From Publishers Weekly
First published in 1931 in France and brought out in the U.S. nine years later, this early story by prolific Simenon (1903-1989) takes place in Liege, the author's birthplace. Two Belgian teenage boys hide out in the Gai-Moulin, a nightclub, after closing time in order to steal from the till. Sneaking up to the bar, however, they see the body of a man on the floor and flee in panic. The next day, the body is found in a wicker basket on the lawn of the zoo. The dead man, a rich Greek, had hired Maigret to follow and protect him, but then eluded the inspector. The police arrest one of the boys while the other hides. Puzzled about why the victim had been in Belgium, Maigret helps the Liege Surete unravel a deeper plot and shows how a boyish prank evolves into serious trouble. Simenon's genius shines in this simple but exciting story.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
In this brief novel, first published in 1940, Inspector Maigret goes undercover to solve a murder in the Belgian city of LiŠge, where the body of Greek playboy Ephraim Graphopoulos has been found, stuffed in a wicker basket, at the town zoo. The local police have focused their investigation on the Gai-Moulin, a seedy nightclub where the victim spent his last night in the company of bar-girl AdŠle, enviously watched by teenaged would-be rou‚s Jean Chabot and Rene Delfosse--now the chief suspects in the murder. There are complicating factors unknown to the police that have brought Maigret into his unaccustomed role, adding to the near- farcical confusion. Not one of Maigret's more brilliant triumphs but interesting for its penetrating character studies--especially of those teenagers in deep trouble. --
Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
