district where he usually works, after getting permission from Marinette to watch Jonker's house, opposite the young woman's apartment, Lognon goes to Helsinki, called by Paulette, who will give him information to allow her to return to Paris where she has been forbidden to stay. A little sleight of hand which doesn't detract from the quality of the episode… At the same time, Maigret, alias Crémer, will make the acquaintance of Inspector Ari, whom he will meet again several episodes later in Maigret en Finlande, where the Delfzijl of the original novel (Un crime en Hollande) will become the city on a little Finnish isle… again, a story of co-production… Best regards Murielle

Maigret & the Ghost Query 3/14/13 – Hello --- I am hoping you will have have the knowledge, to satisfy our curiousity. We're American fans of Bruno Cremer's Maigret, which airs locally on a PBS affiliate, via MhZ On a recent (several weeks ago) Maigret episode, Maigret & the Ghost (aka Maigret & the Apparition; Maigret et le fantôme [FAN]); we're trying to determine why the change of venue from Paris to Helsinki, for the episode. My friend, an avid reader of the Simenon novels, maintains that the original book took place entirely in and about Paris, whereas the Bruno Cremer production had him travelling to Helsinki, Finland. I have scoured the web & even contacted MhZ directly regarding the cause for the change of venue, but neither they nor my own websearch have proven fruitful, thus far. We appreciate your time, and look forward to any insights you may provide Thank You, Joe

The "semi-Maigrets" 3/11/13 – A new page (in French) at Murielle's site... Les "semi-Maigret"... Some Maigret characters appearing without Maigret – like Lucas, Torrence, Lognon... – and the books they appear in...

"a review" of Alder's book 3/11/13 – Dear Maigretphiles, Bill Alder deserves kudos for Maigret, Simenon and France: social dimensions of the novels and stories, the book he introduced on this forum a few entries back. His stated aim was “to consider the role of social class and social change in the Maigret writings.” The result is a well-researched, well-documented, and well-written work. In focusing on whether Simenon (consciously or not) presents an accurate portrait of French society, Alder offers many fascinating revelations about the times, providing me with an unexpected, new sense of appreciation of Simenon as a writer. “Progressive penetration” is Alder’s term for Maigret’s method of “soaking up… progressively penetrating… applying pressure… until the criminal reveals him- or herself.” Describing the method of the man who had no method as “a social rather than a logical or technical approach to police investigation” seems to me to be right on target. Enjoy! David Simmons

Postmistresses, nurses, parish priests... 3/2/13 – Postmistresses, nurses, parish priests, lawyers, postmen, valets and butlers... in Simenon's gallery of characters by Murielle Wenger Original French A Maigret novel obviously doesn't exist without the presence of its hero. However, to exercise his talents, the Chief Inspector needs a foil; and thus appear the "second fiddles", victims, witnesses and suspects, whom Maigret confronts. Without forgetting, of course, Mme Maigret and his inspectors, who receive his affection. However, that is not yet enough to give scale to the scene... add to these a host of extras, who will furnish the space, and allow the novel to come alive. It's Simenon's talent to offer us a gallery of secondary characters, who appear more or less fleetingly, but who are nonetheless necessary to the plot. Sometimes described in just a few words, sometimes in a few sentences, the brevity of their appearance detracts nothing from the force of their presence at the heart of the plot. And so the reader finds a certain pleasure in discovering, in the course of the story, these sketched characters, while the compulsive Maigret-lover – like me! - increases their happiness by making a collection of these findings... And so here, after the maids, concierges, housekeepers, judges and so on, a little review of some others of these secondary characters. 1. The Postmistresses The telephone is a tool often required by Maigret. In a time when there were not yet any of the mobile devices which have made today's communications so banal, the police had to find other ways of getting in contact or finding information. In Paris, when he's working away from his office, the Chief Inspector often goes into a café to telephone - a good excuse to order at the same time a little white wine or a brandy - which may explain why Maigret never uses public telephone booths, which could already be found at his time in the streets of the capital. In the cases he investigates outside of Paris, Maigret also finds the need to phone. When it's not from his hotel room, he naturally goes to the post office, where he meets the first of the characters examined in this study, the postmistresses. In the Maigrets, it's always a woman who takes care of the postal service and telephone, in the suburbs or the country. Five postmistresses are described in some detail in the corpus: In La maison du juge [JUG], Maigret only encounters the attendant via the telephone... situated in city hall, he will need the assistance of the young woman to find out some information for him, Polite and affable, he presents himself graciously, beginning with a sort of apology... "Hello, Mademoiselle. ... I'm at city hall, and I'm afraid I'll have to bother you somewhat frequently..." Later, greeting her amiably... "Then he turned the crank of the telephone, greeting the attendant with a pleasant 'Bonjour'". And finally allowing himself some more pleasantness... "Hello, Mademoiselle! Still another call, if you don't mind? ... Thanks so much... But of course, I know you're doing everything you can, and before I leave I'll bring you some chocolates. You prefer glazed chestnuts? I'll remember..." "It's me again, Mademoiselle... I'll have to double the quantity of those chestnuts..." "Hello, Mademoiselle... Yes, it's me, yes... My debt of chocolates... No, that's right, you prefer glazed chestnuts... My debt grows greater and greater" In L''inspecteur cadavre [CAD], here is Mlle Rinquet, whom Maigret encounters for the first time when he has to calls the Nauds to let them know he won't be back for dinner. The post office is closed, but with the help of Louis, the Chief Inspector manages to get the door opened. Maigret gives his thanks, "What do I owe, Mademoiselle?... Thank you... Excuse me." Later, while Maigret is taking his nightly walk through the village with Louis, he notices a light across from the Groults. Louis explains that the attendant has insomnia, and that she reads novels till late in the night. Maigret, hearing the sound of Groult's voice, in discussion with Cavre, recognized the sound of the telephone crank. And thus he discovers that she listens in on conversations... "He saw her, petite, dressed in black, black hair, a face without age. She had the receiver in one hand, the plug in the other." Maigret had himself let into the post office, using the back door. "Don't worry, Mademoiselle... He was too broad and too heavy for the little kitchen fitting for the tiny postmistress surrounded with china trinkets, spun glass bought at a fairgrounds, embroidered doilies." The words create an image, and we see, thanks to the novelists skill, the scene as if we were there, the contrast between the heavy silhouette of the Chief Inspector and the frail woman... Maigret, who needs to know what Groult had said to Naud on the phone, threatens to denounce the postmistress, who relates the conversation. The phone rings again in the post office, and she responds... "She turned around, afraid, for the massive Maigret was right beside her, his hand extended, ready to grasp the receiver at the proper moment. ... She didn't dare resist the Chief Inspector, who authoritatively took the earphones and placed them over his head. She carefully placed the plug into its receptacle." This allowed Maigret to hear the conversation between Naud and his brother-in-law, Judge Bréjon, and to understand things clearly... Having gotten what he wanted, the Chief Inspector reassured the postmistress that he wouldn't denounce her... "Good night, Mademoiselle. Have no fear. I will be discreet" complete article original French

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Maigret of the Month - 2012 month title January Vente à la bougie - Sale by Auction (1939) February La pipe de Maigret - Maigret's Pipe (1945) March Maigret et l'inspecteur malgracieux - Maigret and the Surly Inspector (1946) April Le témoignage de l'enfant de chœur - The Evidence of the Altar-Boy (1946) May Le client le plus obstiné du monde - The Most Obstinate Man in the World (1946) June On ne tue pas les pauvres types - Death of a Nobody (1946) July Menaces de mort - Death Threats (1942) August Train de nuit - Night Train (1930) September La jeune fille aux perles - The Girl with the Pearls (1932) October La femme rousse - The Redhead (1933) November La maison de l'inquiétude) - The House of Anxiety (1930)

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Maigret of the Month - 2011 month title January Une erreur de Maigret - Maigret's Mistake (1936) February L'Amoureux de Madame Maigret - Madame Maigret's Admirer (1939) March La vieille dame de Bayeux - The Old Lady of Bayeux (1939) April L'Auberge aux noyés - The Drowned Men's Inn (1938) May Stan le tueus - Stan the Killer (1938) June L'Étoile du Nord - At the Étoile du Nord. (1938) July Tempête sur la Manche - Storm in the Channel (1938) August Mademoiselle Berthe et son amant - Mademoiselle Berthe and her Lover (1938) September Le Notaire du Châteauneuf - The Three Daughters of the Lawyer (1938) October L'improbable Monsieur Owen - The Unlikely M. Owen (1938) November Ceux du Grand Café - The Group at the Grand Café. (1938) December L'Homme dans la rue - The Man in the Street (1939)

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Maigret of the Month - 2010 month title January La Folle de Maigret - Maigret and the Madwoman (1970) February Maigret et l'homme tout seul - Maigret and the Loner (1971) March Maigret et l'indicateur - Maigret and the Informer (1971) April Maigret et Monsieur Charles - Maigret and Monsieur Charles (1972) May La Péniche aux deux pendus - Two Bodies on a Barge (1944) June L'Affaire du Boulevard Beaumarchais - The Mysterious Affair in the Boulevard Beaumarchais (1944) July La Fenêtre ouverte - The Open Window (1944) August Monsieur Lundi - Mr. Monday (1944) September Jeumont, 51 minutes d'arrêt - Jeumont, 51 Minutes' Stop! (1944) October Peine de mort - Death Penalty (1944) November Les Larmes de bougie - Death of a Woodlande (1944) December Rue Pigalle - In the Rue Pigalle (1944)

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Maigret of the Month - 2009 month title January Maigret et le clochard - Maigret and the Bum (1963) February La Colère de Maigret - Maigret Loses His Temper (1963) March Maigret et le fantôme - Maigret and the Ghost (1963) April Maigret se défend - Maigret on the Defensive (1964) May La Patience de Maigret - Maigret Bides His Time (1965) June Maigret et l'affaire Nahour - Maigret and the Nahour Case (1966) July Le Voleur de Maigret - Maigret's Pickpocket (1967) August Maigret à Vichy - Maigret in Vichy (1968) September Maigret hésite - Maigret Hesitates (1968) October L'Ami d'enfance de Maigret - Maigret's Boyhood Friend (1968) November Maigret et le tueur - Maigret and the Killer (1969) December Maigret et le marchand de vin - Maigret and the Wine Merchant (1970)

Maigret of the Month - 2008 month title January Maigret tend un piège - Maigret sets a trap (1955) February Un échec de Maigret - Maigret's Failure (1956) March Maigret s'amuse - Maigret's Little Joke (1957) April Maigret voyage - Maigret and the Millionaires (1958) May Les Scrupules de Maigret - Maigret Has Scruples (1958) June Maigret et les témoins récalcitrants - Maigret and the Reluctant Witnesses (1959) July Une confidence de Maigret - Maigret Has Doubts (1959) August Maigret aux assises - Maigret in Court (1960) September Maigret et les vieillards - Maigret in Society (1960) October Maigret et le voleur paresseux - Maigret and the Lazy Burglar (1961) November Maigret et les braves gens - Maigret and the Black Sheep (1962) December Maigret et le client du samedi - Maigret and the Saturday Caller (1962)

Maigret of the Month - 2007 month title January Maigret au "Picratt's" - Maigret in Montmartre (1951) February Maigret en meublé - Maigret Takes a Room (1951) March Maigret et la grande perche - Maigret and the Burglar's Wife (1951) April Maigret, Lognon et les gangsters - Maigret and the Gangsters (1952) May Le Revolver de Maigret - Maigret's Revolver (1952) June Maigret et l'homme du banc - The Man on the Boulevard (1953) July Maigret a peur - Maigret Afraid (1953) August Maigret se trompe - Maigret's Mistake (1953) September Maigret à l'école - Maigret Goes to School (1954) October Maigret et la jeune morte - Maigret and the Young Girl (1954) November Maigret chez le ministre - Maigret and the Calame Report (1954) December Maigret et le corps sans tête - Maigret and the Headless Corpse (1955)

Maigret of the Month - 2006 month title January L'Inspecteur Cadavre - Maigret's Rival (1944) February Maigret se fâche - Maigret in Retirement (1947) March Maigret à New York - Maigret in New York (1947) April Les Vacances de Maigret - No Vacation for Maigret (1948) May Maigret et son mort - Maigret's Special Murder (1948) June La première enquête de Maigret, 1913 - Maigret's First Case (1949) July Mon ami Maigret - My Friend Maigret (1949) August Maigret chez le coroner - Maigret at the Coroner's (1949) September Maigret et la vieille dame - Maigret and the Old Lady (1950) October L'Amie de Mme Maigret - Madame Maigret's Own Case (1950) November Les Mémoires de Maigret - Maigret's Memoirs (1951) December Un Noël de Maigret - Maigret's Christmas (1951)

Maigret of the Month - 2005 month title January L'affaire Saint-Fiacre - Maigret Goes Home (1932) February Chez les Flamands - The Flemish Shop (1932) March Le port des brumes - Death of a Harbormaster (1932) April Le fou de Bergerac - The Madman of Bergerac (1932) May Liberty Bar - Liberty Bar, Maigret on the Riviera (1932) June L'écluse n° 1 - The Lock at Charenton (1933) July Maigret - Maigret Returns (1934) August Les Caves du Majestic - Maigret and the Hotel Majestic (1942) September La Maison du juge - Maigret in Exile (1942) October Cécile est morte - Maigret and the Spinster (1942) November Signé Picpus - Maigret and the Fortuneteller (1944) December Félicie est là - Maigret and the Toy Village (1944)

Maigret of the Month - 2004 month title January Le chien jaune - The Yellow Dog February M. Gallet décédé - Maigret Stonewalled March La nuit du carrefour - Maigret at the Crossroads April Le charretier de la Providence - Maigret Meets a Milord May La tête d'un homme - A Battle of Nerves June Un crime en Hollande - Maigret in Holland July Pietr-le-Letton - Maigret and the Enigmatic Lett August Le pendu de Saint-Pholien - Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets September Au rendez-vous des Terre-Neuvas - The Sailor's Rendezvous October La danseuse du Gai-Moulin - Maigret at the Gai-Moulin November La guinguette à deux sous - Maigret and the Tavern by the Seine December L'ombre chinoise - Maigret Mystified