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Inspector Maigret #36
Inspector Maigret and the Strangled Stripper
Two brutal stranglings and a beautiful corpse lead Inspector Maigret into an underworld of striptease artists and morphine addicts as he tries to uncover the past of a shadowy countess.
Cover A. Pedro
Cover A. Pedro
188 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1950
101 people are currently reading
817 people want to read
About the author
Georges Simenon
2,679 books2,223 followersGeorges 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
September 8, 2025
Много добър криминален роман! Комисар Мегре разкрива мрачната страна на нощния живот в Париж, разследвайки убийството на стриптийзьорката Арлет...
January 1, 2018
Over Christmas I had the distinct misfortune of suffering through the newest British TV movie adaptation of a Maigret novel, whilst I’d never read this book I knew immediately that it was dramatically changed in terms of content such was the blandness of the content and the obvious and ugly moralising including Janvier beating up a suspect simply because he was a homosexual junkie.
The book however was a whole lot of classic Maigret sitting around drinking brandy and watching people and piecing the puzzle together, without any judging of the lifestyle choices of those around him, a pleasure to read.
The book however was a whole lot of classic Maigret sitting around drinking brandy and watching people and piecing the puzzle together, without any judging of the lifestyle choices of those around him, a pleasure to read.
December 6, 2016
A real pleasure to read one of my favourite maigret novels as part of the re-published with fresh translations by Penguin Classics.
I wonder why I love this story so; I remember the TV adaptation Maigret and the Night Club Dancer with Michael Gambon & Minnie Driver in 1993 that also captured the seediness of Paris around Montmartre and the sense of a wasted life.
In the previous book - Memoirs, Maigret comments that one of the hardest murders to solve is that of a young prostitute and that is basically the plot for this latest novel re-released in October 2016.
Arlette, a stripper at Picratt's in Montmartre reports to her local police station that she has overheard two men at her club planning to kill a countess for her jewellry.
This is later retracted but not without some interest from Maigret's team. When she is later murdered and the countess end up dead Maigret is determined to solve these murders.
This novel is a fine example of an early 50's police procedural with inspectors and detectives keeping in touch by calling from local bars and cafes. It also has some humour with a local policeman unable to manage the case in his own backyard because of Maigret's involvement but that doesn't stop Detective Lognon trying to break the case.
Simenon is a clever and almost unique story-teller in the genre. This book again demonstrates why that genius is still appreciated today.
I wonder why I love this story so; I remember the TV adaptation Maigret and the Night Club Dancer with Michael Gambon & Minnie Driver in 1993 that also captured the seediness of Paris around Montmartre and the sense of a wasted life.
In the previous book - Memoirs, Maigret comments that one of the hardest murders to solve is that of a young prostitute and that is basically the plot for this latest novel re-released in October 2016.
Arlette, a stripper at Picratt's in Montmartre reports to her local police station that she has overheard two men at her club planning to kill a countess for her jewellry.
This is later retracted but not without some interest from Maigret's team. When she is later murdered and the countess end up dead Maigret is determined to solve these murders.
This novel is a fine example of an early 50's police procedural with inspectors and detectives keeping in touch by calling from local bars and cafes. It also has some humour with a local policeman unable to manage the case in his own backyard because of Maigret's involvement but that doesn't stop Detective Lognon trying to break the case.
Simenon is a clever and almost unique story-teller in the genre. This book again demonstrates why that genius is still appreciated today.
June 23, 2024
I really enjoyed this Maigret. The bleakness of Paris in winter and the unsavoriness of Montmartre is captured beautifully in Simenon’s writing. Maigret and his team investigate a woman who is strangled after reporting to Maigret the planned murder of a countess who is also murdered.
The setting and characters include a homosexual, drug addicts, strip clubs and other questionable characters. Maigret does not judge them just observes and as always consumes copious quantities of alcohol along the way to solving the case. I read a review which compared the story to a recent tv adaptation which does not follow the book. That is a shame as the story is excellent.
Read this story again and still found it entertaining.
The setting and characters include a homosexual, drug addicts, strip clubs and other questionable characters. Maigret does not judge them just observes and as always consumes copious quantities of alcohol along the way to solving the case. I read a review which compared the story to a recent tv adaptation which does not follow the book. That is a shame as the story is excellent.
Read this story again and still found it entertaining.
August 31, 2025
Como siempre, Simenon te ofrece más que un simple caso policiaco resuelto por el mítico comisario Maigret. Mucho más. Porque si te dejas, te arrastra al ambientillo de los cabarets de Montmartre de los años 40, con toda su sordidez y su calor humano también. Es que notas hasta el olor a serrín. Y la humedad de las calles de París y los inmuebles con su 'concierge' que lo sabe todo. Simenon es uno de los mejores, y lo sabe.
January 5, 2018
The most unmelodramatic and unsentimental story imaginable. I enjoy Maigret's simple methods and his interest in the human condition and the somewhat freer social conventions enjoyed in France during detection's golden age.
The heavy drinking, pornography, sex, and drugs are somewhat unsavoury to the police, though they indulge in plenty of drinking themselves. But for the most part people take licentious behaviour in their stride, and society seems less striated and hysterical for it. This might, on reflection, be a slide towards the kind of resigned and morally free-floating society that Sjowall and Wahloo are so quietly critical of, but it makes for much more interesting and realistic reading.
I got less of an impression here that Simenon was rushing through a quick draft than I did from the Yellow Dog, but there were still plenty of things that came up in the investigation that had no bearing on the case. Again, this is a much more realistic approach to police detecting and it felt more deliberate here. Even if it wasn't, which is a distinct possibility, it still demonstrates easily that this is certainly not a whodunnit. Clues are offered throughout from all kinds of places, and the who is not really anywhere near as important as the why, for both Maigret and the reader.
The heavy drinking, pornography, sex, and drugs are somewhat unsavoury to the police, though they indulge in plenty of drinking themselves. But for the most part people take licentious behaviour in their stride, and society seems less striated and hysterical for it. This might, on reflection, be a slide towards the kind of resigned and morally free-floating society that Sjowall and Wahloo are so quietly critical of, but it makes for much more interesting and realistic reading.
I got less of an impression here that Simenon was rushing through a quick draft than I did from the Yellow Dog, but there were still plenty of things that came up in the investigation that had no bearing on the case. Again, this is a much more realistic approach to police detecting and it felt more deliberate here. Even if it wasn't, which is a distinct possibility, it still demonstrates easily that this is certainly not a whodunnit. Clues are offered throughout from all kinds of places, and the who is not really anywhere near as important as the why, for both Maigret and the reader.
July 25, 2023
Nelle storie del commissario Maigret non aspettatevi azione o descrizioni al cardiopalmo, ma tutto il contrario: il Nostro va negli appostamenti, si siede nei night club, beve e aspetta: aspetta che qualcosa succeda, che qualcuno si faccia vivo in un determinato posto, conosce e studia, si impregna delle vite degli altri, tra una tirata di pipa e un bicchiere di birra fresca. Forse ad alcuni potrebbe sembrare anche claustrofobico in certe descrizioni Simenon, ma è il suo stile: Maigret vive nel suo ufficio o nella strada o nei bar o nelle stanze di alberghi di basso livello. E i dialoghi: lui deve conoscere le persone che ha davanti, l'ambiente in cui la vittima ha vissuto, la sua rete di conoscenze, le sue manie, dove mangiava e dove dormiva, con chi passeggiava e con chi si vedeva.
In questo caso ad essere uccisa è una ballerina di un night Club, appunto il Picratt's del titolo, che si chiamava Arlette: questa ragazza era andata la notte in un altro commissariato di polizia a denunciare, ancora ubriaca, di un delitto che stava per avvenire a scapito di una nobile (aveva ascoltato due uomini programmare un tale fatto) e che poi, dopo la sua morte misteriosa, avverrà davvero.
In questo caso ad essere uccisa è una ballerina di un night Club, appunto il Picratt's del titolo, che si chiamava Arlette: questa ragazza era andata la notte in un altro commissariato di polizia a denunciare, ancora ubriaca, di un delitto che stava per avvenire a scapito di una nobile (aveva ascoltato due uomini programmare un tale fatto) e che poi, dopo la sua morte misteriosa, avverrà davvero.
November 17, 2019
Very good but dark. Strikes me as almost a precursor to books like Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
December 1, 2021
Vuelvo a Maigret un sábado en el que no me apetece moverme del sofá. Vuelvo, y me marcho unas horas después, agradecido. Otra cosa no sé, pero entretenimiento, y del bueno, sí que brindan las novelas de Simenon. Y tengo la sensación de que algo más, pero no sabría decir el qué. En fin, supongo que para esto se inventaron los fines de semana.
November 12, 2023
Possibly my favourite M so far. Full of psychological twists and very atmospheric
October 16, 2020
When both a striptease dancer and a drug-addicted countess are found strangled, Detective Chief Inspector Maigret moves into action. The name of a mysterious suspect -- Oscar -- has been mentioned by the dancer, so Maigret stations himself at the strip club and takes calls from his detectives, who do all the footwork. Georges Simenon's Maigret at Picratt's: Inspector Maigret #36 shows the Parisian Police mobilizing to find a man in his fifties who no one remembers seeing for sure in the last fifteen years.
Eventually, Maigret has his men follow a young drug addict who was associated with the dead countess. Desperate for a shot of morphine, he goes in circles to a number of bars and brasseries in Montmartre until Maigret intuits where to find Oscar.
Simenon is a mystery writer who was a favorite of William Faulkner, Muriel Spark, Peter Ackroyd, Andre Gide, Anita Brookner, P D James, and John Banville, to name just a few. Good reading.
Eventually, Maigret has his men follow a young drug addict who was associated with the dead countess. Desperate for a shot of morphine, he goes in circles to a number of bars and brasseries in Montmartre until Maigret intuits where to find Oscar.
Simenon is a mystery writer who was a favorite of William Faulkner, Muriel Spark, Peter Ackroyd, Andre Gide, Anita Brookner, P D James, and John Banville, to name just a few. Good reading.
December 19, 2020
Very disappointing. My first attempt at Simenon whose name I have known for years.
What makes this rather pedestrian mystery noteworthy? There is neither a powerful plot nor psychological insight.
Perhaps I need to look at earlier Simenon?
Worse still is the repeated reference to homosexual characters with an offensive term. I get it. Written in 1951 -but not acceptable any longer.
What makes this rather pedestrian mystery noteworthy? There is neither a powerful plot nor psychological insight.
Perhaps I need to look at earlier Simenon?
Worse still is the repeated reference to homosexual characters with an offensive term. I get it. Written in 1951 -but not acceptable any longer.
July 22, 2023
The strangled stripper…
Arlette is a dancer (euphemism for stripper) at Picratt’s, a sleazy nightclub in Montmartre. One night, or rather early morning, after the club closes, a drunken Arlette makes her way to the police station to report a conversation she says she overheard in the club between two men who were talking about killing a countess. She describes one of the men and recollects that she heard the name Oscar, but that’s all – the men hadn’t mentioned the countess’ name. The police don’t really believe her and treat her with casual contempt, refusing to allow her to go home and leaving her to sleep off the drink. When she wakes, she says she probably made the whole thing up. But Maigret, who has become involved (it’s amazing what the word “countess” can do, even in anti-aristo Paris), thinks she may have been telling the truth and is now regretting it. When Arlette is discovered later that day, strangled, the police decide to take her story seriously and start looking for a countess in trouble…
This is an unusual one for me, in that I think it’s very good but I really disliked it. I’ve had that reaction to noir before, and this is one of the most noir of the Maigrets that I’ve read so far. Everything is sleazy – it’s full of strippers and junkies and drunks, and men who use and abuse women, and policeman who beat people up and laugh about it with an approving Maigret. Unfortunately it has a gay character, and if you’ve ever been upset over the rather mild levels of homophobia that infest British vintage crime from time to time, you should avoid this one – the homophobia is blatant, vicious and cruel, with the police as the worst abusers. At one point as Maigret decides to use Phillipe, the gay man, without his knowledge as bait to catch the murderer, he and his superior officer mull over whether they will be risking Phillipe’s life and mutually decide it doesn’t matter – if he gets killed he’ll be no great loss. Usually I have found Maigret to be fairly non-judgemental and even compassionate about all kinds of humanity, but not here. He watches officers slapping prisoners, he mulls over the relative sexual attractiveness or otherwise of the strippers, he basically dismisses a rape with a shrug, on the basis that the girl is lucky she didn’t get murdered. Maybe the cheap champagne he spends his time drinking in great quantities in Picratt’s didn’t agree with him!
I felt Simenon gave a very believable portrayal of the sordid and degrading life of the women, and to a degree the men, who work in Montmartre selling cheap thrills and overpriced booze to business men and tourists. Maigret is less morally judgemental of the dancers than of the gay men and the drug addicts, thankfully, but equally he doesn’t seem to see it as any of his business to stop them being abused. As he sneered at the junkies, while knocking back another bottle or two of champagne topped up with a few brandies to dissipate the hangover from the night before, I felt perhaps a bit of self-awareness wouldn’t have gone amiss. (See? I can be judgemental too!)
The story is more of a manhunt than a mystery since very early on, based on almost nothing more than a hunch, Maigret decides who murdered Arlette and sets about finding and capturing him. This mostly involves Maigret sitting in Picratt’s drinking and watching the show while his officers run about the city and phone in reports to him. I must admit I felt this part went on for far too long and became repetitive, but perhaps that was because I desperately wanted to get out of Picratt’s by that stage.
So if noir is your thing and you have a high tolerance for sleaze and police brutality, I genuinely recommend this – I do think it’s very well done. However, if noir really isn’t your thing and you prefer fictional policemen to be at least marginally less morally repugnant than the criminals, I would tend to suggest you don’t make this your first Maigret.
As always, the narration by Gareth Armstrong is excellent, which may have been the only reason I made it to the end.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Arlette is a dancer (euphemism for stripper) at Picratt’s, a sleazy nightclub in Montmartre. One night, or rather early morning, after the club closes, a drunken Arlette makes her way to the police station to report a conversation she says she overheard in the club between two men who were talking about killing a countess. She describes one of the men and recollects that she heard the name Oscar, but that’s all – the men hadn’t mentioned the countess’ name. The police don’t really believe her and treat her with casual contempt, refusing to allow her to go home and leaving her to sleep off the drink. When she wakes, she says she probably made the whole thing up. But Maigret, who has become involved (it’s amazing what the word “countess” can do, even in anti-aristo Paris), thinks she may have been telling the truth and is now regretting it. When Arlette is discovered later that day, strangled, the police decide to take her story seriously and start looking for a countess in trouble…
This is an unusual one for me, in that I think it’s very good but I really disliked it. I’ve had that reaction to noir before, and this is one of the most noir of the Maigrets that I’ve read so far. Everything is sleazy – it’s full of strippers and junkies and drunks, and men who use and abuse women, and policeman who beat people up and laugh about it with an approving Maigret. Unfortunately it has a gay character, and if you’ve ever been upset over the rather mild levels of homophobia that infest British vintage crime from time to time, you should avoid this one – the homophobia is blatant, vicious and cruel, with the police as the worst abusers. At one point as Maigret decides to use Phillipe, the gay man, without his knowledge as bait to catch the murderer, he and his superior officer mull over whether they will be risking Phillipe’s life and mutually decide it doesn’t matter – if he gets killed he’ll be no great loss. Usually I have found Maigret to be fairly non-judgemental and even compassionate about all kinds of humanity, but not here. He watches officers slapping prisoners, he mulls over the relative sexual attractiveness or otherwise of the strippers, he basically dismisses a rape with a shrug, on the basis that the girl is lucky she didn’t get murdered. Maybe the cheap champagne he spends his time drinking in great quantities in Picratt’s didn’t agree with him!
I felt Simenon gave a very believable portrayal of the sordid and degrading life of the women, and to a degree the men, who work in Montmartre selling cheap thrills and overpriced booze to business men and tourists. Maigret is less morally judgemental of the dancers than of the gay men and the drug addicts, thankfully, but equally he doesn’t seem to see it as any of his business to stop them being abused. As he sneered at the junkies, while knocking back another bottle or two of champagne topped up with a few brandies to dissipate the hangover from the night before, I felt perhaps a bit of self-awareness wouldn’t have gone amiss. (See? I can be judgemental too!)
The story is more of a manhunt than a mystery since very early on, based on almost nothing more than a hunch, Maigret decides who murdered Arlette and sets about finding and capturing him. This mostly involves Maigret sitting in Picratt’s drinking and watching the show while his officers run about the city and phone in reports to him. I must admit I felt this part went on for far too long and became repetitive, but perhaps that was because I desperately wanted to get out of Picratt’s by that stage.
So if noir is your thing and you have a high tolerance for sleaze and police brutality, I genuinely recommend this – I do think it’s very well done. However, if noir really isn’t your thing and you prefer fictional policemen to be at least marginally less morally repugnant than the criminals, I would tend to suggest you don’t make this your first Maigret.
As always, the narration by Gareth Armstrong is excellent, which may have been the only reason I made it to the end.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
August 23, 2017
My last book of the year 2016 is the nastiest 'Maigret' novel I have yet read. Brilliantly atmospheric, deliriously paced, as entertaining and evocative as always, it features perhaps the least noble villain I have yet encountered in any of these books. There is an unfortunate touch of homophobia in this 1951 story that made me wince a little, but Simenon is rarely anything other than understanding about all sectors of society, which makes this aspect in this particular novel an anomaly. In fact he claimed that "understand and judge not" was the one characteristic he shared with his fictional detective chief inspector and generally this is true.
November 24, 2018
A classic Maigret with his sharp observations on human nature, his occasional wit and plenty of beer to drink, all the while he hunts Montmartre for a rather traditional kind of killer. No twisty turns here, but a touch of homophobia which leaves a bad taste after finishing this book!
My Rating - 3/5
My Rating - 3/5
February 7, 2017
На мало страна уверљиво приказан живот Париског полусвета. Не разумем зашто су у Лагуни решили да почну са 36-том књигом?!
August 21, 2019
I loved this entry into the Maigret series. It had all the satisfying elements of this series: my favorite detective in his Parisian office solving the murder of a burlesque dancer who had come to the police station only hours before her death to report the imminent murder of a "countess." The police did not take her seriously until she was murdered.
"Long faced" policeman Longnon also makes an appearance as a bit of comic relief. And, as usual, Maigret's focus is on discovering the true identity of the victim: not just her true name, but her personality. One of the things I most enjoy about this series is its focus on character over plot (although I also found the plot in this story more interesting and well-solved than I have so far in the other books).
Well-written and engaging, this book represents to me the best so far in the Maigret series. I can't wait to get to the next one. I've bought a French one (Maigret's first case) and I may (with my long unused French) attempt (with the help of Google) to read him in the original.
"Long faced" policeman Longnon also makes an appearance as a bit of comic relief. And, as usual, Maigret's focus is on discovering the true identity of the victim: not just her true name, but her personality. One of the things I most enjoy about this series is its focus on character over plot (although I also found the plot in this story more interesting and well-solved than I have so far in the other books).
Well-written and engaging, this book represents to me the best so far in the Maigret series. I can't wait to get to the next one. I've bought a French one (Maigret's first case) and I may (with my long unused French) attempt (with the help of Google) to read him in the original.
January 20, 2023
Molto “televisivo”, nel senso che per tutto il libro mi sono immaginata Gino Cervi nei panni di Maigret muoversi per Montmartre sotto la pioggia, il selciato lucido dei vicoli che rifletteva i neon colorati delle insegne dei locali e le fluorescenze dei rari lampioni, il cappotto e il cappello bagnati, la pipa umida che non tira bene, ogni tanto un bicchierino per scaldarsi, gli occhi saettanti, il cervello in fermento, in attesa che succeda qualcosa... una gran bella atmosfera.
I personaggi e gli ambienti in cui si muovono sono ben delineati e la storia, benché sordida e svilente, è abbastanza intrigante, tanto da farsi leggere in un sol fiato, grazie soprattutto alla solita scrittura fluida dell’autore, anche se poi lascia dei vuoti nella conclusione.
4,5/5
✍️ GS/Maigret
🌍 LdM - Sfida 2023: Francia 🇫🇷
I personaggi e gli ambienti in cui si muovono sono ben delineati e la storia, benché sordida e svilente, è abbastanza intrigante, tanto da farsi leggere in un sol fiato, grazie soprattutto alla solita scrittura fluida dell’autore, anche se poi lascia dei vuoti nella conclusione.
4,5/5
✍️ GS/Maigret
🌍 LdM - Sfida 2023: Francia 🇫🇷
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August 7, 20223.5 stars. An engaging crime fiction novella where inspector Maigret investigates the murder of a young cabaret dancer. This book is not amongst my favourite ‘Maigret’ novellas as the characters are fairly dull and the resolution is straightforward.
Readers new to Maigret should firstly read ‘Maigret and the Man on the Bench’, ‘The Yellow Dog’, or ‘Cecile is Dead’.
This book was first published in 1951. This novella is the 36th in the Maigret series.
Readers new to Maigret should firstly read ‘Maigret and the Man on the Bench’, ‘The Yellow Dog’, or ‘Cecile is Dead’.
This book was first published in 1951. This novella is the 36th in the Maigret series.
August 7, 2024
Абе, точно тази не е моята, но ще дам шанс на други на Жорж Сименон.
July 25, 2018
See, I was enjoying it. It's not some ingenious mystery novel, more like your regular detective story without many twists and turns, but still just good enough.
Then Philippe's character came up halfway through it, and my face just became a giant frown as one homophobic comment succeeded the other. I know, I know - it was written in the 1950s. Well, guess what? Writers were supposed to be more open-minded and sensible, even back then. It comes with the talent. I mean, you can find countless feminist authors from way before the bloody second half of the twentieth century, can't you? Hell, Oscar Wilde DIED 50 years before this novel came up. Of course you are not under the obligation of advocating for every single social cause when you're a writer, but maybe don't contribute to the hating? Omission is still better than blatant prejudice.
That said, if you're looking for a quick read, maybe this series of books is for you. I wouldn't know, I just read the one. Picked up from a 1-buck sale. The writing is very simple, not really captivating, but just interesting enough to keep you going.
This particular instalment is about a murder investigation, and half the scenes are set in a Parisian cabaret, back when Montmartre was all about art and profanity.
Could have been a 4-star novel, but homophobia got in the way. As it does.
Then Philippe's character came up halfway through it, and my face just became a giant frown as one homophobic comment succeeded the other. I know, I know - it was written in the 1950s. Well, guess what? Writers were supposed to be more open-minded and sensible, even back then. It comes with the talent. I mean, you can find countless feminist authors from way before the bloody second half of the twentieth century, can't you? Hell, Oscar Wilde DIED 50 years before this novel came up. Of course you are not under the obligation of advocating for every single social cause when you're a writer, but maybe don't contribute to the hating? Omission is still better than blatant prejudice.
That said, if you're looking for a quick read, maybe this series of books is for you. I wouldn't know, I just read the one. Picked up from a 1-buck sale. The writing is very simple, not really captivating, but just interesting enough to keep you going.
This particular instalment is about a murder investigation, and half the scenes are set in a Parisian cabaret, back when Montmartre was all about art and profanity.
Could have been a 4-star novel, but homophobia got in the way. As it does.
August 30, 2025
Oh joy! Oh bliss! a new mystery writer whose wonderful policiers aren't full to the brim with the blood and guts that seems to mark the majority of crime writers - these books by Simenon are subtle, slow and full to the brim with wit and joie de vivre and my do you feel like you are traversing the streets of Paris as you follow Maigret to the scene of the crime and best of all - like my current favourites Camilleri and Arnaldur Indridason - there's a melancholy feel to these splendid books - I've gobbled up six and there are loads more to find and savour!
May 4, 2016
No defrauda Simenon. Una excelente novelita, como suele con un gran desarrollo y un final algo apresurado. Escenas impagables, que justifican ellas solas el libro como la de Maigret en un local de strip-tease compartiendo una sopa caliente con los dueños y la bailarina que acaba de desnudarse..El mantel es a cuadros rojos.
August 20, 2019
So, not everything ages well... the homophobia and antiquated assumptions of homosexuality were definitely a let down. They were very much of the time and not unique to Simenon, but still hard to read through, especially as they didn’t further the plot.
However, had there not been such uncomfortable viewpoints the mystery would have garnered a 4.5 from me.
However, had there not been such uncomfortable viewpoints the mystery would have garnered a 4.5 from me.
March 12, 2016
Relativno kratka detektivska priča, u kojoj pisac stalno drži fokus na slučaj. Bez nepotrebnih bezveznih priča, pa ni neverovatnih tvistova koje bi za cilj imale samo povećan broj strana. Solidna knjiga.
August 8, 2017
The attitudes toward women, gay men, rape, and violence in this book are repulsive, and the mystery is not solved clearly by the end.
August 18, 2017
prima o poi doveva succedere che un Maigret non mi piacesse
August 30, 2017
Unfortunately homophobic. Otherwise an atmospheric mystery in Montmartre, where the Maigret novels are often most inspired.
May 2, 2021
My parents had three or four Maigret novels on their bookshelves and this was one of them. I read it when I was a teenager. I can’t remember what I thought of it, but it probably set my image of the Maigret world: Paris, winter, cold, rain (although there is snow in Maigret in Montmartre), night time, bars and seedy clubs, figures wrapped up in overcoats…and, of course, all to be imagined in black and white. Maigret in Montmartre is a well structured police procedural: compared to the early Maigret novels it is better constructed…or, at least, everything is there to push on the narrative: the earlier ones might have strange byways. Whether you think Simenon had perfected the form or become too narrow in allowing the police procedural format to dominate, is probably a matter of taste. A young woman, a stripper in a night club, comes forward to tell the police that she has overheard a murder plot; she is a bit drunk and, in the morning, after she has spent the night in the police waiting room, she retracts her story; but, on going home, she is murdered. Then there is a second crime, the murder that the young woman had warned about. We follow Maigret as he shifts through the case. It is not a whodunit: there is only one suspect, the problem is identifying him and then finding him. Mme Maigret doesn’t get much of a look-in in this one and, as always, I can never remember which of Maigret’s assistants is which – although Maigret in Montmartre was a young detective who knew and loved the murdered woman. As always, there are a series of subsidiary characters or witnesses that are vividly portrayed by Simenon with a few quick brushstrokes – notably the owners and staff of the club where the victim worked. One character is signified a degenerate: he is a drug addict and gay, both are aspects of his degeneracy: the novel presumes we agree with this designation. Slightly longer than most Maigret stories, it does what you should expect a Maigret story to do, but perhaps in slightly too orderly a way.
August 11, 2021
I've watched 3 televised versions of this book over the past few years, with Bruno Cremer, Michael Gambon, and Rowan Atkinson, playing Maigret. For some reason, scriptwriters seem to love this story. Interestingly, each of the 3 versions are markedly different with each changing the story in some way to make it a lot more interesting. Because, and I never thought I'd say this about a Maigret novel, this is actually a fairly boring book. There isn't much of a mystery and nothing really happens.
They can't all be gems, I suppose. Thankfully, #37 is a cracker!
They can't all be gems, I suppose. Thankfully, #37 is a cracker!
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