Customer Reviews

Maigret and the Calame Report (Variant Title = Maigret and the Minister)

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As the original French title suggests, this Maigret investigation is rather more high-profile than the usual crime cases that the P.J. have to deal with on a regular basis, cases that an unruffled and unhurried Maigret resolves with a few enquiries interspersed with a few drinks at the bar. Indeed, Maigret is initially perturbed when phoned at home by the Auguste Point, Minister of Public Works, and reluctant to become involved in a serious political scandal that also has the Sūreté breathing down his neck. He has every reason to be concerned, since the Minister has had an important document stolen, a confidential report on the affair of the faulty construction of a mountain Health Centre that resulted in the death of over a hundred children. Only recently uncovered and handed over to the Minister for it to then disappear, the scandal has the potential to seriously embarrass some senior public figures, if not bring down the current government.

Nonetheless, despite the complications and uncertainty of the motives of the main players in all this political manoeuvring, bluffing and cover-up, Maigret does indeed tackle the case through his usual methods, involving a lot of leg-work, interviewing and trusting his own judgements and impressions. True, Maigret's usual tipple is this time replaced by a few much stronger Pernods to see him through the crisis, but his personal background and insight into the psychology of the main characters involved helps him identify those character weaknesses that have been exploited by those in positions of power - a trap that Maigret in this complicated game has to be wary of falling into himself.

I thank Amazon.com for the opportunity to purchase books out of print like the Maigret character written by G. Simenon.

I also want to say to Amazon.com that my first experience of buying books over the Internet was great, not problems any where.

I forgot to answer the survey about the customer service.

Please continue to make available the books with the Maigret character. I want to eventually purchase all 80 of them. I bought six.

Maigret is a police chief in Paris in the 1930s and he solves crime by understanding who the victim was psychologically and then the clues, the interaction with the setting and the people, leading up to the interrogation.

It's modern day psychotherapy too at its best.

He is also an endearing character.

I am thoroughly enjoying all the Maigret books.

thanks again.

karen