Another early Maigret from the prolific pen of Georges Simenon dating back to his initial writings from 1931 when this much loved creation first was published.Set at the port of Fecamp and centred around a Cafe patronised by the crew of the fishing vessel Ocean. This is another lone investigation, away from Paris, where Maigret is more observer in his role. It is similar in design to another book written at this time, A Crime in Holland.In this particular story we learn a good deal about the perils of fishing; the superstitions of the men who worked these boats and the tensions on board at sea for 3 long months. Above all we learn more about the star of these books. His detective methods in the thirties where even criminals were part of a class system and Maigret can read signs from behaviour and interactions, discerning guilt from non verbal communication as much as the answers given by his questioning. It is a fascinating insight into France and police work from this era, long before many of the modern CSI type of solutions could be determined.This is a unfathomable crime which Maigret investigates thoroughly by questioning, observing the major players and seeping in a sense of time and place. The local police are content to feel no solution could be reached; they recognise the world of seafarers remains a mystery to the police as they close ranks. Maigret finds truth and natural justice of more value than the letter the law.A great little story reminding the reader of the dangers of deep sea fishing and the latent criminal tendencies in the general public which have the potential to allow evil to surface. Simenon poses the question "Whose is the guilt?"
At the request of an old school friend, Maigret rearranges his vacation to go to the port of Fecamp, to investigate the charges against Pierre Le Clinche. The young Morse code operator is accused of having killed the Captain of the fishing boat L’Ocean, hours after their return to port after a 3-month fishing trip. Maigret soon finds out that the vessel’s last trip seemed cursed : a young sailor washed overboard, the fish is spoiled, and everyone agrees that the captain’s behavior during the trip had been completely strange, even mad. Why did he keep his cabin locked at all times? Why did he seem so suspicious of Pierre Le Clinche and another officer? When Maigret finds a half-erased photograph of a voluptuous woman, he begins to put two and two together. He’s not helped by Pierre himself, who observes a mutinous silence, despite the entreaties of his sweet fiancée. The book is a terrifying tale about the power of passion and of isolation. The description of the atmosphere on board is chilling. The contrast between the “nice girl” fiancée and the hussy is candidly shown. In the end the reader wants to shake Pierre and tell him not to be such a fool. Maigret himself is dissatisfied with the outcome of the case and hightails it back to Paris, with Mme Maigret in tow
This was an interesting book in which Maigret took on a case which required him to resolve (virtually singlehandedly) the mystery surrounding the murder of a sea captain freshly returned from a 3-month cod-fishing voyage to the Grand Banks off Newfoundland. Maigret first got wind of the murder from an old friend who suggested that he come to Fécamp, the coastal town where the murder took place. Thus, instead of taking his usual holiday with Mme. Maigret to her ancestral home in Alsace, Maigret and his wife opt for a stay in a small hotel by the ocean. No sooner than Maigret gets settled in Fécamp then he visits the ship of the dead captain (now in port) and the nearby local bar, which is the haunt for many a seaman with time on his hands and money to spend. He soon finds that sailors are a surly band of brothers, little inclined to talk to outsiders, and deeply mistrustful of the police. Notwithstanding that, Maigret goes about doggedly uncovering the clues to the crime. "The Sailors' Rendezvous" is a murky tale and, I confess, that while several suspects came to mind as I read this book, by the time I got to the denouement, I cannot say with certainty who killed Captain Fallut. This is a book for the reader who loves to read an enigmatic and engaging mystery and try, as he or she may, to solve the crime.
—KOMET
Who is considered responsible for the death of a human being: the man who killed him, or the person who instigated the murderer to commit the crime ... is enough to live with the guilt, there are crimes that are better not punish for not cause further damage. They are the possible questions that arise after completing The Grand Banks Café. It's the first time I read a story about the Commissioner Maigret, where he issues a personal opinion about a possible suspect and Simenon shows his character in everyday situations - being affectionate with his wife-. Maigret extremely intuitive always surprises to the reader, unveiling the mystery of the murder and basting the facts. Good plot
—Iblena
"Everyone has had a sight of the same adventure come his way at least once in his life! . . . We cry hot tears, we shout, we rage! Then, a couple of weeks later, you look at Marie Léonnec and you wonder how on earth you could have fallen for someone like Adèle." While unofficially investigating the murder of a ship's captain (Octave Fallut) in The Grand Banks Café (originally published as Au rendez-vous des Terre-Neuvas in 1931), Inspector Maigret encounters a femme fatale (Adèle), a "woman who was young, attractive, desirable, but whose vulgarity gave her an aura of danger." Georges Simenon's ninth Maigret mystery is everything one would expect in a Maigret page turner, and is recommended for anyone who has a taste for French pulp noir.
—Gary
