Maigret Gets Angry

Inspector Maigret, Book 26

By: Georges Simenon

Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong

Maigret is cajoled out of retirement by a case involving an old classmate in book 26 of the new Penguin Maigret series.

All that was still unclear, for sure. Ernest Malik had been right when he had looked at Maigret with a smile that was a mixture of sarcasm and contempt. This wasn't a case for him. He was out of his depth. This world was unfamiliar to him, and he had difficulty piecing it all together.

Peacefully tending his garden in the countryside, Maigret is called upon to investigate a rich family with skeletons in their cupboard - and finds himself confronted by lies, snobbery and malice.

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, where he had lived for the latter part of his life.

©2015 Georges Simenon (P)2016 Audible, Ltd

Maigret swaps his sabots

The Maigrets have been living in retirement for nearly two years. One August day, Louise is shelling peas while her husband is picking beetles from the aubergines when an imperious, impertinent widow of an industrial tycoon arrives demanding Maigret drop everything and help her prove her granddaughter's death was not an accident.

Why, when he has refused the many cases brought to him, does he take this one?

When Maigret arrives on site, he discovers an old acquaintance from Moulins, and hardly one he fondly remembers....

The characters are excellent foils for one another, and there is a touch of farce and dark comedy in the story, although its essential truth is tragic and sad.

Louise Maigret always interests me. I find myself wondering what she does with all the food. It seems her husband often takes leave when a feast is in readiness. But as the redoubtable Alsacienne says to him here, "I'll never understand you."

Perhaps that's what keeps them together.

As ever, Gareth Armstrong brings the characters to life with extraordinary skill. Well worth listening to him every time!