Maigret and the Fortuneteller [Paperback]

Georges Simenon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1990

Guided by his intuition and his special talent for putting himself in other people's shoes, Inspector Maigret plows through a frustrating maze of seemingly unconnected suspects and only the most fragmentary clues to find the murderer of fortuneteller Mademoiselle Jeanne.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

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

Product Details

• Paperback: 140 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt (May 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156551632
• ISBN-13: 978-0156551632
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,651,278 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars "What fools people are..., February 4, 2012

By 

meeah (somewhere between my ears (i presume)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maigret and the Fortuneteller (Hardcover)

but if they weren't such fools, there would be no need for policemen." --Jules Maigret

In a trim, athletically-paced novel of only 140 pages, Simenon packs enough twists and turns to fill a work three times as long. Brevity and conciseness is always one of this author's great charms. And his prolific literary output is perhaps a key to understanding why, unlike many contemporary authors, Simenon didn't need to pad, stuff, and bloat his novels to a sloppy obesity. He had more than enough ideas to fill a hundred books--and he did.

This one begins with the brutal murder of a fortuneteller during a Paris heat wave. In the same apartment where the body is found, a helpless, dazed old man is also discovered, locked away in a separate room. What makes the case even more bizarre is that Maigret had received prior information that a fortuneteller was going to be murdered somewhere in Paris. Now that prediction has become a reality and the hunt for the killer is on.

But if the case seems a puzzler from the start, it's only going to get more puzzling as it unfolds. The first thing Maigret decides to do is escape the broiling city and spend the weekend in the countryside with Madame Maigret. It's a working vacation, of course. For Maigret, who begins this investigation in his typical oblique fashion, is angling in on the culprit from the most unexpected of directions, eventually catching both killer--and reader--unaware.

Simenon perfected a personalized form of the classic mystery tale and he brings it off to great success here. Succinct and satisfying, "Maigret and the Fortuneteller" is smart fun.

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Maigret's best, June 22, 2010

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 Fortuneteller (Paperback)

Most of the many Superintendent Maigret stories are excellent, but "Maigret and the Fortune Teller" stands a bit above the average in its plot and characters. The short novel begins with the murder of a sometime fortuneteller whose prospective death is reported to Maigret and the Police Judiciare in advance of the event. The crime investigation leads the estimable Superintendent to number of strange characters who all seem up to dodgy enterprises, but nothing related to the murder. Over time, Maigret connects the dots in one of the more original, interlocking crime stories that you will come across in the genre. As with the best of the Maigret stories, the conclusion of the book is not clear until the last page or two, and there are some zingers held in reserve til the finish.

"Fortuneteller" was published in 1944, but as was his habit, prolific author Georges Simenon makes no reference to WWII, the German occupation or any other events of the moment in this novel. The action all takes place in the well-explored neighborhoods of Paris, and as always, the look and feel of the place is skillfully evoked by Simenon. There is Gallic wit and irony interwoven throughout this book. The bourgeoisie are skewered as is often the case, and sympathy for the disadvantaged is clearly expressed. A very satisfying read and highly recommended.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tangled plot with multiple culprits, March 26, 2009

By 

Patto (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Maigret and the Fortuneteller (Paperback)

I thought this would be a story about a fortuneteller, but the teller of fortunes is very quickly murdered, making way for a quirky cast of characters engaged in all sorts of mischief.

As often happens in Maigret stories, the poor people are much nicer than the rich people, and Maigret shows considerable compassion for the weak minded.

I can't bear to reveal any of the plot and its wonderfully fragmentary clues. The reader should have the fun of discovering the several crimes and misdemeanors that led to the fortuneteller's death.