Maigret Returns
 | |
| Author | Georges Simenon |
|---|---|
| Original title | Maigret |
| Translator | Margaret Ludwig, Ros Schwartz |
| Language | French: Maigret |
| Series | Inspector Jules Maigret |
| Subject | Crime |
| Genre | Detective fiction |
| Published in | France |
| Publisher | Fayard |
| Publication date | June 1933 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 254 |
| Preceded by | The Lock at Charenton |
| Followed by | Maigret's First Case |
Maigret Returns is a 1933 detective novel by the Belgian writer Georges Simenon.[1] Issued by his original publisher, Fayard, in June 1933, it is the 19th in the series and his last for that firm.[2]
Plot
[edit]Jules Maigret, two years retired in Meung-sur-Loire from the Judicial Police, is awakened by his nephew Philippe Lauer, whom he had inspired to enter law enforcement. His career is off to a bad start, however. Assigned by Maigret's successor to surveil the Floria nightclub owner Pepito (who was to be arrested the next day for a knifing murder the previous week), he panics when he hears a shot. When he realizes that Pepito's murderer still on the premises, he badly contaminates the crime scene by placing the gun in Pepito's hand. This and further complications lead to he himself being arrested for murder. To help solve the mystery, Maigret enlists the help of a Fernande, a barkeep and sometime prostitute at the Floria, already under new ownership, investigates a brothel, watches a card game, and puzzles out the relationships of all involved, all of whom deny knowing each other.[3]
Background
[edit]Feeling that Maigret had served his purpose, Simenon left Faynard for Gaston Gallimard in 1942, where he was to write no fewer than 42 of his romans durs (hard novels) over the next six years. He only wrote one Maigret novel—Maigret's First Case— and several short stories in this period.[4]
Adaptations
[edit]The novel has been adapted twice, with Maigret being portrayed by Jean Richard and Gino Cervi in 1970 and 1972, respectively.[5] Simenon had previously sold exclusive rights to the Maigret character to Alfred Greven, the head of the German-controlled production company Continental Films, for 500,000 francs in 1942, but although the novel was optioned no film was ever made.[2]
Reviews
[edit]The novel was recommended in a 1942 New York Times Book Review, which noted that despite Maigret mostly sitting around in cafés, "...for those who are interested in the workings of the underworld mind it has a fascination that is difficult to define."[6]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Maigret Returns". Goodreads.
- 1 2 "Maigret of the Month: Maigret". www.trussel.com.
- ↑ "Maigret Returns". www.trussel.com.
- ↑ https://www.trussel.com/maig/mommai.htm
- ↑ https://www.trussel.com/maig/bookndx.htm#MAI
- ↑ "MAIGRET SITS IT OUT. By Georges Simenon. 305 pp. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co. $2". January 18, 1942 – via NYTimes.com.
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