Maigret Loses His Temper (Maigret Series of Mystery Novels) [Paperback]

Georges Simenon (Author), Robert Eglesfield (Translator)

Book Description

Series: Maigret Series of Mystery Novels | Publication Date: October 15, 1993

Inspector Maigret, after ruling out the possibility of professional murder and having his spotless reputation called into question, solves the perplexing murder of a nightclub owner who at first glance seems to have no enemies. Translated by Robert Eglesfield. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

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

From the Back Cover

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

Montmartre night club owner Emile Boulay is found strangled outside Pere Lachaise cemetery, and Maigret immediately rules out the possibility of professional murder--underworld killers do not strangle their victims nor do they transport them from one spot to another. Yet Boulay appears to have had no enemies. Maigret is irritated by the obfuscation of the case (and his doctor's orders to cut down on trips to the local brasserie), but when his own spotless reputation is called into question, the Chief Inspector does, indeed, lose his temper.

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

Georges Simenon (1903-1989) was born in Liège, Belgium. He published his first novel at seventeen and went on to write more than two hundred novels, becoming one of the world's most prolific and bestselling authors. His books have sold more than 500 million copies and have been translated into fifty languages.

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

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (October 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156551284
• ISBN-13: 978-0156551281
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #491,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maigret Pokes around the Montmarte Neighborhood, November 8, 2004

By 

Marco Antonio Abarca (Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Maigret Loses His Temper (Paperback)

The owner of a Montmarte strip club is found murdered. He has been strangled and his body has been dumped on a distant street. Jules Maigret knows that this is not a typical gangland killing. Mobsters do not strangle their victims and then carry them to another neighborhood.

This is a typical Maigret mystery. There is no gun play or fancy forensic work. Just the venerable Chief Inspector Maigret walking around the streets of Montmarte using his considerable mental skills to solve a murder.

Goerges Simenon wrote over 200 novels. Over 500 million copies of his novels have been published. Inspector Jules Maigret is one of the all time greatest characters of detective fiction. "Maigret Loses his Temper" is a good example of Georges Simenon's craft.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully crafted story, August 7, 2010

By 

Blue in Washington "Barry Ballow" (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Maigret Loses His Temper (Paperback)

This classic Chief Inspector Maigret story dates from 1963 when Georges Simenon has turning out one small mystery masterpiece after another. Like many, "Maigret Loses His Temper" has the Chief Inspector dealing with a murder of a respectable Parisian businessman in an unrespectable business, that seems not to have a motive or any real suspects. Author Simeon builds a refined police procedural for Maigret to follow which features, as always, the Chief Inspector's own uncanny interior dialogue. Maigret always looks for greed and/or passion to resolve his cases, and in this particular story, he is not surprised to find that one of these elements leads him to resolution of the case.

The plot is engaging and the focus on the Paris neighborhood of Montmartre and its nightclub life is a great context. A very well-done, neat little reading package that any reader of the genre will thoroughly enjoy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maigret in Montmartre, September 2, 2007

By 

C. Schaub "Charlie" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Maigret Loses His Temper (Paperback)

By the time of this novel, Maigret has risen high in the police ranks and does not have much opportunity to get involved in the dirty little crimes of the minor-league underworld of the Montmartre district. Due to an unusual series of events he gets his chance in this case of the disappearance of the owner of a chain of strip-tease clubs.

"Maigret Loses His Temper" is an excellent example of the Maigret technique (Maigret himself denies he has a technique) where he just goes about, seemingly at random, talking to people and gathering bits and pieces of information, and never theorizing until he sees a "pattern".

Plot is good, but not outstanding. Characters are, as usual for Simenon, excellent with even the lesser ones having well-defined personalities. The description of Montmartre its businesses, and its inhabitants is superb. This book is right up there with the best of the Maigrets.