Maigret's Memoirs by Georges Simenon

A memoir, not a mystery!

This 'meta' take on Maigret is a brilliant treat for those who know the Detective Chief Inspector from the previous 34 novels. This is not the book to start the series with.

Maigret recalls back to 1928, when, on a grey and white winter day, Maigret's boss introduces him to an erudite 24-year-old novelist, 'Monsieur Georges Sim', who would like to follow Maigret to feel the atmosphere and see how the Police Judiciaire works; of course, never revealing anything that shouldn't be published, and in a different form so as not to cause problems. He plans to write novels in which the police are seen in a true light, and learn about the crimes of ordinary people who commit murder one day, without having planned it. Maigret begins visitor duty with the cells, where most of them spend the night, but Sim is more interested in the personal items of his office.

One morning, he is delivered the first Simenon novel. He is not curious enough to read that kind of pulp novel, but everyone else has. Simenon has used his real name—he finds he has become a fictional character! Newspapers inform him that Chief Inspector Maigret has made a striking entrance in detective fiction, and publishers offer to print Maigret's memoirs before the first chapter is written. Here then is Maigret's own story of working from a youthful civil servant through the ranks to Special Squad. Readers learn the charming story of how a girl named Louise became Madame Maigret, and the day-to-day work of the Parisian police - where whores and cops on the beat have a mutual respect; both spend the nights walking the streets.

Simenon becomes a family friend to Maigret, and the novels become more subtle, complex, and alive. Maigret's fame increases as cinema would soon join, and later radio and television. Maigret states it all with humor and without resentment—he has ended up with a whole shelf of Simenon novels. The pleasure of following a detective through a series is knowing them intimately, and Simenon has found a brilliant way to fill in his backstory. Maigret emerges even stronger and more 'alive'.

An excellent treat for fans of Maigret—for those who have not read the series, maybe not.

1950 / Tradeback / 149 pages