Maigret Goes Home [Paperback]

Georges Simenon (Author), Robert Baldick (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1992

Simenon spins a masterful tale of aristocrats fallen on hard times and of a profligate son who in the final hour finds unexpected strength of character, regaining the dignity and the nobility of his ancestors.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Inspector Maigret returns to his boyhood home, Saint-Fiacre, where an unsigned note warns that a crime will be committed in the church on All Souls' Day. During the services, the Countess de Fiacre dies of an apparent heart attack but Maigret suspects foul play. "Baldick's translation is rather elliptical," PW said, "but Inspector Maigret makes his presence felt"; the final twist is "stunning."
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Another installment in the multivolume Maigret series, this was originally published in France in 1931. The current translation was first published in the United States in 1967. Collections containing titles such as last year's Maigret on the Riviera ( LJ 5/1/88) should welcome this to their shelves.-- MR
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 139 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt (October 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156551659
• ISBN-13: 978-0156551656
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,374,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite Good - Among the Best of the Maigret Mysteries, February 25, 2006

By 

Michael Wischmeyer (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Maigret Goes Home (Hardcover)

Maigret Goes Home (published in 1932, first published in English in 1940) is among the best stories by Simenon that I have encountered. It takes place in 1928, early in Maigret's career, and involves a unique visit to Maigret's childhood home, the village of Saint-Fiacre. Maigret Goes Home is a compelling story, one in which the mystery puzzle, the characters themselves, their psychology, and the intriguing locale all share front stage.

Maigret is investigating an anonymous note warning that a death will occur during the first Mass on All Soul's Day at Saint-Fiacre. With Maigret in attendance, Countess de Saint-Fiacre dies during the mass from heart failure. Maigret is convinced of foul play, but evidence is lacking.

The aristocratic family of de Saint-Fiacre has suffered financial and moral decline since the death of Count some years ago. As Maigret's investigation proceeds, his disappointment with his childhood home grows. Nonetheless, Maigret's remains influenced by vestiges of his childhood admiration for the imposing Count de Saint-Fiacre, now dead for many years. The suspects are many, and the ending is less predictable than some Maigret stories.

My copy of Maigret Goes Home is a good quality, standard size paperback published by Harvest Books in 1990. Translated by Robert Baldick. The inside cover lists about forty Maigret titles available from Harvest Books. For those new to Georges Simenon, he wrote 75 novels and 28 short stories involving the highly popular Maigret from 1931 to 1972.

Note: Simenon did not adhere to a strict chronological sequence. That is, later stories often returned to a younger Maigret. Furthermore, many Maigret stories were not translated to English until many years after their release in France. Consequently, the English publication date is not a reliable indication to the time period of a particular Maigret story.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A crime outside the law, May 16, 2009

By 

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

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Maigret Goes Home (Paperback)

The Moulin police receive an anonymous note that "a crime will be committed in the church at Saint-Fiacre during the first mass on All Souls Day." They forward the note to Paris, assuming it's a practical joke.

But Saint Fiacre is Maigret's hometown, and he decides to attend that mass.

Sure enough, the Countess of Saint-Fiacre drops dead in church. The doctor diagnoses heart failure, but how to explain the note that foretold this natural death? Was the failure of her heart somehow induced? And by whom?

Wonderful complications ensue. The young heir is a good-for-nothing playboy in need of money. The secretary was actually the lover of the aging countess. Even the village priest is behaving strangely.

Curiously, it's the suspects themselves who solve the mystery more than Maigret, whose presence alone is somehow enough to bring out the truth.

An excellent Maigret subtly enriched by the Chief Inspector's nostalgic flashbacks.