Πρώτη μου επαφή με τον μεγάλο αυτό Γάλλο συγγραφέα, σίγουρα έμεινα ευχαριστημένος και στο μέλλον θα διαβάσω και άλλα δικά του βιβλία (άλλωστε έχω μπόλικα), αλλά δεν μου φάνηκε και κάνα αριστούργημα. Ο Μαιγκρέ ταξιδεύει με το τρένο για διακοπές στο σπίτι ενός φίλου του. Στην κουκέτα όπου είχε ξαπλώσει, στο από πάνω κρεβάτι, ήταν ξαπλωμένος ένας άντρας που έκανε διάφορους θορύβους, σαν να ήταν άρρωστος ή και τρελός. Και κάποια στιγμή αυτός ο άντρας βγαίνει από την κουκέτα, ανοίγει μια εξωτερική πόρτα και πηδάει από το τρένο, την ώρα που αυτό ελάττωνε ταχύτητα. Ο Μαιγκρέ από περιέργεια, τον ακολούθησε και πήδηξε και αυτός. Και εκεί που κυνήγαγε τον άγνωστο άντρα, δέχεται έναν πυροβολισμό στον ώμο, που τον αφήνει αναίσθητο στο δάσος. Τελικά τον βρίσκει ένα χωρικός και τον μεταφέρει στην μικρή πόλη του Μπερζεράκ. Εκεί εγκαθίσταται σε ένα ξενοδοχείο, μαζί με την γυναίκα του η οποία κατέφθασε και αυτή. Την ίδια στιγμή η πόλη είναι ανάστατη από δυο άγριες και παρόμοιες δολοφονίες γυναικών στο διπλανό δάσος. Ποιος τρελός σκοτώνει γυναίκες; Ο Μαιγκρέ θα αναλάβει από μόνος του την υπόθεση, όντας ξαπλωμένος στο κρεβάτι. Και μέσω των ερευνών του μαθαίνει πολλά μυστικά ορισμένων δημοσίων προσώπων της πόλης... Μου άρεσε πολύ η γραφή, απλή και ευχάριστη, το βιβλίο μου θύμισε ελάχιστα από θέατρο, έτσι όπως έμπαιναν τα πρόσωπα στο δωμάτιο του Μαιγκρέ και που γινόντουσαν οι συζητήσεις, και οι αποκαλύψεις στο τέλος ήταν πολύ καλές και ανατρεπτικές. Το βιβλίο διαβαζόταν πολύ γρήγορα και εύκολα, κάτι που μου άρεσε.
I have many Maigret novels that I've read over the years sitting on my shelf. This doesn't prevent me from buying more, from time to time. This one was on the shelf and since I had just seen the French television Bruno Cremer episode on the same story, I thought it would be fun to compare that to the novel.First of all, even though it was a book sitting on my regular shelf, meaning that at some point in time I had read it, I didn't remember a thing. Not a thing. Hopefully it got misplaced from the to-be-read shelf to the read shelf by mistake.Second of all, it was interesting to see the changes they had made to what is really an anti-semitic plot to one that changed the bad guys from Jews to Vichy French Nazi collaborators. I won't hold his anti-semitism against him, since this is the first time I recall running up on it. But given that, it didn't make for an altogether wonderful read.
What do You think about The Madman Of Bergerac (2015)?
This is a facinating book in that it reveals a great deal about Maigret's methods and deep insights on how he conducts his investigations.Initially the chief inspector is contemplating a break with a former colleague away from Paris. During a train journey he observes a strange individual who appears on edge and unable to rest. When he jumps from the moving train Maigret with little thought follows and becomes injured in the process.Consequently the fearless, intrepid detective become bedridden and conducts his enquiries from his sick bed. The story also reveals more about his relationship with Madame Magret as his wife comes to Bergerac to nurse him and assist as his ears, eyes and feet following up clues and observing suspects and their situations.The pleasure in the novel are those interactions and how maigret overcomes his infirmity to solve the case.The actual crimes and events are perhaps not as convincing as in other books but the entertainment is of the highest order as the policeman tries to manipulate others while being bedridden himself.
—Richard
I loved The blue room, but I didn't like this one for two reasons:1) Maigret is too deductive, he manages to build castles of sand with a single tenous clue. One can imagine the castle will ruin at the first breeze, but won't: Maigret's deduction will always be correct. In contemporary thriller novel, the investigator collects tons of clues and often fails to discover the truth: because reality is complex and the veil of indeterminacy is difficoult to remove. For Maigret, Heisemberg never existed.2) I dislike Maigret's character, so this is going to be the first and last Maigret novel I've read.
—Andrea
L'idea di Maigret fermo in un letto è carina. Un po' come in un film di Hitchcock l'ispettore decide di risolvere il caso da un letto di un albergo dove deve star fermo per una quindicina di giorni a causa di una spalla bloccata da una sparatoria. Ad accudirlo la signora Maigret, mai come in questo caso, segretaria, tuttofare, casalinga, moglie. Nella prima parte tutto scorre mentre nella seconda si capisce che per far tornare tutto, tutto si deve spiegare. Si rivela perciò troppa parte del meccanismo. Un Maigret minore dunque per me.
—alessandra falca
