Maigret at Picratt's

Inspector Maigret, Book 36

De: Georges Simenon

Narrado por: Gareth Armstrong

A young cabaret dancer in a black silk dress leads Maigret into a seamy world of nightclubs, drug addiction and exploitation on the streets of Montmartre.

'He opened the door for her and watched her walk away down the huge corridor, then hesitate at the top of the stairs. Heads turned as she passed. You sensed she came from a different world, the world of the night, and there was something almost indecent about her in the harsh light of a winter's day.'

This novel has been published in previous translations as Maigret and the Strangled Stripper and Maigret in Montmartre.

©2016 Georges Simenon (P)2017 Audible, Ltd.

Hasn't Aged Well

Is there anything you would change about this book?

You bet there is.

What could Georges Simenon have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

He was a man of his times, I suppose, but this more than any other of his novels reeks of homophobia. It really is a difficult read.

What three words best describe Gareth Armstrong’s voice?

The characters sounded much I imagined they would.

Did Maigret at Picratt's inspire you to do anything?

It did. I deleted it from my library.

Any additional comments?

I still enjoy some of the Maigret novels. But not as much as I once did.

Outstanding narrator

Gareth Armstrong is an outstanding narrator. His intonation perfectly captures the burstiness of Simenon's prose. I usually listen at 1.2 times the normal speed. In this case, 1.0 was just right, so others may want to slow it down.

Simenon's prose and plotting are brilliant. I rate this book 3 stars rather than 5 because of chapter 6. It consists entirely of pointless police abuse and gaybashing of a drug addict who's a lead but not a suspect, accessory, or even a prospective material witness, and Simenon seems to identify with the abusers. Neither the abuse nor its victim's sexual orientation are relevant to the solution. Even in 1950, when the book was written, this made no sense.

I hope to read or listen to the whole Maigret series. I can see why Simenon is second only to Agatha Christie as all-time bestselling mystery author, but it's clear why this book isn't on anyone's list of the 10 best Maigrets.

This book is #36 in the series. I listened to it before others because it was adapted as the first episode in the French TV series starring Bruno Cremer in 1991 and was also the first episode in the second season of the BBC series starring Michael Gambon in 1993.

But unless you're following along with the ITV version, there's no good reason for readers and listeners to start with #36. if you're new to Maigret, I recommend starting almost anywhere else, maybe even with #1 ("Pietr the Latvian"), which has never been adapted for TV.