Maigret's First Case cover art

Maigret's First Case

Inspector Maigret, Book 30

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About this listen

A sparkling new translation of this flashback to the start of Inspector Maigret's career, part of the new Penguin Maigret series.

The profession he had always yearned for did not actually exist...he imagined a cross between a doctor and a priest - a man capable of understanding another's destiny at first glance.

The very first investigation by eager young police secretary Jules Maigret leads him to a wealthy Paris family's dark secrets.

©2016 Georges Simenon (P)2016 Audible, Ltd Classics Crime Fiction Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Crime

Critic reviews

"His artistry is supreme." (John Banville)
"One of the greatest writers of the 20th century.... Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories." ( Guardian)
All stars
Most relevant
I have listened to all the stories so far from Book 1, and this is one of the best and indeed possibly the best

One of the best novels

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I was not sure what to expect but I wasn’t disappointed. It was in a way an explanation of why the future stories panned out the way they did.

Atmospheric

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This book is a lot of fun. Although it deals with Maigret’s origin story as a detective, I wouldn’t recommend starting here if you’ve not read any of the others. That’s not because this is in any way an inferior story - it stands alone as a gripping and twisty murder mystery populated with all the usual cynical, absorbing and humane people Simenon writes so well - but it’s just so much fun to step back to see where it all began if you’re already familiar with the character. In this book, Maigret is a callow youth, a police secretary given his first case in an unofficial capacity. Not only is he inexperienced and naïve, but he also makes mistakes that his older self would no doubt cringe to remember. The case itself is intriguing, and I enjoyed the earlier time period - unlike some of the later books, this one has a definite date: 1913, amidst Paris of stiff collars and horse drawn carriages… And where class can be a more dangerous impediment to justice than it might seem. Gareth Armstrong does another great job narrating, especially his portrayal of the young Maigret, so different to his usual voice. Great stuff.

A Gripping Flashback

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One of Simenon's best stories and, although dated, it captures an atmosphere of the time

Maigret story

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Delightful reading of an intelligently nuanced story. No more need be said but I’m for ed to use 15 words!

Excellent in every way

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