Maigret and the Burglar's Wife [Paperback]

Georges Simenon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 21, 2003 | Series: Inspector Maigret Mysteries

While committing what he intends to be his last burglary, "Sad Freddie" discovers something completely out of his line: the body of a dead woman, her chest covered in blood, holding a telephone in her hand. Inspector Maigret is called in to solve the crime, and after an exhaustive search, a psychological duel, a marathon interrogation, and innumerable glasses of Pernod, wine, cold beer, and brandy--a sure sign that this is no easy case--the famous French sleuth triumphs.

Maigret is a registered trademark of the Estate of Georges Simenon

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Simenon is ... in a class by himself." --The New Yorker

"Maigret...ranks with Holmes and Poirot in the pantheon of fictional detective immortals."--People

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (April 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156028409
• ISBN-13: 978-0156028400
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #127,012 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Maigret crime novella, February 19, 2012

By 

Blue in Washington "Barry Ballow" (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Maigret and the Burglar's Wife (Paperback)

In 1953 Paris, Chief Inspector Maigret is visited by a "bust" from the past--a very self-possessed ex-prostitute who is worried about the disappearance of her husband. The spouse, a well-known cat burglar, has blown town after informing his wife that he had come across a woman's body while on the job in a Paris suburb. The wife is concerned enough about her burglar husband to bring Maigret into the case. From there, the story becomes a classic procedural with Maigret gradually wearing down the two main suspects in the murder. No surprise that greed, envy and jealously might figure in the motives for the presumed murder.

Meanwhile, the reader is taken on a tour of 1950s Paris--the suburbs at least--with regular stops at cafes and restaurants. It's a short, but satisfying story that represents author Georges Simenon's mastery of the genre. Entertaining and recommended.

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best Maigret books, December 5, 2010

By 

Michael A. Warren - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Maigret and the Burglar's Wife (Paperback)

This was a wonderful book that Simenon wrote. I read the reviews in the Wall St Journal bought the books they recommended. His books are well written and well translated from the French. The story is about a man who worked for a safe manufacturing firm. Then he began to rob the safes he had installed until he found a dead woman on one of his jobs. This is how Maigret is called in. I don't want to tell much to give away the good finalality of his investigations.

4.0 out of 5 stars There's no problem a Pernod can't solve., August 25, 2009

By 

Craobh Rua "Craobh Rua" (N. Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maigret and the Burglar's Wife (Paperback)

Georges Simenon was born in Liege, Belgium, in 1903. A hugely prolific writer, his best known creation is Inspector Maigret - a French policeman, based in Paris. "Maigret's and the Burglar's Wife" was first published in 1953.

The book opens with Maigret being visited by an old acquaintance called Ernestine Micou. Unfortunately, they had known each other professionally, rather than personally. Seventeen years previously, when she had been more widely known as Lofty, Maigret had arrested her in a small hotel near the Porte Saint Denis. (It had only been a petty theft but Lofty didn't make things easy for Maigret - who'd only been a young cop at the time. She was stark naked when he arrived and refused point blank to get dressed). This time, however, she's coming to Maigret for help - and has arrived fully clothed. Lofty is now married to Alfred Jussiaume - also known as "Sad Freddie", the unluckiest safecracker in France. He had once been employed by Planchart's, a firm of safe makers. Since he installed safes right across Paris, he knows exactly where to go and how to break into them. Unfortunately, he never finds the one big payday he needs inside the safe he has chosen. Despite having already spent five years inside, the press love him, and paint him as something of a romantic figure. Two nights previously, according to Lofty, Freddie went out on a job in Neuilly and never came home. He'd phoned Lofty at five in the morning from a little cafe near the Gare du Nord. Apparently, he'd stumbled across a corpse mid-job, and was spotted fleeing the scene. Since he'd left his tools at the scene and he'd be easily identified by his bike, he's clearly afraid of being set up for murder - so he's decided to make himself scare. There's only one problem : there have been no reports of any murders in Neuilly and no random bodies turning up. Maigret decides to look into things anyhow : he starts with Planchart's, looking for the houses in Neuilly that had a safe installed by Sad Freddie had worked in. They soon settle on Guillaume Serre's house as the most likely scene...unfortunately, not only do the Serres deny there was a murder, they also deny there was an attempted burglary.

A fun book and not a particularly long one - however, it doesn't feel rushed at any point and all the bases are covered. Monsieur Serre isn't a likeable sort - surly and unhelpful, he seems strangely unwilling to answer Maigret's questions. However, Maigret plays it shrewdly, poking in all the right places and asking all the right questions. Very enjoyable.