Maigret Loses His Temper

by Georges Simenon

Book Overview

"A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason." --John Le Carr When a well-liked nightclub owner turns up dead in a cemetery, Inspector Maigret must track down the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0156551284
• ISBN13: 9780156551281
• Release Date: January 1980
• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 4.2" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Beautifully crafted story

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.

Maigret shows no mercy

For the first time in years Maigret ventures into Montmartre. He's not at home on this gangster-rich turf. Yet the victim was anything but a gangster, and his murder doesn't look like the work of a gang. Even though Emile Boulay owned several clubs, he was an unassuming family man who didn't drink, gamble, play around, drive fancy cars or cheat on his taxes. Yes, he made his living showcasing naked women, but he was eminently respectable. And he valued his reputation highly. Maigret is not his usual merciful self in this book, for his own reputation is threatened as well. Throughout the investigation the Chief Superintendent is trying to cut down on his drinking (doctor's orders). This doesn't help his temper either!

Maigret in Montmartre

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.

Maigret Pokes around the Montmarte Neighborhood

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.