Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret is one of the most unusual characters in all of detective fiction. Instead of following the lead set by Edgar Allan Poe in the "tale of ratiocination" and of Arthur Conan Doyle with his wizard of 221b Baker Street, Simenon gives us a gallic policeman who solves crimes just by being there at the right time and place. It is through a sheer knot of concentrated intent that Maigret puts himself into the scene of the crime and waits until all the diverse threads begin to collapse and the story emerges, seemingly by itself. As Simenon writes well into his Maigret and the Tavern by the Seine:He had handled hundreds of cases in the course of his career, and he knew very well that the great majority of them could be divided into two distinct phases.The first consisted in the detective's making contact with a new atmosphere, with people of whose existence he had been unaware a few hours before, people who made a little world of their own, and whose little world had been shaken by the irruption of some drama.Enter the detective, a stranger if not an enemy, encountering hostile or suspicious glances on every hand...This of course was the fascinating phase, at least for Maigret. The groping, probing phase, often without any real point of departure. A dozen different ways look equally hopeful -- or hopeless. A dozen different people, and any one of them may be guilty. Nothing to be done about it. Only to wait, to turn round and round, keeping one's nose to the ground....And then suddenly a scent is picked up. Something real, something definite. And with that the second phase begins. The clutch is slipped in, the machinery starts turning, and the investigation proper, relentless and methodical, begins. Each step brings fresh facts to light. The detective is no longer alone with his problem. Others are there too, hosts of others, and time is now on his side.Never before have I seen Simenon divulge his methods so clearly. And yet that is exactly what happens.There is a six year old murder, and a clue dropped by a murderer the night before his execution. The clue sends Maigret to a tavern by the Seine where there is a "fast crowd" of young professionals who like to fish and in general fool around. Except that the fooling around is too much in earnest, and one of the celebrants dies of a bullet would.Maigret inserts himself into this milieu and waits until something breaks. Maigret keeps no secrets from us: We are just as flummoxed as he is. Until Phase Two as described above kicks in and the case is solved. Maigret and the Tavern by the Seine is one of Simenon's excellent Maigret mysteries from the 1930s, my favorite period of his stories.
20. THE BAR ON THE SEINE. (1931; trans. 2003). George Simenon. ****.Maigret visits with a man in a prison on death row. He had in fact been responsible for his arrest, but still had feelings for the young man. Since his time was short and all appeals had failed, the young man gave hints about a murder that had occurred years ago – but without mentioning names. This set Inspector Maigret off on a quest as to who the victim might have been. His investigation leads him to a small local bar located next to the Seine that served the neighborhood locals. Something wasn’t right with the crowd, but soon Maigret managed to get assimilated into the crew and even became friendly with some of the patrons. Little hints were picked up on over a period of time - during which times Maigret became a regular imbiber of Pernod – so that leads to the past murder were uncovered. During this investigation period, however, another murder occurs within the regulars of the bar that puts Maigret on the right track of the killer. There’s good stuff here for all mystery fans, plus a hefty dose of psychology. One of the things that Simenon does in this book, however, is to openly reveal his methods of writing the Maigret mysteries. Simenon says of Maigret: “He had handled hundreds of cases in his time, and he knew that they nearly always fell into two distinct phases. Firstly, coming into contact with a new environment, with people he had never even heard of the day before, with a little world which some event had shaken up. He would enter this world as a stranger, an enemy; the people he encountered would be hostile, cunning or would give nothing away. This, for Maigret, was the most exciting part. He would sniff around for clues, feel his way in the dark with nothing to go on. He would observe the people’s reactions – any one of them could be guilty, or complicit in the crime. Suddenly he would get a lead, and then the second period would begin. The inquiry would be underway.” Know this, you can now write your own Maigret novels – even though they might not be as good as Simenon’s. Recommended.
What do You think about The Two-Penny Bar (2015)?
There was a scene in an old law and order tv program. The wife looks at her husband and says, "Damn, we are in this mess because you can't keep it in your pants." The same could be said for these two major characters in this story. I did not think that Simenon had this Maigret character the same as Maigret was in the two other books I have read. This Detective was a lot less weighty or solid. There were interesting plot twists and I guess Basso comes out in pretty good shape, but it will be a scandal.I just did not find this story as strong as the first two Maigret stories I had read.
—Richard Brand
i liked this maigret one even more than the first i read. i was worried when it began, that the books would be too formulaic, as there was a prisoner condemned to die right at the beginning of this one as well. but in this one, he isn't set free so that maigret may solve the crime, he is executed, as ordained but! not before he tips off maigret to another unsolved murder which takes him away to a little weekend hideaway, outside of paris, where he comes upon a group of people who really live only for flitting and frisking and fishing and fun on sundays on the seine. aside from the mystery, one begins to know maigret a little better: his desire for comfort and his wife, conflicting with his drive to see a case through, and a crime solved. one begins to see that maigret is a lonely man, wanting a friend for himself, one that he can be quiet with, comfortable with, who wants to be around him. several odd friendships are observed here, and i can safely say that though these friends are loyal to each other as much as they can be, they're not certain to give each other what they want, though they sometimes get what they need: cue mick jagger.but these are not books to ruminate over, as far as i can see. these maigret books are like the very french macarons i bought the other day: they have light and airy shells with rich fillings at the centre, and are very easily consumed.
—Maureen
This was actually the first 'Maigret' novel I ever read. It was the last book I read in my 30s before I turned 40. I didn't like it very much. It was entitled The Bar on the Seine when I read it and it didn't make me a fan of Simenon. Therefore it was another 8 years before I tried a 'Maigret' novel again. I just happened on impulse to pick up 'Pietr the Latvian' last year and I was hooked.Since then I have become a big fan of Simenon and 'Maigret'. I guess it's just a case of me being not ready for them back in 2006 but being ready now. So I have re-read this novel (with the changed title) and on this second occasion I loved it! It's one of the great 'Maigret' novels. The atmosphere, the prose, the impetus: all are superb. And I genuinely sympathized with the character James.
—Rhys
