My Friend Maigret by Georges Simenon

Steeped in atmosphere, this 31st Detective Inspector Maigret murder investigation is a gem, often cited as one of the best, if not the very best, of the Maigret mysteries. It's a solid mystery, but finding the killer is almost beside the point.

A casual invitation for Scotland Yard to view French police work is accepted, and for several rain-filled days, Inspector Pyke trails Maigret, who feels slightly hampered by a partner. A strange murder brings them to the small island of Porquerolles, where a man who bragged about knowing Maigret was shot. Indeed, it might be the reason he was killed.

At one time, the man was a Parisian pimp, yet he ended up a fisherman on an island where everyone is from one of two families, and every evening, practically everyone gathers to drink at the Arche de Noé as more-or-less friendly equals. No one was concerned about being interviewed. There is the wealthy whisky heiress who lives on a yacht with a young male secretary; the artistic vagabond couple; Monsieur Emile, whose mother Justine is a well-known madame with houses across the Cote d'Azur; the underground figure Charlot; and Ginette, a woman whom Maigret helped in the past when she was a prostitute. She now runs a house for Justine. They have both changed since then; time has passed.

The Inspectors spend casual days in the summer heat as a picture of the crime forms in Maigret's mind, and the locals wait for them to be seduced by the beauty of the island and "go native" as they had all done, and never leave.

Rich with character, this entertains without overt clues, and I found myself marvelling how Maigret discovered the killer, looking back at a crackerjack plot.

1949 / Tradeback / 192 pages