Three vintage Maigret novels by legendary mystery author Georges Simenon
One of the world 's most successful crime writers, Georges... read full description
One of the world 's most successful crime writers, Georges... read full description
reviews
Jul 26, 2010
Jennifer
rated it: 
A rotten Saturday led to a serious requirement for distracting comfort-reading, but I'd left the Pratchett re-read I was partway through (Night Watch) at home...what to do? Fortunately, the library had a copy of Maigret's Rival, a short mystery novel featuring, yes, that most interesting of detectives, Superintendent Maigret.
I was careful to pick a book from the 40s, since the last Maigret novel I'd read was from late in the series and was full of the kind of casual, ugly sexism tha More...
I was careful to pick a book from the 40s, since the last Maigret novel I'd read was from late in the series and was full of the kind of casual, ugly sexism tha More...
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May 28, 2009
Tony
rated it: 
Simenon, Georges. MAIGRIT’S RIVAL. (1944; US Translation, 1979). ****1/2. This is an exceptional tale from Simenon featuring his famous character, Chief Inspector Maigrit. Maigrit is asked by his boss in Paris to do him a favor. It seems that a young man was found run over by a train in a small village some distance from the capitol, and that his boss’s relatives there have somehow been implicated through a series of anonymous letters distributed among the population. Maigrit agrees to do
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Oct 17, 2011
Maureen
rated it: 
this is third i've read, and so far my least favourite. i like a lot of what is done in this one: take maigret out of paris, away from his reputation and see how effective an investigator he can be is an interesting to place to go, and to read this one right after the one where i became aware that he feels held apart from others was interesting. but, perhaps based on current mood, i didn't like the conclusion of the novel: it left a bad taste in my mouth. there's always some moral ambiguity in t
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Mar 30, 2011
Sara
rated it:
This is one of my favorite Maigrets. It's set in a small village, Saint-Aubin, in the west of France, and Simenon masterfully portrays the somewhat claustrophobic nature of this village where everyone knows everyone and their history from years past. There's an in-group and an out-group, and of course it is the out-group of rebels against the stuffy in-group that helps Maigret crack the case. But by the end, we have sympathy for several in-group characters as well.
Parts of Simen More...
Parts of Simen More...
Feb 04, 2012
Lisa
rated it: 
I am always looking for literary novels about crime, but I'm never satisfied. This fellow comes highly recommended, and the prose quality is better than most, but I found this novel total unsatisfying and not particularly interesting, except for the fact that Inspector Maigret allows the murderer to go unpunished, reinforcing that the rich do get away with crime. It made me dislike this character who is the hero of dozens of novels. Well, I got a second one for a Christmas gift, so I will give h
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Jan 29, 2012
Holger
rated it:
Maigret löst seine Fälle, in dem er die Atmosphäre des Milieus aufsaugt wie den Rauch durch seine Pfeife, sie quasi inhaliert und ein Teil seiner Umwelt wird. Auf den Leser wirkt dies zunächst planlos und wenig zielstrebig. Dabei fördert er immer die verschiedenen Lager und Sichtweisen auf die Opfer, Täter und Vorgänge zu Tage. Selten benötigt er Spuren zur Aufklärung, wie auch im vorliegenden Fall. In "Maigret und sein Rivale" ist er nicht offiziell mit einem Mordfall beschäftigt, den
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Sep 01, 2010
LJ
rated it:
First Sentence: Maigret surveyed his fellow passengers with large, sullen eyes and, without meaning to, assumed that stuck-up, self-important look people put on when they have spent mindless hours in the compartment of a train.
Inspector Maigret is set by his boss to a small town in order to investigate the death of a young man. On the train there, he sees his a man who used to work for him but is now his rival, who Maigret has named Inspector Cadaver. Upon arriving at the town, al More...
Inspector Maigret is set by his boss to a small town in order to investigate the death of a young man. On the train there, he sees his a man who used to work for him but is now his rival, who Maigret has named Inspector Cadaver. Upon arriving at the town, al More...
Jan 04, 2012
Dan
rated it:
This book was written well and I enjoyed reading it. One thing though, Please don't let this be your first Maigret story; you won't appreciate the memorable character Maigret, unless you read some of his Paris books that showcase his abilities.
First published in 1944, the era with cranking telephones and telephone operators that listen in on the conversation for juicy gossip. Maigret figures out the case dispite all his hardships in being in a small country town. Well worth reading.
First published in 1944, the era with cranking telephones and telephone operators that listen in on the conversation for juicy gossip. Maigret figures out the case dispite all his hardships in being in a small country town. Well worth reading.
Feb 09, 2011
Kim
rated it:
Simenon excels in character development and presentation. These Maigret novels are fascinating in that respect. Knowing that the author walked a fine line in a criminal career makes these stories even more appealing.
Dec 10, 2008
Rickeclectic
rated it:
Maigret out of Paris, typical themes of provincial respectability and class differences. A good story about psychological motives.
Sep 01, 2010
Unbridled
rated it:
An Inspector Maigret book - genre fiction from this most prolific writer, Georges Simenon. This was my first Simenon experience. Enjoyable, though I didn't really care about the plot that much - the ending was not tight but neither was it happily ever after, so it was 'realistic,' which I appreciated. The book is short and rushes to the end, but it has many small moments - mundane yet keen psychological insights for the characters - and small physical details that bloom within the scene. Those m
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Sep 01, 2010
Ginny
rated it:
Inspector Cadaver is really private detective Justin Cavre, a former comrade of Maigret that no one liked. When Maigret is asked to discreetly check into a death that has sparked nasty rumors about his boss's family, he takes the train and meets Cavre enroute to the same little country town. The key to the murder mystery is the relationships which Maigret is always good at discovering.
Sep 01, 2010
tomlinton
rated it:
Maigret is an odd duck
but I remembered getting
a recommendation for him from my mother
when I was yet young
and reading several
This was available on the Kindle
and my opinion
and hers
confirmed
but I remembered getting
a recommendation for him from my mother
when I was yet young
and reading several
This was available on the Kindle
and my opinion
and hers
confirmed
Sep 01, 2010
Laura
rated it:
When an old adversary undermines an investigation, Maigret is determined to find the truth. Available at BBC Radio 7.
Sep 01, 2010
Maria
rated it:
The best Simenon so far...of course, I've only read two! Love the ending.
Jan 31, 2012
Jan 19, 2012
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Dec 30, 2011
Dec 26, 2011
