Maigret and the Tall Woman

Inspector Maigret, Book 38

By: Georges Simenon

Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong

A visit from the tall, thin woman he arrested many years ago - now married to a hapless burglar - leads Maigret on a tortuous investigation in which he struggles with a formidable suspect.

'When he had set them to work, Maigret had had a merry, almost fierce glint in his eye. He had set them loose on the house like a pack of hounds on the trail of a scent, encouraging them not with his voice, but by his whole attitude...would events have played out in the same manner, if the man from Rue de la Ferme hadn't been a heavyweight like him, both physically and psychologically?'

This novel has been published in previous translations as Maigret and the Burglar's Wife.

©2016 Georges Simenon (P)2017 Audible, Ltd

A worthwhile listen

A very clever story. Maigret at his worst and his best. Lots of atmosphere, very good supporting characters. A body found by a burglar leads Maigret into an investigation where he encounters very unpleasant wealthy individuals and receives support from a much nicer, much poorer and possibly more moral person. Justice is served.

good voice

well done easy to listen I found the book much easier to use better than reading

Very good!

The story and action are leaner than in many of the Maigret series, Not to demean any of the more intense others, I found this book's atmosphere refreshing.

Brilliant story and performance with two reservations

The story and narration are brilliant. They make me want to read and listen to the rest of the series. I have two reservations, though.

If you listen carefully and try to drink along with Maigret on a virtually empty stomach like his, you'll pass out long before the end. Even Winston Churchill, whose capacity was enormous, couldn't begin to keep up. Unlike in other Maigret novels, neither Maigret nor anyone around him seems to notice that he's three sheets to the wind.

Gareth Armstrong's narration is pitch perfect as the voices of the narrator, Maigret, his team, and even Ernestine and Mme. Serre. But his voice for Guillaume Serre sounds almost exactly like his mother! This has the unintentionally comic effect of making G. Serre, though repeatedly described as a stolid heavyweight, sound like a 78-year-old woman. It's close to the voice Armstrong used for the gay drug addict in "Murder at Picratt's." Fortunately, G. Serre doesn't have much to say, but if Armstrong uses this voice often in other novels, it will get old fast.