I enjoyed this early Maigret story. Previously I’ve often found Simenon’s books quite hard going but I think this new translation by Linda Coverdale is a big improvement on the early-60s translations I’ve read before.
The set-up is, to be honest, pretty unlikely. Maigret follows a man from Paris to Bremen in Germany by a long, devious route on slow trains...out of pure curiosity. There, out of pure curiosity but completely unwittingly, he acts in a way which drives the man to suicide. Maigret then investigates the events which may have led up to this.
The actual investigation is rather nebulous and a little frustrating for both Maigret and the reader, but I found Simenon’s depiction of the characters involved and of the ancient guilt which united them and drove them in different directions to be very convincing and rather touching. Like all the Maigret books this is short at about 120 pages, and the commendable brevity lends it an intensity which I found more involving than I had expected.
I am impressed with this translation and I will look out more of the new Penguin series; I think they may be a cure for my previous slight Simenon dubiety. Recommended.
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