La Folle de Maigret

Inspector Maigret #72

by Georges Simenon

La police n'en finirait pas, si elle devait tout prendre au sérieux. Par exemple, les craintes de cette vieille dame, à l'évidence un peu dérangée, qui prétend ètre suivie et ajoute que des objets bougent chez elle... Pourtant, Léontine de Caramé est bel et bien retrouvée assassinée dans son appartement.
Maigret doit-il soupçonner Angèle, qui ne fréquentait guère sa vieille tante que dans l'espoir de toucher l'héritage ? Y a-t-il un lien entre cette affaire et le subit départ pour Toulon du Grand Marcel, barman bien connu de la police et amant d'Angèle ?
Il n'y avait pas d'argent chez Léontine lorsqu'elle a été tuée. Mais les tiroirs des vieilles dames renferment parfois des secrets autrement surprenants...

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, France, Detective, French Literature, Mystery Thriller

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Jim Fonseca · Rating 4 out of 5]

You always get a good story from Simenon, the Belgian author who wrote in French, and is best known for the 75 novels in his Inspector Maigret series. Incredibly, Simenon (1903-1989) wrote more than 500 novels.

This is my 8th Maigret and it was a buddy read with Ebba Simone. I appreciate her comments and the insights that we exchanged.



It struck me that the plot of this book was structured a lot like another Maigret I read, Cecile is Dead. In both stories we have an elderly woman who really only has social interaction with a niece. In both cases someone is coming into the apartment and mysteriously moving furniture and other objects around as if searching for something. In both stories this is reported to the police and they largely dismiss the complaint as imaginings or, in this story, confusion of an elderly lady. The elderly woman ends up dead in both stories and in both Maigret feels remorse for not having acted more quickly or taken the complaints more seriously. In both stories, one key to the murder mystery becomes WHAT is the intruder looking for?

In Madwoman, the object of the search can’t be money. Yes, the elderly lady has a pension and is very frugal, but everyone knows her money is in the bank and she just keeps petty cash on hand for shopping. The lady is 86 and her niece knows she is her closest relative and will eventually inherit her money. So why risk years in prison for money she is going to receive relatively soon anyway?

The murder victim had had two husbands, both of whom died, the last one 12 years ago. The most recent husband had been an inventor of kitchen gadgets. But, even if someone thought there were patent papers or even an invention lying around, why start a search for something NOW, rather than 12 years ago when the husband passed away?

Maigret interviews the concierge and the various tenants in the building. In some murder mysteries it’s often the butler, but in Maigrets, it’s sometimes a weird tenant! Meanwhile two possibly shady characters appear on the scene, both connected to the niece. One is her son (the grandnephew of the murdered lady) and the other a new male companion of the niece, a pimp/small-time hoodlum called ‘Le Grand Marcel.’ The grandnephew is presented as a ‘hippie type’ (the story was published in 1970) who plays in a rock band and has a lot of women over to his place. Could one of these men have done it? But again, what were they searching for, and why now?



A good story and an intriguing mystery.

I enjoy reading a Maigret as a break from more serious topics. I’ve read a dozen or so but I won’t list all of my reviews below, just the few I’ve read that have ratings higher than 3.8 on GR:

Maigret’s Pickpocket

Maigret and the Loner

Maigret Has Scruples

Maigret Sets a Trap

Maigret and the Headless Corpse

Top photo of a Paris apartment building from Wikimedia.org
The author on a French postage stamp from touchstamps.com

[Berengaria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

short review for busy readers:
Somewhat dull and simplistic.

This very late Maigret from the 1970s has as its only highlight time spent on the relationship between Maigret and his wife. The wife who seemingly only appears as a side side side character in most of the novels. Nice to see a bit more of her.

Other than that, the solution to the mystery is generally guessable from the very beginning (if not in all details). The logical steps the police take to get to the resolution are not fully explained and Simeon's typical telegraphic style more gets in the way here than provides a unique angle on the crime.

An okay Maigret. More for completionists and fans than the casual reader. LFL find. Read in French.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lunchtime Listen May 2024

A diminutive elderly woman keeps appearing in the corridor outside Maigret's office in Quai Des Orfèvres, and all Maigret's inspectors start calling her his "madwoman" as she will not see anyone but him. Eventually she is persuaded to see young Inspector Lapointe, and tells him a fantastic story that someone is breaking into her house and moving ornaments around.
Whilst Lapointe is quite sceptical he tells Maigret he doesn't think she is mad. Anyway 2 days later as Maigret leaves work, the old lady accosts him by the banks of the Seine. He eventually promises to come and see her at her home soon. However much to Maigret's shame he does not visit soon enough, and 2 days later she is dead, murdered. So begins a case that sees Maigret and his Inspector's questioning people all over Paris, Maigret himself dashing off by night train to see gangsters in the south of France and ultimately Madame Maigret giving her husband advice.

An excellent novel, and as ever a wonderful listen thanks to Gareth Armstrong.

[Jeffrey Keeten · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been decades since I've read a Simenon. For whatever reason, who knows it could have been a mention in something else I was reading or just a random thought out of the murky muck of my reader's brain, but I have recently developed an interest in Simenon. He has the reputation of a ladies man, a drinker, but a disciplined writer none the less. He wrote over 200 books, small books, but actually they are a nice size for my murder mystery fix.

I liked the relationship between Maigret and his wife. I read too many books about single people. I don't know if that is my fault for the books I pick or if publishing is awash with books about unattached people. Maybe we all become too boring to write about once we get married.

I liked the pace of the book. Maigret uses his noggin to puzzle through the clues he has been given. He is patient, letting things develop, picking away at people's statements, taking the train to Toulon to harass yet again a man he knows is in some part guilty of the crime and then on the way back home on the train he shaves. He always shaves on the train. The trains I've been on that would be a potentially dangerous activity, but I love references like that.

The book was thoroughly satisfying exactly what I expected, but better in the sense that I found myself wondering what Maigret would have to eat next time I had a chance to delve into his life and would he have that second glass of white wine. I have a bio of Simenon on the shelf, a bio of Josephine Baker (She had a bit of fling with Simenon and is damned interesting in her own right.) and picked up a couple of more Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Maigret's to read in the near future. I also have started watching the 12 Maigret episodes aired by PBS in 1992 starring Dumbledore otherwise known as Sir Michael Gambon. I am immershing myself in Simenon and hope to come out the other side with at least a working knowledge of this prolific and fascinating writer.

[Astraea · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتابی جنایی پلیسی....شاید بشه گفت اولین کتابی بود که با این موضوع میخوندم. از نویسنده اش هم هیچ شناختی نداشتم و فقط خواستم یه نویسنده جدید رو امتحان کنم.
کتاب خوبی بود. گفته شده از داستانهای این نویسنده فیلمهای فرانسوی زیادی ساخته شده. مطمئنا فیلمهای موفق هستند....
ولی من بهش 3 میدم...فکر میکنم 3 کافیه!!!!

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maigret at his best.
This is not a typical Maigret novel although it is largely centred in Paris and involves his team of detectives working on a difficult murder case.
It is a special story as it begins with him being too slow to act. We find that whether he could have prevented the serious outcome by intervening earlier his delay meant he was slow off the mark getting to grips with the investigation.
An old lady seeks him out as someone is getting into her apartment and moving her things. The police think she’s old and a little senile as nothing has been taken. The case becomes series when she must have disturbed the intruder and she is murdered.
A wonderful example of the magic of these stories and the engaging writing by this respected author.
I love the emotion as Maigret follows procedure to find out why she was killed and if he could have saved her.
The closer moments with his wife are delightfully written and revealing.
The journey out of Paris is intense and demonstrates Maigret’s grasp on matters and his sense of justice.
A grown-up story or Maigret coming of age. As the series draws to a close this story is one that needs to be told and strengthens the collection as a detective novel and a character piece.

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Simenon. An elderly woman approaches Maigret and insists that someone is entering her apartment when she is not there. Things are subtly moved around. Maigret thinks she is not mentally stable. And then she ends up murdered.

Clues slowly unfold until the climax. Another great mystery by Mr. Simenon.

[Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever, persistent, compassionate Maigret. Another good story, too.

[Alan (the Lone Librarian rides again) Teder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maigret Regrets
Review of the Penguin Classics paperback (October 2019) of a new translation* by Siân Reynolds of the French language original La Folle de Maigret (1970)

[3.5]
Maigret's Madwoman is a fairly straightforward case for the Parisian Chief Inspector. An elderly woman persists in coming to the Quai des Orfèvres offices of the Police Judiciaire in order to attempt to see Maigret. The only reason she gives is that she has noticed things being moved around in her apartment. The police are doubtful about her story and think it is just the woman's elderly illusions, but Maigret finally takes an interest and agrees to visit her to take a look. Before he can do so, the woman is murdered. Stung with regret, Maigret persists in an investigation which has a limited number of suspects but for which the motive is a mystery until all of the pieces of the past fall into place.


The cover of the original French language edition of "Maigret's Madwoman" as published by Press de la Cité, France 1970. Image sourced from Maigret of the Month.

I read the first dozen Maigret novellas earlier this year and then intended to proceed with several of Simenon's romans durs (French: hard novels) which he considered his more serious work, as opposed to the lighter fare involving the Chief Inspector. The non-Maigrets are a bit more difficult to source however and there seem to be less than a dozen in current editions from Penguin Classics. Anyway, to keep the Simenon pipeline flowing, I thought I'd add several of the late Maigrets to my ongoing reading survey.

In a rarity for completists, this is Maigret #72 in both the recent Penguin Classics series of new translations (2013-2019) of the Inspector Maigret novels and in the previous standard Maigret Series Listopia as listed on Goodreads.

Trivia and Links
* Some earlier English translations have given the title as Maigret and the Madwoman.

There is extensive background and a detailed plot description (spoilers obviously) about Maigret's Madwoman at Maigret of the Month.

Maigret's Madwoman has been adapted for film twice: The first adaptation was in a 1975 French language television episode of the long running series Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret (The Investigations of Inspector Maigret) (1967-1990) starring Jean Richard as Inspector Maigret.
The second adaptation was in a 1992 English language television episode of the short series Maigret (1992-1993) starring Michael Gambon at Inspector Maigret.

There is an article about the Penguin Classics re-translations of the Inspector Maigret novels at Maigret, the Enduring Appeal of the Parisian Sleuth by Paddy Kehoe, RTE, August 17, 2019.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Another engaging crime fiction mystery with detective Maigret investigating the murder by suffocation of an 87 year old widow living in an apartment in Paris by herself. Maigret goes about finding out all the particulars of the woman and the individuals associated with her.

A satisfying reading experience, but then I am a fan of Simenon’s concise, succinct prose about the lives of ordinary working class characters. Readers new to Maigret should read ‘Maigret and the Man on the Bench’.

This book was first published in France in 1970. The 72nd book in the Maigret series.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all Maigret mysteries, this was brief with vivid moments. An old woman tells Maigret that she believes someone is breaking into her house and searching it. The police believe she is delusional, until she's killed. Maigret is haunted by her bright blue eyes and refined manner, and he feels guilty for dismissing her on account of her age. There's also a moment where Madam Maigret points out that Maigret might have treated one of the suspects in the case, the victim's niece, differently if she had been a more attractive women, and he immediately sees the justice of this remark. It's a subtle symmetry that shows even conscientious, careful Maigret falling victim to stereotypes.

[Rudolfina (czytacz.pl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

PRACUŚ LAKONICZNY
Ta książka ma tak skromną objętość, że można ją przeczytać w pociągu z Gdańska do Warszawy. To wcale nie zarzut. „Wariatka Maigreta” powstała w 1970 roku. Tak się wtedy pisało kryminały. Autorzy mieli świadomość, że tworzą literaturę rozrywkową i właśnie rozrywki (bez przynudzania) starali się czytelnikowi dostarczyć. Zwięźle, na temat, z jedną historią, ciekawą zagadką i dobrze przeprowadzoną intrygą. Bez zbędnych zapychaczy, ołowianych chmur wiszących nad jeziorami, problemami osobistymi detektywów, bez siedmiu niepotrzebnych wątków, z których, w optymistycznym wariancie kończy się połowa, a reszta pozostaje do wyjaśnienia w kolejnym odcinku.

Do tej zwięzłości twórców raczej nie wrócimy. Autorzy musieliby wtedy więcej czasu przeznaczyć na obmyślanie fabuł, a mniej na pisanie, a na to zachłanni wydawcy im przecież nie pozwolą.

Simenon – to jeden z niewielu klasyków gatunku, z którym nie udało mi się wcześniej poflirtować. To dziwne, bo jak poinformowała mnie Wikipedia, Simenon napisał ponad 450 powieści i opowiadań (tak! to zero na końcu to nie pomyłka) i potrafił pisać nawet 80 stron dziennie (tak! znów nie ma pomyłki z ostatnim zerem). Remigiusz Mróz pozostaje za słynnym Belgiem daleko w tyle i powinien czuć się zawstydzony, że w tak ślimaczym tempie pracuje.

To pierwsze spotkanie wypadło, niestety, bez większych uniesień, ale może to kwestia wyboru przypadkowego tytułu, kolejnego z długiej serii. Rozumiem, że komisarza Maigreta już nie trzeba przedstawiać, ale klimatu Paryża lat siedemdziesiątych ubiegłego wieku trochę mi brakowało. Akcja mogłaby się rozgrywać w dowolnym miejscu i czasie. Okazuje się, że lakoniczność nie zawsze jest zaletą, wszystko zależy od odpowiednich proporcji. Ograniczenie liczby podejrzanych do trzech osób za bardzo ułatwiało rozwiązanie zagadki, a motywu zbrodni domyśliłam się już na stronie 47, dużo wcześniej, niż sam komisarz. Na szczęście uratowało „Wariatkę” zaskakujące zakończenie.

Nie zniechęcam się do Simenona, bynajmniej, chętnie przeczytam kolejną jego powieść, bardziej się przykładając do wyboru odpowiedniego tytułu. To może być jednak trudne, niestety, bo wznowień w postaci ebooków nie ma, czyli na Simenona trzeba polować w bibliotekach lub antykwariatach.
https://www.czytacz.pl/

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

She's not really a madwoman. It's just that everybody thinks she is. The little old lady keeps asking for Inspector Maigret, complaining that somebody is moving things around in her apartment. Maigret promises to check it out, but the poor woman is murdered before he gets a chance. So he starts the case feeling a sense of obligation and guilt.

Georges Simenon's Maigret's Madwoman is one of the author's last Maigret mysteries and -- forty years on -- it's just as good as his early masterpieces of the 1930s. It's classic Maigret. The inspector is puzzled, but keeps at it until his unsupported suspicions pay off.

In the end, the guilty party is disposed of, offstage, and Maigret has fulfilled his responsibility toward the poor old woman.

[Rui Alves de Sousa · Rating 4 out of 5]

"- Que vou servir-lhe? Creio que não rejeita o vinho de Provence.
Marella secundou-a:
- Tenho um na cave que bate aos pontos o que provaste no Almiral.
Aquele "provaste" era bastante discreto, já que ambos tinham esvaziado a garrafa."

É por estes momentos telegráficos da vida mundana que se torna tão bom voltar muitas vezes a Maigret e a Simenon, escritor que dizia muito escrevendo pouco. É mais um caso do comissário que é um pretexto para se falar das fragilidades humanas, e dos imprevistos que de certa forma caracterizam a vida policial. Mais um belo romance.

[Julian Worker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fragile old lady comes to see Maigret and tells him that someone is coming into her flat and moving items around when she's out. Maigret's colleagues think she is mad, but Maigret sees something in her eyes and promises to go and see her. Unfortunately, the killer beats him to it.

This makes it personal for Maigret and his uneasy conscience sends him on the trail of the murderer, even visiting The Riviera to see an underworld boss.

This is a great story as always and was one of the novels feature in the British TV series when Michael Gambon played Maigret.

[Laila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally tried a Maigret book, after various blog friends have enjoyed them for ages. It was pretty good! I’d try another one, maybe an earlier one, to see if I want to read more of them. It was pretty straightforward, unadorned prose, and a quick read.

[Three · Rating 3 out of 5]

non è uno dei migliori.
poi, che la lista della spesa di Simenon sia molto migliore del capolavoro di tanti altri, è un altro discorso

[Saeed abedi · Rating 1 out of 5]

کتاب ترجمه بسیار بدی دارد مخصوصا در واژه های فرانسوی بارزترین آن در جلد کتاب مشخص است که مگره را میگر ترجمه کرده است . مشخصا یک کار بازاری است و امیدوارم این داستان جذاب مگره دوباره ترجمه شود

[Dayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best detective stories of this genre.

[Francis Pellow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short but enjoyable Margret mystery. A little too similar to a previous book in the series

[paper0r0ss0 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un Maigret per una volta un po' dimesso. Un omicidio banale che forse poteva essere evitato. La solita maestria di Simenon nella gestione dei dialoghi, l'attenzione ai dettagli, la bravura nel delineare la psicologia dei personaggi, eppure il risultato finale non e' dei migliori. La trama e' un po' logora e l'indagine ampiamente "telefonata".

[Debbie Robson · Rating 2 out of 5]

After enjoying Three Beds in Manhatten I was surprisingly disappointed with the famous inspector. There was simply no descriptions or characterisations throughout the novel. The only person described at any length was the victim and this was so unlike the New York novel that I am now intrigued and intend to read the first Maigret novel. Because of the series's reputation I expect it to be quite different.

[Arleen Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been collecting Inspector Maigret books for almost 40 years. They are my "comfort food"
reading. Simenon was the opposite of this stalwart, dependable, character. I can pick up any of the Maigret books and feel like I'm in the old Paris. Great to read while waiting for a plane.

[Eric Knibbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot, which is set up very well and quite creepy and intriguing, has a somewhat pedestrian and disappointing solution.

[Carol Jones-Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Gamdon, the guy that stars as Dumbledore in Harry Potter Chief Inspector Jules Maigret, the surprising coolheaded French sleuth that hasn't seen a case or a cafe that he hasn't seen unworthy. My
Mom was a BIG Maigret Fan often got tickles watching her read ones of these. She would get a smile
on her face and really enjoy the fun of the effort of reading the book.

A really nice kind elderly lady--meticulously groomed and showing no signs of derangement--appeals to Inspector Maigret, frightened because someone has been moving her furniture in her apartment when she is away. Nothing has been stolen and Maigret's subordinates at Police Headquarters shrug her off." Touched by the imploring look in her eyes, Maigret promises to investigate--but someone gets there ahead of him. The old woman is found dead.

With an uneasy conscience Maigret pursue's the case the Riviera underworld and unadvertently brings an innocent woman close to disaster. In a rare moment , Madame Maigret modestly interferes,
illuminating the case with her understanding of female psychology. Maigret is shrewd enough to see the light

Translated by Eileen Ellenbogen. Georges Simenon (1903 - 1989) one of the world's best selling authors, wrote hundreds of novels featuring Inspector Maigret.

[Maryanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Inspector Maigret series is a well respected and tenacious detective committed to solving crimes along with the entire police department. The story gives a glimpse of Paris lifestyle where the murder of an older woman was committed and the follow-up pursuit to Toulon, France of the criminal suspect. It's a slow paced relaxing series, it's quite easy to nap while reading.

[Elizabeth King]

First Simenon read. I liked the slow, downbeat style. It is a bit dated

[Adam Behlman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite fun! Easier to solve than the other one but I will definitely find more reasons to read more Inspector Maigret books.

[Larry Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maigret’s Madwoman by George Simenon, bk72 of the series, has me thinking I’m falling madly for Simenon -starting late, not sure where it will end?

Maigret’s Madwoman. “She was over eighty, possibly eighty-six or seven, and she could have weighed hardly more than a child. Her body seemed refined by the passage of time, and her skin was almost translucent. She was smiling timidly, as if to try to flirt with old Joseph. ‘Please do what you can. It’s so very important to me!’ … “ Maigret accepted the form, glanced at it and frowned. ‘What’s she like?’ ‘A very proper old lady, a bit shy. She asked me to insist that you see her.’ Mme Antoine de Caramé. The address she had given was 8a, Quai de la Mégisserie. ‘Could you see her, Lapointe? If you don’t, she’ll be turning up here every morning.’”

Lapointe. “Looking at him curiously, she asked: ‘Are you his son?’ ‘Whose son?’ ‘Inspector Maigret’s.’ ‘No, madame. I’m Inspector Lapointe.’ ‘But you’re just a boy!’‘Does Inspector Maigret never see anyone?’ ‘Only in very important cases.’ ‘But this is a very important case. It’s a matter of life and death.’ ‘So what is troubling you, madame?’ ‘It’s hard to say… in the last couple of weeks, some of my things have been moved about.’ ‘Are you quite sure that you are remembering correctly?’ ‘You see! Because I’m old, you’re already doubting my memory. ‘So in short, you’ve come to complain simply that some objects in your home are slightly out of place.’ ‘And that isn’t all. I’m being followed.’ ‘You mean someone is following you in the street?’ ‘Someone follows me when I go out. It’s as if they want to be sure I won’t be coming home again straight away.’ ‘Look, madame, I’m going to tell Inspector Maigret what you have just told me.’ ‘If he decides to see you, he’ll send you an appointment.’

Maigret Listens. ‘So what’s this great danger she’s in?’ ‘She claims that when she goes out, her objects get moved around.’ Maigret relit his pipe. ‘What kind of objects?’ ‘Well, she might find a picture frame crooked, or some ornament that isn’t facing the same way as before.’ ‘Is she likely to come here again?’ ‘She’s determined to see you personally. In her eyes, you’re God Almighty, and apparently you’re the only person who will understand her.’ Maigret. “would rather go straight home and had only taken a few steps towards Boulevard du Palais when a diminutive figure appeared in front of him. ‘It is you, isn’t it?’ she asked eagerly.” —“What struck Maigret most forcefully was the colour of her eyes, pale grey, a sort of washed-out grey, both gentle and sparkling at the same time.”
‘Would you mind if I walked with you as far as that?’ Trotting alongside him, she looked even tinier. ‘The important thing, you see, is that you must understand I’m not mad.’ ‘How do you know that someone is searching your things?’ ‘I’m obsessive about tidiness. In my home, every object has had its precise place for over forty years.’ ‘And this has happened several times?’ ‘At least four times.’ … standing in front of her, looking her in the face, he was tempted to take her tale seriously.

Back Home to Mrs. Maigret. ‘Shall we go for a walk?’ “They walked simply for walking’s sake, for the pleasure of being together” ‘I had a strange little lady come see me today. If you listen to her story, she sounds mad. Or a bit deranged anyway.’ ‘Why, what’s happened to her?’ ‘Nothing. Only she claims that when she gets back home after going out, some of her things have been moved from their proper place.’ ‘And do you think she’s telling the truth?’ ‘As long she was in front of me, yes, I thought so. She has light grey eyes and they seem to shine with sincerity and goodness. I might even say a certain simplicity of soul.’

And Next Day. “Twice more during the afternoon, he thought about the old lady, whom his inspectors had already christened ‘Maigret’s old madwoman’. Both times, he postponed his visit” And the next…
‘Come with me.’ ‘Something serious, chief?’ ‘For you and me, yes. The old lady.’ ‘The one with the white hat and the grey eyes?’ ‘Yes. She’s dead.’ ‘Murdered?’ ‘I suppose so, otherwise the local police chief wouldn’t have called me.’ … ‘You’ve identified the cause of death?’ ‘Suffocation.’ ‘You mean she was strangled?’ ‘No. They must have used some cloth, a towel or a handkerchief even’ ‘And when do you estimate it happened?’ ‘Yesterday, either late afternoon or evening.’ The old lady looked even frailer dead than alive. Just a small body” — “Lapointe had not failed to notice how pale Maigret was and how serious his expression. She had tried to reach him personally because she trusted him, and he could still see her approaching him on the pavement, her eyes shining in admiration. It was too late now. She had been murdered, no doubt about it, exactly as she had feared.” “Had someone been visiting the apartment in her absence, as she had suspected? Probably. But what could they have been looking for? Presumably she had returned home sooner than expected, and the intruder, being surprised, had decided to get rid of her. Lapointe did not know what to answer.”

Investigation. Angèle Louette (masseuse) the niece. ‘She always used to sit on the same bench in the Tuileries Gardens. Then, one day, she saw a woman about her own age who asked her if the place beside her was free. She couldn’t very well refuse.” — ‘“I was so fond of my bench,” she would sigh. “I had to change not only the bench, but the part of the gardens I went to, or she’d have come along and sat by me again.”’

Mme. Caramé’s Apartment. “Everything was clean and neat and the drawers were lined with white paper. But in the drawer of the bedside table, they noticed a rather large patch of grease or oil, although the drawer was empty.” —‘not just any grease, this has been used to oil a gun. The old lady must have had a revolver or an automatic in this drawer.’ ‘It probably belonged to one of the husbands.’ ‘But what’s become of it now?

Maigret Looks Back. ‘So for lack of any clues in the present, we’re going to explore the past.’ ‘And this is what we end up doing, when an old lady with grey eyes dies a violent death. You go to see people and ask them a lot of more or less silly questions. There’s a moment when the engine’s turning over without connecting, you don’t know where to go next. Then something happens, something quite minor, often, that you don’t at first consider important.’ — “ Maigret was pacing up and down in the office, still looking irritable. Now and then, he stopped at the window, as if asking the Seine to bear witness to his bad luck.” … “ Antoine was a kind of crank. In a good way. That is, he had his hobby. When people asked him what he did, he’d say: “I’m an inventor.” ‘And it’s true he’d been granted a patent for a special kind of tin-opener and sold it to a manufacturer of kitchen goods. And he’d invented other things too …’ ‘A potato-peeler, by any chance?’ — ‘he would sometimes say: “One of these days I’ll make a real discovery, and everyone will be talking about me.”’

Big Marcel. ‘Well, well!’ said Marcel in mock surprise. ‘Here already, are we?’ ‘Were you expecting us?’ ‘When the police stick their noses in one place, you can be pretty sure they’ll be turning up again.’ — ‘You’ll be leaving by road, then?’ ‘Exactly. Unless you’ve taken it into your head to stop me.’ ‘Why would we stop you?’ ‘Because, with the cops, you never know where you are.’ ‘Is there an address where we can reach you in Toulon?’ ‘You can always write to me at the Amiral Bar, Quai de Stalingrad. Care of Bob, the barman, an old pal. Do you think you’ll be needing me again?’ ‘Like you said, you never know.’ Maigret calls ahead… “Marella was in charge of the Police Judiciaire in Toulon. ‘How are you?’ ‘Can’t complain.’ ‘Do you know a bar called the Amiral?’ ‘You bet I do. Hangout of all the bad boys in town.’ ‘Fellow called Bob?’ ‘The barman. He acts as their letterbox.’ — ‘wouldn’t be known as Big Marcel, would he?’ ‘The same.’ ‘Bit of a gigolo, isn’t he? He’s been down on the Côte d’Azur more than once and every visit, he seems to pick up an older woman to play up to.’

Madame Antoine. ‘The funeral’s tomorrow.’ ‘Will you go?’ ‘Yes, that’s been my long-term practice and it’s often given me a lead.’ — “He returned home for lunch and Madame Maigret, seeing his preoccupied expression, avoided asking him any questions. She was almost walking on tiptoe and had made fricandeau of veal with sorrel sauce, one of his favourite dishes.” … “Maigret hated feeling like this, without any inspiration or imagination. The same thoughts kept coming back to him, but they led nowhere. First, Madame Antoine was not mad. What could a very old lady, twice widowed and living modestly, possibly own that would be worth killing her for? He scribbled some vague doodles on a piece of paper and suddenly became aware that they looked a bit like the old woman.”

Witness ID. “ ‘Can you take a good look at this photo?’ He looked at it, shook his head, examined it again closely, then from a distance. ‘Can’t say I recognize him, but it reminds me of something.’ ‘His suit?’ ‘No, not particularly. The expression on his face. It’s kind of mocking.’ ‘Should I recognize him?’ ‘I don’t know. That’s what I’m asking you.’ ‘Well, if you’re asking whether I’ve seen him before, then yes I have.’ —‘it was when I was going out …’ ‘Which day?’ ‘I couldn’t say. But last week.’ — ‘More likely four o’clock, because I had my shopping bag, and that’s when I buy food for the evening. ‘I was on the stairs, not looking where I was going, and someone bumped into me. He was rushing up the stairs four at a time and nearly knocked me over. That’s why I remember it.’ — “Maigret sighed. A slight hope, at last! — the bedroom where the open coffin lay, - to gaze at the fine features of the old woman whom everyone had supposed to be mad.”

Madame in Repose. “Angèle Louette was there -Only on looking at her for the second time did he notice that her dark eyes were fixed on him. —‘Marcel?’ ‘He’s gone to Toulon in his car.’ He could see that this came as a shock to her. ‘Good riddance! ‘Did you know that he was in this building last week?’ “She gave a violent start and frowned.” —“There were moments when her quasi-masculine toughness was not unattractive and could be seen as sincerity. She wasn’t beautiful, had never been pretty. And as she got older, she was starting to put on weight. Why shouldn’t she, like any unmarried man of her age, have the right to carry on affairs?”

Day’s end. “He went home on foot, with thoughts that were on the whole uncomfortable rumbling round inside his head: ‘The only thing we’re sure of is that a revolver has disappeared.’ ‘Tomorrow I have to go to the funeral.’ ‘Will there be a lot of people?’ ‘Apart from the niece, I might be the only person there. Only two of the tenants in the building she lived in came to pay their respects in front of her coffin.’ ‘The service is at Notre-Dame-des-Blancs-Manteaux. Then she will be buried in Montparnasse Cemetery.’

Funeral. “Montparnasse Cemetery, and the cortège stopped in front of a pink marble tombstone. ‘I told you there wouldn’t be anyone here,’ the masseuse whispered to him as the old lady’s coffin was lowered into the vault. — ‘And now,’ murmured Maigret, ‘we’re going over to your place.’ ‘We’re going?’ ‘Yes, that’s what I said.’ ‘What is it you want with me now?’ —‘But for the Police Judiciaire, and Detective Chief Inspector Maigret in person, to harass me …’ ‘I’m sorry about this, but I’m just doing my job.’ “Maigret noticed that although she had a rather masculine appearance, she had a good figure, remarkably well preserved for her age.” — ‘There’s never been a gun in this house.’ ‘But the traces look recent, and there’s a greasy piece of paper in the bin that could have been used to wrap up a revolver.’ ‘In that case, it must be Marcel who had one, and he’s taken it away with him.’ Maigret climbed on to a chair to see the grease stain for himself. ‘I’m summoning you to attend at Quai des Orfèvres at three this afternoon.’

3PM Summons. “Angèle. She looked paler and more tense than usual. —‘you think I’m the number one suspect?’ ‘No, just a suspect, there aren’t any numbers. You were not fond of your aunt.’ ‘All she did when I told her I was pregnant was give me a hundred-franc note.’ … ‘How much do you hope to inherit from your aunt?’ ‘Forty or fifty thousand francs. I don’t know the exact figure. I’m going by the kind of thing she let drop now and then. Though she may have had other assets.’ — ‘like everyone else, you thought she was a charming old lady with a sweet smile and a timid air. Well, in reality, she was as tough as old boots.’ … ‘But Marcel went too far. He wasn’t looking for work. He could have got himself a job behind a bar ten times over. He preferred to live with me and do nothing.’ ‘Well, to sum it up: he did know where she lived and that there was a chance she’d have some savings at least.’ ‘Two witnesses have reported seeing him.’ ‘This morning, at your place, we found traces of this firearm, which must have been hidden for some time on top of your wardrobe.’ —‘why would he take the revolver? And hide it on my wardrobe? And then take it to Toulon?’

On to Toulon. “By the time they reached Montélimar, as the sun rose, he was awake, as always when he travelled to the south of France. Montélimar was for him the border, where Provence began, and from then on he lost nothing of the landscape. … the houses, pale pink or lavender blue, roofed with tiles that had been baked by the sun time and again… Gare Saint-Charles, he heard the sing-song accent of southerners, and everything seemed full” … “Chief Inspector Marella. ‘How long has it been since you’ve been here?’ ‘Ten years?’ “His colleague was dark-haired, of course, not tall, but full of life. - he had acquired a small pot-belly, which made him look more bourgeois than in the past.” ‘It’s a strange case, and I seem to be wading through mud.’ —‘Giovanni brothers?’ ‘Just one of them is still here, the older one, Pepito. The other, so I’ve been told, lives in the Paris region now. Pepito bought a luxury villa from an elderly American woman who wanted to go home to die. It’s the grandest villa in Sanary’ — ‘He wants us to forget all about him. Still, I keep an eye on him. As he well knows, and if we meet in the street, he always greets me warmly.’

Big Marcel. ‘Hôtel des Cinq Continents, Avenue de la République’ — ‘Police!’ ‘Well, well, look who’s here,’ he muttered, eyeing Maigret. ‘But since Inspector Marella is with you …’ “ Marella intervened, speaking to Marcel, ‘yesterday afternoon, you went to visit the gorgeous Maria. So you didn’t know that she’s been hanging out with La Grêle for the last few weeks?’ ‘Yeah, and he’s in jail.’ ‘Monsieur Maigret? Why have you come all this way?’ ‘Possibly to escort you back to Paris.’ ‘What? Are you joking?’ ‘At least two witnesses have recognized you.’ - Marella. ‘What were you talking to Bob about?’‘Which of the two of you brought up Giovanni’s name?’ ‘Could have been me. Used to know him back in the old days’ ‘You know perfectly well you don’t just roll up at Giovanni’s door. And yet yesterday, you went to see him and stayed most of an hour’ — ‘don’t you leave Toulon until we give you permission.’ ‘Oh, all very well for you! If I can’t find any work, will you pay my hotel bills?’ ‘We might offer you board and lodging in a different kind of hotel’ ‘You’d be very comfortable there, plenty of shade from the sun.’

Bob. “A barman with a boxer’s broken nose and cauliflower ears was rinsing glasses.” —‘It’s not in your interest to clam up on us, Bob. You phoned Pepito Giovanni, a man you used to work for, before he hung up his fancy loafers. And you got an interview with him for your pal Marcel.’ ‘I said my friend had a deal to offer him.’ ‘Marcel just told me it was a very, very big deal. International. Could interest people in America.’ ‘That’s better, perhaps I’m beginning to believe you now. And Giovanni was interested, was he?’ “The rosé was cool and fruity. Maigret listened to the conversation. — a vague smile on his lips. He’d always liked Marella, who, if he had stayed in Paris, might be sitting at his own desk in Quai des Orfèvres. But… really in his element in Toulon” ‘And I expect the minute we’re out of here you’ll be on the phone to Giovanni?’ ‘Not if you ask me not to. I wouldn’t want to get into any trouble with him. And not with Chief Inspector Marella either.’

Giovanni. ‘You’d like us to visit Giovanni now?’ “They crossed the Seyne, looking across at a large villa was visible at the far end” Maigret was looking at him imperturbably. ‘Did he leave the sample with you?’ ‘And that is …?’ ‘The object that Marcel showed you.’ ‘What kind of object?’ ‘You know better than I do, since there’s a strong chance it’s in your possession at this time. The object is a revolver.’ “ Marella had never seen Maigret work in such a low-key way. He was speaking in a quietly casual voice, as if he attached no importance to his words, yet you could tell that every one of them counted.” “On the way out- ‘In a few minutes’ time, the revolver will be at the bottom of the Mediterranean, God knows how many metres’ ‘I’m taking the night train back.’ ‘Do you have to?’ ‘Pretty much. I’ll have a busy day tomorrow.’ ‘The niece?’ ‘Among other things. Can you keep Marcel in your sights?’

Return to Paris. A call -Marcel. ‘What happened to him?’ ‘He was pulled out of the harbour at seven this morning.’ Mademoiselle Lagrette. ‘Some time that night he was shot in the head, with a .38, the kind of gun used by professionals.’ “ Then tears began rolling down her cheeks” ‘As you see, your aunt was killed for nothing.’ ‘Why do you hate me so much?’ ‘I don’t hate you. I’m trying to do my job as humanely as possible. From the very first day, you’ve been lying to me. So how do you expect me to take any other attitude towards you in the circumstances?’ ‘You knew I loved him.’ - ‘How long had you known about the revolver’s existence?’ ‘About thirteen or fourteen years ...suppose you didn’t have to use a separate silencer, that it was part of the gun itself.’ ‘When did you tell Marcel about it?’ ‘A month ago, perhaps?’ ‘You weren’t a party to the old woman’s death, that’s true.’ “It was no longer the same woman that he now had in front of him. She maintained her neutral expression. It was as if life no longer interested her.” -The magistrate scratched his head. ‘Is that what you have in mind? You’d simply let her go?’ Maigret did not admit that this idea had come to him indirectly via Madame Maigret. ‘We’d have to establish complicity, which wouldn’t be easy.’ - “She stood up hesitantly and started towards the door.” End of story.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb, I really enjoyed this one. At first it was a bit jarring because I thought I had read it before but the opening bit is quite similar to Celine Is Dead. It nagged at me for ages.

One of my favourites of the series, an enjoyable case with some interesting and unsavoury characters. These books really are chock full of atmosphere and whilst dealing with crime not too morbid or bloody. Easy, fun reads.

Down to the last 2 or 3.