Customer Reviews

My Friend Maigret (Inspector Maigret Mysteries)

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As I understand it the term "observer effect" stands for the proposition that the act of observing changes the act of the person or thing being observed. In Georges Simenon's "My Friend Maigret" we get a story in which "observer effect" is fully in play. The result is another good Simenon "Maigret" mystery.

"My Friend Maigret" open with the good Inspector Maigret going about his normal routine in Paris. Much to Maigret's chagrin he finds himself in the company of one Inspector Pyke of Scotland Yard who accepted an invitation from the chief of the Paris police to come to Paris to see the great Maigret at work. As luck would have it Maigret is advised that a murder has been committed in Porquerolles, an island of the coast of Provence in the south of France. This would normally not be of interest to the Paris police but on the night of the murder the victim (a small-time career criminal) had been heard bragging about his good friend Inspector Maigret. So Maigret finds himself getting on a train and ferry, with Inspector Pyke in tow, to the warm and sunny island to conduct an investigation.

The investigation/plot is pretty standard fare for detective mysteries. There is a murder and a small set of potential killers from a wide variety of backgrounds. What sets "My Friend Maigret" apart from the run of the mill story is the exotic location, Simenon's spare but arch writing, and Maigret's ongoing self-consciousness derived from being observed constantly by the quiet British observer.

All in all this was a pretty good story but far from being one of Simenon's best Maigret mysteries. Nonetheless, average Simenon remains a cut above the average for this genre. Fans of Simenon and Maigret should enjoy "My Friend Maigret". However, as someone who gladly prmotes Maigret at every opportunity, I don't think this would be a good introduction for a reader new to the Maigret mysteries. I think Lock 14 (Inspector Maigret Mysteries), Maigret and the Man on the Boulevard (Inspector Maigret), or Inspector Cadaver (Inspector Maigret Mysteries)would make for a better starting point for anyone interested in Maigret. Once Maigret has a chance to grow on you, "My Friend Maigret" will make for an enjoyable read. L.Fleisig

An inspector from Scotland Yard comes to France to observe the police methods of the great detective Maigret as he investigates a crime. As the stoic British policeman follows Maigret around, both men feel awkward because Maigret has no methods, other than his characteristic investigative technique of immersing himself in the atmosphere of the place and in the lives of the persons involved until he knows them so well that he understands how the crime must have happened. This is a classic Maigret.

Like all of his Maigret books, Simenon never has his Chief Inspector take himself too seriously. In this novel, we have a very thoughtful and introspective Maigret. While working on routine matters in Paris, Maigret is asked to let an Inspector from Scotland Yard "shadow" him so that the English can learn the 'techniques' of the famous Maigret. The man who comes to watch him is Mr.Pyke (we are never given his first name) who is the epitome of the 'stiff upper lip public school' chap.

When Maigret is called to a small island of the coast of the Riviera, he takes the Englishman with him. There has been a murder on the Island of a man who called himself a 'friend of Maigret'. No one has been allowed to leave the Island so that the murderer has to still be there. In his quiet way of watching and asking 'uninteresting' questions, Maigret is able to root out the killers, and their establish their motive.

As many of Simenon's stories, the mystery itself is there to give Maigret something to do. This is an island that has only two families on it. They are fisherman and have lived this way for centuries. What's really the reason for the story is to give Simenon a chance to explain a culture that will soon disappear. With the coming of war and then the advent of multi-media, this once quiet corner of Europe will become as homogenous as the rest of the world. Desolee.

Zeb Kantrowitz

A Scotland Yard detective admires Maigret and gets permission to follow him around and observe his methods. Maigret, who has no methods, is discomfited.

"Mr. Pyke looked at everything and said nothing."

Awkwardly enough, the case that Mr. Pyke gets to observe concerns the shooting of a thug who claimed that Maigret was his friend. And in fact, Maigret had long ago been kind to his consumptive girlfriend.

Was the murder a strike against Maigret, or is something else afoot?

This delightful little book perfectly captures the ambiance of the Midi and presents us with some playful insights into the competitive male psyche.

Simenon's disciplined prose is real literature, much more so than many a serious novel with literary pretensions.

This is Simenon at his most amazing. The book as a book is terrific. As a piece of writing, incomparable. Keith