New Releases by Georges Simenon

''A unique teller of tales ... What interested Simenon was the average man losing control of his own fate'' Observer ''She was beautiful, full of vitality, and he was sixteen years older, a dusty, lonely bookseller whose only passion in life was collecting stamps.'' Jonas is used to his young wife disappearing. Everyone in the town knows that she goes off with other men. This time, however, he tells a small lie to protect her, saying she is visiting a school friend. It is a lie, however, that eats into him like an illness, provoking hostility and resentment of this timid little Russian-Jewish bookseller, who always thought he had been accepted. As suspicion mounts, his true, terrifying isolation is revealed.

In the final novel featuring Inspector Maigret, the famous detective reaches a pivotal moment in his career Maigret is a few years short of his retirement and has just refused promotion to the post of Head of the Police Judiciare, preferring the human contact he enjoys as Head of the Criminal Division. His wish is granted when Madam Nathalie Sabin-Levesque, an elegant but highly nervous lwoman, insists that he personally investigates the disappearance of her husband Gėrard, a highly successful and wealthy Parisian lawyer. In Maigret and Monsieur Charles, the conclusive installment of the the Inspector Maigret mystery series, our famous detective finds himself contemplating his past and future as he delves into the Paris underworld one last time.

When a body is found in Paris, nothing is as it seems, and Maigret must delve into the victim''s mysterious past to discover who could have killed him Inspector Maigret is called to action after a man who appears to be an elderly, socially isolated vagrant is found dead in the condemned building where he had been sleeping in Les Halles, Paris. As he begins to pick apart the few clues available, however, Maigret soon realizes that this man is far from who he originally appeared. Helped along by his signature intuition, an anonymous caller, and the memories of Montmarte''s community of senior citizens, the Inspector must put the puzzle together and reveal the truth behind a pair of crimes. With Georges Simenon''s signature tightly-woven plotting, Maigret and the Loner is a riveting, page-turning mystery.

Investigating the murder of one of Paris''s elite, the detective Maigret finds the list of suspects is longer than anyone could have imagined When a wealthy wine merchant is shot and killed in Paris, Inspector Maigret must investigate a long list of family, colleagues and lovers to uncover just who could have committed the crime. Delving into the depths of the man''s personality, Maigret discovers that the victim may have made one too many enemies on his way to the top. Breathlessly paced and psychologically astute, Maigret and the Wine Merchant is a thrilling mystery from the master Georges Simenon.

“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré When his relaxing vacation is interrupted by a small-town murder, Inspector Maigret can''t resist lending his investigative powers to the case Inspector Maigret and his wife take a much needed holiday to Vichy, where they quickly become used to the slower pace of life. But when a woman who they regularly pass by on their daily strolls is murdered, Maigret can''t help but offer his assistance to the local Inspector, a former colleague of his. Set against a backdrop of gorgeous French countryside, Maigret in Vichy shows that even when our trusty detective is outside his jurisdiction, he is still very much in his element.

“One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.” —The Guardian When a mysterious letter writer warns Inspector Maigret that a murder is imminent, Maigret must trace the messages back to their source before it is too late When a series of letters, penned on expensive stationery, arrives at Maigret''s desk claiming that a murder will take place but that the writer is unsure as to who will die, who will do the killing, and when the killing will occur, Maigret''s interest is piqued. He quickly traces the stationery back to the house of Emile Parendon, an eminent lawyer. But once there, the inspector finds that pinning down clues to a crime not yet committed isn''t easy. When a murder does take place, the identity of the victim surprises even Maigret. A twisty and engrossing mystery, Maigret Hesitates puts the great detective''s powers to the test.

“One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.” —The Guardian When suspicion turns on Inspector Maigret for a crime he did not commit, he must use every investigative tool in his arsenal to clear his name. For the first time in his career, Inspector Maigret receives written summons to the Chief Commissioner’s office. There he learns that he has been accused of a horrible assault by an individual with ties to a high-ranking official. He is forbidden from attempting to investigate the case, but with his career and reputation on the line, Maigret must do everything he can to prove his innocence and uncover the motive behind the accusation. A nail-biting dissection of what happens when suspicion falls on the very man tasked with bringing about justice, Maigret Defends Himself is a riveting mystery from Georges Simenon.

“One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.” —The Guardian When a well-liked nightclub owner turns up dead in a cemetery, Inspector Maigret must track down the killer—despite a lack of suspects. During a quiet spell in June, Maigret is called to investigate the disappearance of a reputable businessman, a nightclub owner with properties in Montmarte and on the Champs-Élysées. Things take a dark turn when the man’s body is discovered near the famous Père Lachaise cemetery. There’s no trace of the man having any enemies, and Maigret struggles to find any clues to the perpetrator—and loses his temper when his own reputation is threatened by the case. Under the heat of the Paris summer sun, in Maigret’s Anger, the inspector must find the connections he’ll need to catch a killer and preserve his good name.

“One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.” —The Guardian When he is tasked with solving a seemingly motiveless murder, Inspector Maigret must rely on his famous intuition to discover the truth A retired manufacturer is found murdered with his own pistol in his favorite armchair, shattering the tranquility of a quiet Paris community. The neighbors describe the Josselin household as a bastion of bourgeois compatibility, and Inspector Maigret is stymied by the absence of motive and by the reticence of the bereaved wife. It is not until a chance witness recalls an odd encounter between the deceased and a man in a bistro that the veil of propriety protecting the killer begins to dissolve. Maigret suspects that he’s not being given all the facts in this case as he is drawn deeper into the complex web of family dramas and lies at the heart of it. In Maigret and the Good People of Montparnasse, he must rely on his famous intuition above all to uncover the shocking truth.

“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré During a high-profile hunt for the latest criminal gang to hit Paris, Maigret is determined to track down the murderer of a quiet crook whom he cannot help but respect When the body of Honoré Cuendot, an old burglar acquaintance of Maigret’s, is found in the Bois de Boulogne with his face bashed in, Maigret is appalled that his superiors consider it a mere gangland killing. And there’s a personal element to this case as well: Maigret rather liked Cuendot. Instead of concentrating on the flashy bank robberies occupying the rest of his department, Maigret decides to inquire into Cuendot’s life—and finds himself tied up in the bank robberies, too, along the way. A deliberate, involving murder mystery that only the likes of our trusty Inspector could solve, Maigret and the Lazy Burglar reveals that Maigret’s famous intuition is only one of his skills, and that his incredible empathy is just as important for bringing about justice.

''Compelling, remorseless, brilliant'' John Gray Maigret finds himself back on the Rue des Acacias just ten days after cracking another case there. This time it is the murder of a criminal Maigret has known for over twenty years and one he always suspected was behind a string of jewellery robberies in the city. Maigret''s patience is tested as he eliminates neighbour by neighbour in his hunt for the murderer. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Maigret Bides His Time. ''His artistry is supreme'' John Banville ''One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories'' Guardian

“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré When a wealthy aristocrat is found murdered in his home, Inspector Maigret must navigate a high-stakes case in the moneyed world of Paris’s upper crust Maigret is called to the home of Armand de Saint-Hilaire, a highly respected diplomat who has been found by his housekeeper, shot dead in his study. Maigret is urged to be discrete in his investigation, but after interviewing everyone concerned, the inspector is at a loss to the identity of the perpetrator—until he comes across a series of letters spanning decades between the victim and a widowed woman. As Maigret uncovers the details behind the pair’s relationship, he gets closer to discovering the tragic truth behind the official’s demise. With the pressure mounting, the inspector must navigate class divides and his own position in society to uncover the killer. Maigret and the Old People is an absorbing mystery and a thoughtful examination of the different worlds money creates.

''Compelling, remorseless, brilliant'' John Gray When a tramp is recovered from the Seine, after being badly beaten, Maigret must delve into the man''s personal circumstances to figure out just who wanted to kill him. This novel has been published in previous translations as Maigret and the Dosser and Maigret and the Bum. ''One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories'' Guardian ''A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness'' Independent

“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré With a serial killer on the loose in Paris, Maigret must outsmart the culprit before he can strike again. The inspiration for ITV’s feature-length adaptation starring Rowan Atkinson. Detective Chief Inspector Maigret is known for his infallible instinct, for getting at the truth no matter how complex the case. But when someone starts killing women on the streets of Montmartre, leaving nary a clue and the city’s police force at a loss, he finds himself confounded. In the sweltering Paris summer heat, with the terrified city in a state of siege, Maigret hatches a plan to lure the murderer out.

“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré In this brilliant new translation of Georges Simenon’s classic novel, a young man descends into a brutal world of crime “And always the dirty snow, the heaps of snow that look rotten, with black patches and embedded garbage . . . unable to cover the filth.” Nineteen-year-old Frank—thug, thief, son of a brothel owner—gets by surprisingly well despite living in a city under military occupation, but a warm house and a full stomach are not enough to make him feel truly alive in such a climate of deceit and betrayal. During a bleak, unending winter, he embarks on a string of violent and sordid crimes that set him on a path from which he can never return. Georges Simenon’s matchless novel is a brutal, compelling portrayal of a world without pity; a devastating journey through a psychological no man’s land.

“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré When a public tragedy threatens to expose a scandal within the Paris government, the Minister of Public Works calls in a favor to Maigret A public project has collapsed and resulted in the death of 128 children after a report warning officials about the unsafe structure was disregarded. Now, that report has resurfaced, along with allegations that several politicians and contractors involved with the project may have suppressed its findings to avoid a scandal. Maigret must enter the shifty world of politics, dodged by members of the security police wherever he goes. In an unfamiliar world of decadent diplomatic officials, fanatic followers of political parties, and suspicious staff in politicians’ entourages, Maigret grimly sticks to what he knows best: finding the perpetrators of criminal acts.

''His artistry is supreme'' John Banville It was as if suddenly, long ago, life had stopped here, not the life of the man lying on the bed but the life of the house, the life of its world, and even the factory chimney that could be seen through the curtains looked obsolete and absurd. A once-wealthy family closes ranks when one of their own is shot, leaving Maigret - along with a troublesome new magistrate - to pick his way through their secrets. ''One of the greatest writers of our time'' Sunday Times

“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré When the body of a young girl is found in a Montmartre park, Maigret must team up with a rival investigator to bring her killer to justice. Maigret and fellow inspector Lognon clash in their investigations into the murder of an unknown young woman in Paris. Maigret endeavors to piece together the story of the girl, and in doing so, uncovers details about her past and her character that lead him to the truth behind her tragic demise.

''His artistry is supreme'' John Banville Eyes half-closed, head tilted against the back of his seat, he seemed not to be thinking, as the plane flew over a thick carpet of bright clouds. In reality, he was making an effort to bring names and shadowy figures to life, names and figures that even this morning had been as unknown to him as the inhabitants of another planet. The attempted suicide of a countess and the death of a billionaire in the same luxury Paris hotel send Maigret to the Riviera and then to Switzerland, as he searches for the truth amid the glittering world of the super-rich. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Maigret and the Millionaires. ''One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories'' Guardian

“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré When a young woman with a dark past is found dead on the streets of Paris, Inspector Maigret is on the case A young woman named Lulu, who has a history of brushes with the law and once lived on the streets of the 18th arrondissement, is found murdered in Paris. Maigret is called to the scene and soon learns that her boyfriend, a musician, has gone into hiding upon reading the news of her death. And when the Inspector learns that the young victim was pregnant, he begins to suspect the case might be more sinister than he imagined.

“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré Maigret stumbles upon a series of murders in Fontenay-le-Comte while visiting an old school friend On his way home from a conference, Maigret stops to visit an old school friend in Fontenay-le-Comte. A man in the same train car introduces himself and asks if Maigret has come to help solve the murder case. In fact, the man’s brother-in-law had been murdered four days earlier, followed by the murder of a local widow in the same way, a blow to the head with a pipe. While Maigret is in town, a third murder is reported. Maigret soon discovers that there are two warring factions in the town, a clear class separation, and an air of suspicion that only he can put to rest.

“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré When Inspector Maigret’s .45 revolver is stolen from his home, he becomes embroiled in a murder in which the gun may have played a deadly role Maigret is the victim of a burglary in which the .45 revolver he had received as a gift from the FBI is stolen. That evening Maigret attends a dinner where François Lagrange, an acquaintance of Maigret’s friend, is expected but fails to appear due to ill health. Following his instincts, Maigret decides to investigate Lagrange’s absence and uncovers a body stowed in a trunk, as well as Lagrange, who refuses to talk and seems to have lost his mind. Only Maigret can uncover the truth—and the fateful role his revolver may have played.

“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré Inspector Maigret goes up against a group of American gangsters and finds he just might have met his match In Maigret’s latest adventure, the Inspector learns that his hapless colleague Lognon is being menaced by some notorious American mobsters, and he makes it his mission to bring them to justice, despite threatening warnings that he is out of his depth. As the stakes get higher, Maigret must rely on intel from his FBI friend in Washington, D.C., as well as his own ingenuity, to smoke the Americans out before they can complete the job and silence his star witness—permanently.

“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré When a Montmarte stripper overhears a plot to murder a countess, Inspector Maigret is on the case Arlette, a beautiful young dancer at Picratt’s in Montmartre, reports to her local police station that she overheard two men at her club talking about planning to kill a countess. The police don’t think much of the claim—that is, until a few hours later when Arlette is found in her room, strangled to death. The police scramble to track down the men in question, but the next day the Countess von Farnheim, a drug addict living not far from Picratt’s, is found strangled. When Arlette’s own identity turns out to have been falsified, Inspector Maigret steps in and must dive into Paris’s seedy underbelly to discover the truth—before the killers can slip away.

“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré Inspector Maigret steps in when an anonymous note to the police reports that a body has been burned in a bookbinder’s furnace An anonymous note to the police reports that a body has been burned in the furnace of a bookbinder on the Rue de Turenne. Preliminary investigations turn up suspicious details—and two human teeth of a man who’d been alive not long before. Meanwhile, Madame Maigret has had a strange experience while waiting for her dentist appointment. A woman she had often met on the bench while waiting suddenly leaves her young child in Madame Maigret’s care and disappears for over an hour, returning to take the child and vanishing without explanation. When Maigret’s investigation is blown wide open, it seems the two incidents might be related in ways no one could have predicted.

“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré Inspector Maigret takes a case from a lively old widow whose maid has been poisoned The inexplicable murder of the wealthy Valentine Besson’s maid leads the older woman to believe that she herself was the intended target. Inspector Maigret undertakes the investigation, meeting Mrs. Besson’s dysfunctional family and a cavalcade of suspects. As he delves into the case, Maigret must unravel a tangled web of family politics—and confront Valentine’s stepsons, who may be harboring dark secrets of their own.

“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré In Arizona on a study tour of America, Inspector Maigret observes a day in the life of a local coroner and becomes absorbed in a young girl’s murder On his travels through the U.S., Maigret stops in Tucson, Arizona at the guidance of his FBI friend Harry Cole, who leaves him one day to observe a coroner’s inquest. The body being examined is that of Bessie Mitchell, a young girl who died under suspicious circumstances—she spent a night drinking and driving with five young Air Force men and was found the next morning on the tracks, run over by a train. Maigret quickly becomes engrossed in the hearing and the men’s conflicting stories, leaving questions of who bears the guilt for this death and who can be trusted at all.

“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré “[My Friend Maigret] is a great vehicle for passing the dead minutes…by pondering, with Maigret, the challenges of order versus chaos, how to serve justice, if it needs serving—and an island filled with ‘nothing but phenomena.’” —The New York Times Book Review Inspector Maigret investigates the murder of a small-time crook on a Mediterranean island While Inspector Pyke of Scotland Yard is staying with Maigret to observe his methods, Maigret receives word of a murder in the Midi on the island of Porquerolles. The victim is Marcellin, a man who claims to have been Maigret’s friend but was actually a criminal whose girlfriend, a sex worker, Maigret helped out of a scrape years ago. Travelling to the island, Maigret and Pyke must solve a mystery that takes them deep into the shadowy world of art forgery and the heart of an isolated community with eccentric inhabitants—and no shortage of secrets. My Friend Maigret is a page-turning mystery set in the sun-drenched south of France about what can happen when past acquaintances resurface.

“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré When a Paris musician witnesses an altercation that may have been a murder, the young Inspector Maigret becomes embroiled in his first case A musician walking home along the Rue Chaptal in the early hours of the morning sees a panic-stricken woman call for help from an upstairs window; moments later he hears a gun shot. He tries to go to her assistance, pushing past the man who opens the door upon his frantic knocking, but he finds himself roughly ejected from the premises. Undeterred, he heads for the nearest police station and urges Maigret to return with him and find out what has taken place. With this look into the man he once was and how he became the insightful inspector we have some to know, Simenon offers new insights into the brilliance of Maigret.