We had our first big dump of snow of 2021 last night. All was clear when I took the dogs out at 9:30. Jo said she woke up at midnight and checked outside and we'd had a load of snow already. This morning the crescent was out shoveling. Luckily it was still powder so not too heavy. It's still snowing lightly but supposedly we've got another dumping coming over night, followed by rain.. Just looking outside now and it's snowing heavier already. The puppies don't love it. No point going for walks as all they can do is go up and down the sidewalk. The snow in the yards is too high for them to explore. So they go out in the backyard and when they come back in have to have the snow washed off them.. Poor puppers.
I haven't finished any books since my last update but have made steady progress on a few of them. I received 3 books in the mail late last week so I'll provide the synopses for them and also continue with my look at favorite authors. Starting to get to the end of that list.
New Books
"When private eye Mark Preston was hired to chase an amorous musician away from teenage heiress Ellen Chase, it sounded simple. But within twenty-four hours he was beaten up and made the number one suspect in a case of murder. He was also in trouble with wealthy casino-owner Vic Toreno. Dark figures began to emerge from the past, and a sex-killer stalked the streets of Monkton City. Then, showgirl Cuddles Candy gave Preston an unexpected lead - unexpected, because Cuddles had been fished out of New York's East River years before."
"On a trip to Brussels, Maigret unwittingly causes a man's suicide, but his own remorse is overshadowed by the discovery of the sordid events that drove the desperate man to shoot himself."
"She has rubies in her teeth, a crimson skirt, and not a shred of skin on her bones. She’s burlesque queen Ruby Redd, missing these past thirty years, and Sarah Kelling has just discovered her sprawled grotesquely in the family vault.
Sarah’s nightmare has just begun. As her dear, rich relations hover menacingly close by, she will watch in horror as more skeletons tumble out of the Kelling closet in a macabre montage of murder, greed, and blackmail."
My Favorite Authors - Georges Simenon
Georges Joseph Christian Simenon was born in Belgium in 1903 and died in Switzerland in 1989. While he wrote a number of standalone novels, he is best known for his Inspector Maigret mystery series. The series has been turned into at least two TV series, the latest starring Rowan Atkinson as Maigret. I discovered the series in early 2000's and since then I've read 11 books in the series. I'll highlight the 5 most recent books I've read.
Georges Simenon
"Maigret Meets a Milord by Belgian Georges Simenon is the 2nd book in the Inspector Maigret mystery series, published originally in 1931. This story finds Maigret investigating a murder of a woman along the canal / locks. The body is discovered by carters who make a living pulling barges through the lock system.
It turns out that the body is that of the wife of a retired English colonel who sails his yacht along the canals, living a decadent life style. Maigret begins his investigation, traveling by bicycle along the locks, interrogating witnesses amongst those that live and work and travel through the lock system.
Exploring the life along the locks made for a very interesting scenario. The people and the lifestyles were fascinating. The mystery, as I've found the other Maigret stories, was also interesting, with Maigret working more by instinct and touch to come up with his solution to the crime. The solution was also satisfying, coming as a nice surprise. I continue to enjoy the Maigret books as they are different from most of the series I enjoy. (4 stars)"
"I've enjoyed the Inspector Maigret mysteries I've read so far. Maigret in Exile by Georges Simenon, originally published in 1942, finds the irrepressible inspector banished from Paris to a small coastal town, for some unknown reason. An elderly woman shows up at his office and tells him that there is a body at her neighbour's house in a nearby town.
In his meandering way, Maigret begins his investigation. There seems to be no particular reason for what he is doing, but in his way, he slowly gathers the inspiration to solve the crime.
Maigret relies more on instinct than facts in working through the crime. There are many interesting characters in the story, especially the neighbour, Didine, and her husband, who seem to know everything that goes on in the village. Maigret is a grumpy soul but also very intuitive. As he investigates he pretty well has everything sorted out but seems also to fly by the seat of his pants. It's interesting how he works through things, basically keeping things to himself until he comes to his resolution. An enjoyable series and story. (3.5 stars)"
"Maigret Stonewalled by Georges Simenon is the 3rd Chief Inspector Maigret mystery and my last book of 2018. It was a good book with which to finish off 2018.
It's June 1930, the king of Spain is coming to Paris, occupying the efforts of most Paris's police investigators, the Head of Criminal Police is away at a conference in Prague and the Deputy Head is away on summer vacation and Maigret is in charge. He then gets called away to investigate the death of Monsieur Gallet. What seems to be a straight-forward case becomes more confusing. Monsieur Gallet isn't really Monsieur Gallet. Was he murdered or was it a suicide? The suspects all seem to have perfect alibis, from his disenchanted son, to the rich landowner who lives next to the hotel where Gallet was found dead.
It ends up being an interesting investigation with a neat little twist at the end. It's a nicely paced story and Maigret is an interesting, grumpy at times, police investigator. Always an entertaining read. (3.5 stars)"
"I enjoy reading the Maigret mystery series by Georges Simenon. Maigret Has Scruples is the 52nd book in the series. I haven't read the series in order, more as I've found books available for sale, but it doesn't seem to be necessary to read them in sequence.
Maigret has Scruples is a different sort of case for Inspector Maigret of the Paris police. Like most police officers, he's used to working on cases where the crime has already occurred. In this story, the possible suspects / victims come to visit him before anything has happened.
First is Xavier Marton, a married man who works in a Paris department store as the toy department manager and is a model train enthusiast. He indicates that he thinks his wife might be trying to murder him and that he has been to a psychiatrist to prove he isn't mad. Later the same day, Marton's wife, Gisele, visits Maigret as well, partly to ascertain what her husband went to see Maigret for and also to express her concerns about her husband.
Maigret is somewhat at a loss what to do. Is it a case he should investigate? He asks his boss and also the Public Prosecutor and that leaves him undecided. In the end he has some of his inspectors keep a tab on the two to try to provide more info on their lives and anything else that might be useful. The wife is a successful businesswoman who works in a lingerie shop. Living with the family is Gisele's sister. So there you have it, all the clues necessary for you to solve the case. Got it yet?
It's a short story, as are most of the Maigret mysteries. Maigret is a crusty, grumpy police inspector. We always have tidbits about his family life with Mme Maigret, always understanding and clearly the love of his life, even if he isn't the most expressive man. He uses his detectives well, in this story we have Janvier and Lapointe playing the main roles. It's an interesting story and moves along nicely to the climax. I think the ending was somewhat pat but still satisfying enough. It's always an enjoyable series. (3.5 stars)"
"I do enjoy an Inspector Maigret mystery. I haven't read them in any particular order, although I did make a bit of an effort to get the first two or three in the past year or so. Having said that, Maigret and the Nahour Case is approximately the 65th book in this excellent series by Georges Simenon.
It's January and Paris is freezing in this Maigret story. Maigret and his wife have just returned from dinner with their friends, Doctor Pardon and his wife. In bed and asleep, Maigret receives an urgent call from Pardon. It seems that he had late patients show up on his door step and the woman was shot in the back. While he was cleaning up his office after working on the young lady, the two disappear. The next morning, when Maigret goes to his office he is made aware of the murder of a man in his home, the self-same Nahour of the title. While investigating this murder, it turns out that Nahour was married to a woman who matches the description of the lady who was fixed by Pardon.
Thus begins a very interesting investigation. Nahour's wife, a woman originally from Amsterdam, was planning to divorce and leave her husband for a young man from Columbia. Everybody seems to be lying when interrogated by Maigret and he is very frustrated. There seem to be four suspects and Maigret seems to be working in circles.
But the investigation is interesting and Maigret is at his best as he works through the case. It's simple but complex at the same time. Simenon lays out the case and the atmosphere excellently. You can feel the cold. I love Maigret's scratchy scarf, made for him by Madame Maigret. It's an enjoyable, quick read with an interesting ending (4 stars)"
The complete list of Simenon's works can be found at this link.
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