My Friend Maigret (Inspector Maigret Mysteries)
Three vintage Maigret novels by legendary mystery author Georges Simenon
One of the world ?s most successful crime writers, Georges Simenon has thrilled mystery lovers since 1931 with his matchless creation Inspector Maigret. In My Friend Maigret, Inspector Maigret investigates the murder of a small-time crook on a Mediterranean island. Told in Simenon?s spare, unsentimental prose, Inspector Cadaver is a haunting exploration of provincial hypocrisy and snobbery, in which Maigret encounters a rival sleuth from his past. In Maigret and the Man on the Boulevard, Simenon?s tenacious detective pieces together the life of a man who for three years lived a secret life?until he is found stabbed to death in an alleyway.
My Friend Maigret (Inspector Maigret Mysteries) Accessories
 Inspector Cadaver (Inspector Maigret Mysteries)
Maigret and the Man on the Boulevard (Inspector Maigret Mysteries)
The Madman of Bergerac
The Bar on the Seine (Penguin Mysteries)
Friend of Madame Maigret (Inspector Maigret Mysteries)
The Hotel Majestic (Penguin Mysteries)
Maigret and the Wine Merchant
Lock 14 (Inspector Maigret Mysteries)
A Man's Head (Inspector Maigret Mysteries)
The Yellow Dog (Inspector Maigret Mysteries)
My Friend Maigret (Inspector Maigret Mysteries) Reviews
An inspector from Scotland Yard comes to France to observe the police methods of the great detective Maigret as he investigates a crime. As the stoic British policeman follows Maigret around, both men feel awkward because Maigret has no methods, other than his characteristic investigative technique of immersing himself in the atmosphere of the place and in the lives of the persons involved until he knows them so well that he understands how the crime must have happened. This is a classic Maigret.
So Maigret finds himself getting on a train and ferry, with Inspector Pyke in tow, to the warm and sunny island to conduct an investigation. This would normally not be of interest to the Paris police but on the night of the murder the victim (a small-time career criminal) had been heard bragging about his good friend Inspector Maigret. I think Lock 14 (Inspector Maigret Mysteries), Maigret and the Man on the Boulevard (Inspector Maigret), or Inspector Cadaver (Inspector Maigret Mysteries)would make for a better starting point for anyone interested in Maigret. In Georges Simenon's "My Friend Maigret" we get a story in which "observer effect" is fully in play. What sets "My Friend Maigret" apart from the run of the mill story is the exotic location, Simenon's spare but arch writing, and Maigret's ongoing self-consciousness derived from being observed constantly by the quiet British observer.
As luck would have it Maigret is advised that a murder has been committed in Porquerolles, an island of the coast of Provence in the south of France. Much to Maigret's chagrin he finds himself in the company of one Inspector Pyke of Scotland Yard who accepted an invitation from the chief of the Paris police to come to Paris to see the great Maigret at work. "My Friend Maigret" open with the good Inspector Maigret going about his normal routine in Paris. The investigation/plot is pretty standard fare for detective mysteries. L.Fleisig. There is a murder and a small set of potential killers from a wide variety of backgrounds.
However, as someone who gladly prmotes Maigret at every opportunity, I don't think this would be a good introduction for a reader new to the Maigret mysteries. . The result is another good Simenon "Maigret" mystery. All in all this was a pretty good story but far from being one of Simenon's best Maigret mysteries. As I understand it the term "observer effect" stands for the proposition that the act of observing changes the act of the person or thing being observed. Nonetheless, average Simenon remains a cut above the average for this genre. Once Maigret has a chance to grow on you, "My Friend Maigret" will make for an enjoyable read.
Fans of Simenon and Maigret should enjoy "My Friend Maigret".
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