Mystery

Review: The Thursday Murder Club

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Cover image of "The Thursday Murder Club" by Richard Osman

The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder Club, 1), Richard Osman. Penguin Books (ISBN: 9781984880987) 2021.

Summary: Four seniors meet on Thursdays to solve cold cases until a present day murder leads to something more.

Police Constable Donna De Freitas finds the residents of Coopers Chase unusually sharp and interested in far more than keeping their doors locked. They are interested in murder, at least four of them. First there is Elizabeth Best, who possibly worked in intelligence and seems to have a lot of contacts. Joyce Meadowcroft is a retired nurse and diarist for the group. Ibrahim Arif is a psychiatrist who still reviews his patient files and occasionally sees an old patient. Rounding out the group is Ron Ritchie, a former political firebrand who has mellowed only just slightly.

They call themselves the Thursday Murder Club because they meet on Thursdays in the Jigsaw Room at Coopers Chase to try to solve unsolved murders. The cases come from founding member Penny Gray, a former police officer, now in a coma. PC De Freitas hits it off with the group, although they wonder why such a capable woman left the force in London for the rural setting of Cooper’s Chase.

Ian Ventham, a shrewd and ambitious developer owns Coopers Chase. Tony Curran handles construction and maintenance and has a quarter stake in Cooper’s Chase. Ventham has his eyes on expansion, the next phase of which involves the graveyard of the convent which occupied the grounds of what is now Coopers Chase. But he wants to cut Tony out and replace him with Bogdan Jankowski, who, let’s say, is “resourceful.” Ventham and Curran have a meeting at Coopers Chase, where some residents witness a heated conversation between the two. The next day, the Thursday Murder Club learn Curran was murdered by bludgeoning in his home. The murderer left one clue, a picture of three men with a pile of money in front of them. One is Curran. One of the others is Ron’s son Jason, a famous ex-boxer, involved in a few shady dealings.

DCI Chris Hudson leads the investigation. But PC De Freitas, due to her lack of seniority is not on the team. However, Elizabeth finds a way to remedy that in exchange for information. Now, the Thursday Murder Club has their ‘in” with the police. But before anything happens, Ventham has a confrontation with residents, preventing him from starting his next phase. Except that Jankowski quietly does start exhuming bodies. At the first grave, he encounters a skeleton buried on top of a casket containing another. That can’t be good.

And then Ventham, resigned to fight again another day, collapses and dies by his car. An investigation determines that someone murdered him by a drug overdose. There are a lot of suspects. A crowd had surrounded him, including some Thursday Murder Club members and a “pretend” priest. There is a lot of murder to investigate! And it turns out that the Thursday Murder Club is very resourceful, often getting information the police lack, and sometimes even sharing it!

I won’t say more so that you can join the investigation. What I particularly like is that Osman’s characters don’t play a role. He develops each one, including De Freitas and Hudson. We like these people and enjoy their interactions. Each has hidden depths, some exposed here, and some left for the future. While we delight in the characters and their interactions, Osman captures another characteristic of senior communities. Dementia, decline, and death are ever present. Perhaps the joie de vivre of the four central characters is that they still have their wits and health and life experience. And they intend to use them!

Review: Heaven’s Keep

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Cover image of :Heaven's Keep" by William Kent Krueger

Heaven’;s Keep, (Cork O’Connor, 9), William Kent Krueger. Atria Books (ISBN: 9781416556770) 2010.

Summary: The charter plane Jo is in in goes down in a snowstorm in Wyoming and is not found. Subsequent evidence offers hope.

Cork O’Connor is in a legal fight to keep Sam’s Place. A developer, Hugh Parmer, has visions of a luxury lakeside development and needs Cork’s land, leading to a tense confrontation and mounting legal bills. Cork even turns to applying for a deputy position in his former department to supplement his income. Jo is not happy. She is headed out the door to a conference out west of tribal elders developing gambling policies. They don’t kiss goodbye, something they’ve never failed to do.

The final leg of the flight is on a charter over rugged territory in Wyoming. A winter storm is closing in. But the pilot boasts of being able to get through. Less than an hour in, there is a jolt, then another, and the plane begins to rapidly descend. The pilot sends a mayday message. The plane goes off radar, missing without a trace in the middle of a blizzard. It is days before they can begin a search in the bitter cold…

Cork gathers the family and they live the pendulum swing between despair and hope that somehow, Jo and the others, including George LeDuc survived. Then Hugh Parmer shows up, but not to continue the property dispute. He sets all that aside and offers Cork any help he needs out of his considerable resources. When the weather in Wyoming lifts, Cork asks if he will fly him out to join the search. Or rather him and Stephen, who has had a vision. Cork recognizes that Stephen also needs to know they’ve done everything to find Jo.

And they do, including a very risky search on a hard to reach frozen lake, suggested by another vision of a local Arapaho. But they find no trace of the plane. Given the conditions, they have to conclude Jo and the others are dead. Back in Aurora, they hold a memorial for her at a gravesite without remains. They grieve and try to put life together without Jo. Eventually, Cork and Hugh Parmer get together without lawyers and work out a very different plan for the development. They protect the waterfront, and Sam’s. They join together in a grand opening and are about to celebrate together when two women ask to speak to Cork.

One is the wife of the pilot, who is being sued. The other is her lawyer, He was accused of drinking heavily the night before the flight. It’s all on a videotape they want Cork to see. There are small things, but they all add up. The man is not her husband. When Cork studies the video, he notices something else–the man fakes drinking, pouring it down his shirt. They want Cork to investigate. But one of the problems is they’d already hired an investigator, who has gone missing.

Cork realizes that Jo’s disappearance may not be due to a simple plane crash in a storm. Hugh realizes how important this is and offers his help. They visit the pilot’s hangar and find evidence that he was dead before the plane took off. They realize the answers are in Wyoming. But before they get there, they have a near fatal “accident,” clearly very carefully planned. Someone doesn’t want them to learn the truth, and heading to Wyoming is heading into greater danger. But what they’ve found also raises the possibility that the plane may not have crashed. Jo may still be alive.

While Stephen stays with Henry Meloux to undergo a vision quest, key to transitioning to Ojibwe manhood, Cork and Hugh fly to Wyoming. Surprisingly, Hugh quickly proves his worth. But will it be enough against the opposition they face? Will they find the answers they seek? Will the answers relate in any way to the visions?

The introduction of Hugh Parmer feels like he might become an ongoing character. I hope so (if they survive this book!). Cork and Hugh are good together. I also love how Stephen (no longer Stevie) is developed. He has always been courageous, but there are depths emerging. I look forward to how this young man will grow up. But running through it all are two people whose last words before they parted were conflict…and silence.

Review: Cargo of Eagles

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Cover image of "Cargo of Eagles" by Margery Allingham

Cargo of Eagles (Albert Campion, 19), Margery Allingham. Open Road Media (ISBN: 9781504087292), 2023 (first published in 1968).

Summary: Poison pen letters, a released smuggler, a murder, a motorcycle gang and a treasure in Allingham’s last Campion.

This is the last Campion story written by Margery Allingham. Actually, her husband, Philip Youngman Carter completed the book after her death. For whatever reason, I found it one of her better works.

Campion aged with his author. While in the background for much of the story, he functions as a kind of “director” for the whole. His interest centers on the Essex coastal village of Saltey, which seems to have as “salty” a reputation as its name. He sends his manservant Lugg ahead to embed in the village by buying a bungalow.

While Campion pursues behind the scenes investigations, he recruits a young historian, Mortimer (“Morty”) Kelsey to be his eyes on the ground. Ostensibly, he is researching Saltey’s colorful history as a hub for smuggling. In reality, he is taken with Saltey’s newest resident, Dido, a doctor who inherited a house from a patient. The residents do not welcome her with open arms. Instead, she received a number of poison pen letters. Then they find her agent, Hector Askew, murdered.

Meanwhile, rumors abound that a recently released convict, James Teague, released from prison and his accomplice, are back in the area to recover a hidden treasure. All this occurs amid the village’s “salty” history, and an invasion of a raucous motorcycle gang led by a hardbitten woman.

However, as readers, we wonder where is Teague? will they find Askew’s murderer? who is behind the letters? and is there a treasure? After finding several of the previous stories disappointing, this one represented a strong finish for Allingham, and for her hero Campion.

Review: Towards Zero

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Cover image of "Towards Zero" by Agatha Christie

Towards Zero, (Superintendent Battle Number 5), Agatha Christie. William Morrow (ISBN: 9780062073549) 2010 (first published in 1944).

Summary: A house party at Lady Tressilian’s is decidedly awkward when her ward invites both his former and current wives.

Agatha Christie only wrote five mysteries featuring Superintendent Battle, and this was the last. That’s regrettable for me, because this stood out among her best, even though Battle doesn’t really come into the plot until the latter half of the book.

Talk about awkward situations. Lady Tressilian’s ward, Neville Strange, a middling tennis pro, wants to come for a visit at a time when Audrey, his former wife had already planned a visit. Not only that, he wants to come with his new wife, Kay, a stunning beauty. Sensibly, Lady Tressilian is reluctant to accede, especially when it isn’t clear whose idea this was. Audrey says she doesn’t have a problem. No one seems to be thinking about Lady Tressilian, whose health confines her to her bed. In the end, she agrees.

A few other houseguests add to the awkwardness. Thomas Royde, a friend of (and quietly still enamored with) Audrey, has just returned from an overseas assignment. Ted Latimer, who had been interested in Kay, but was also a friend of Neville’s is staying at a resort across the bay as is Mr. Treves, a solicitor and friend of Lady Tressilian.

Awkward is an understatement. It feels like a powderkeg, and were it not for the offices of Mary Aldin, a spinster who runs the household, it might come completely unglued. And then there are two deaths.

The first comes after Treves tells a story of a child murderer with a distinctive physical mark. That night, when he returns to his hotel, the lift is out of service, and he must walk up several flights of steps. He is found dead the next morning. The ruling was that he died of natural causes, due to his weak heart. Except, the hotel confirms that the lift was in good working order. Someone seems to have put a sign up just for Treves.

Then Neville and Lady Tressilian have a row and he storms off to purportedly visit Latimer. Later on, Lady Tressilian is found dead, brutally battered about the head. The evidence points both toward Neville, who has a good alibi, and Audrey, who doesn’t. Battle, who has been on holiday, comes in at this point to solve the murder. Ultimately a man who had attempted suicide and prevents another offers a critical piece of help enabling Battle to confront the real murderer.

The title reflects a conviction of Battle’s. Murder is the “zero hour.” Battle observes that often plots begin with a murder when, in fact, they come at the end of events counting down “towards zero.” As he investigates, he wants to get inside that process. And Christie offers just the right amount of red herrings to make you suspect most of the surviving characters at some point. A well-plotted and conceived mystery, indeed!

Review: Lieberman’s Choice

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Cover image of "Lieberman's Choice" by Stuart M. Kaminsky

Lieberman’s Choice (Abe Lieberman Number 2), Stuart M. Kaminsky. Open Road Media (ASIN: B00AYRI5HY) 2013 (first published 1993).

Summary: A cop kills his wife and the cop who is sleeping with her, and threatens to blow up a city block unless one demand is met.

Abe Lieberman can’t get to sleep. And then the phone rings. A fellow policeman walked into his apartment with a loaded shotgun and blew away his wife and the cop she was sleeping with. When his partner, recently “on the wagon” arrives, the scene is so awful he needs a drink. The officer, Bernie Shepard, has barricaded himself on the roof with his dog. He’s armed to the teeth. And he’s rigged up enough explosives to blow away not only the building but a city block.

Abe is the first one who talks to him and size up the situation. Shepard wants a TV reporter to interview him. Eventually, he gets his wish. He has one demand. Specifically, he wants to talk to Captain Alan Kearney at midnight, after a day-long siege. In his mind, Kearney is the one who had corrupted his wife.

There are lots of people who want to make this go away as quickly as possible, from a mayor facing re-election to the chief of police. And there are the civilians. First, a couple of hard-up bounty seekers living in the building attempt an assault on the rooftop nest only to end up splattered on the street below. Then a gang leader who Shepard had arrested wants to take a crack. Incredibly, they let him and he manages to wound Shepard. But Shepard has positioned himself so well that no chopper, no sniper, can take him out.

If Lieberman had his choice, he’d just hang out with the Alter Cockers at his brother Maish’s deli. Or he would be home with his family. Instead, he is on point negotiating with a man who has already killed four–one who has nothing left to lose. And if that is not enough, he has to deal with a religious crazy, Frankie Kraylaw. who is abusing his wife.

As the hours tick down and the pressure increases, will they find a way to avoid a confrontation with Kearney or a catastrophic explosion? Amid it all, Lieberman, the veteran of Chicago’s streets seems the wisest and sanest. But will it be enough?

Review: A Rare Benedictine

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Cover image of "A Rare Benedictine" by Ellis Peters

A Rare Benedictine, Ellis Peters. Open Road Media (ISBN: 9781497671676), 2014 (first published in 1988).

Summary: Three short stories set prior to the Chronicles, explaining how Cadfael became a monk and his early adventures.

At the beginning of the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, he is already a Benedictine monk of some years. We learn of his crusading and sea-faring past. But we are without a clue as to how he became a monk. In the Introduction to A Rare Benedictine, Ellis Peters explains that she decided not to write a novel going back to his crusading days, as it would interrupt the chronological flow of The Chronicles. But she eventually did write a short story recounting the story of Cadfael’s entry into the monastic life. That story, and two others that precede in time the first of The Chronicles, make up A Rare Benedictine.

A Light on the Road to Woodstock

Cadfael, one of the fighting men of Roger Maduit, has returned to England with the triumphant King Henry after years abroad, and most recently in securing Normandy for the King. He’s completed his service to Roger, but has no plan for what comes next. When Roger asks him to escort him to Woodstock for a trial over claims made by the Abbey at Shrewsbury to land Roger holds, Cadfael agrees. As it turns out, the case is shaky at best for Roger. In a plot of which Cadfael has no part, Roger sends men to waylay the Abbey’s representative until the trial is over. If he doesn’t appear before the king, the land by default goes to Roger.

The plot succeeds, but there is also an attempt on Roger’s life. Cadfael saves him. When the king does not show up, Rogers plans unravel. The ship sinks that is carrying all the king’s heirs. The delay affords Cadfael the chance to retrace the steps of the assassins. Not only will he find Brother Heribert in the process, but a plot that goes to the heart of Roger’s house. Having heard earlier of the Benedictines from Roger’s clerk, and that they do not bear arms, Cadfael, both weary of arms and disgusted by intrigue, leaves his sword at the altar….

The Price of Light

Hamo FitzHamon has reached the age where his loose life is catching up with him and he realizes the day he will face his maker is approaching. To improve his chances and secure some effectual Benedictine prayers, he donates an ornate pair of candlesticks for the church altar, along with funds to keep them lit. But two things happen when FitzHamon and his household come to deliver the gift.

First, his wife asks for a sleeping draft from Cadfael. But it is not for herself but her husband, so she can slip away for a tryst with one of her husband’s servants, which Cadfael overhears. Then, the candlesticks disappear from the altar. Cadfael finds them in a sack of lavender in his workshop. And he identifies the thief as one of the maids, Elfgiva. She has good reason. Her fiance, Alard, had agreed to make the candlesticks in exchange for his freedom. Hamo FitzHamon reneged, and Alard escaped. As we have often seen in other stories, Cadfael quietly works to set things to rights, helping reunite the separated lovers in the process.

Eye Witness

It’s time to collect the Abbey’s annual rents. While a young apprentice clerk fills in for Brother Ambrose, William Rede collects the rents. Madog, the boatman is the next to see him as he pulls him out of the Severn. Someone knocked him unconscious and threw him into the river to drown. His assailant robbed him of the purse with the rents.

But Cadfael figures out that there was a vantage point from which the crime could have been witnessed. He discretely puts about this fact about with the hopes of springing a trap to catch the thief.

The stories all seem to turn on the human follies that trip up wrongdoers. And we see Cadfael’s shrewd use of folly against the perpetrators to bring about just ends. Strikingly, there are no murders, although two murders are attempted.

While we learn of how Cadfael becomes a monk, I still had one question. Where did he learn his herb lore? Wikipedia indicates that it was from the Middle East, and that is plausible, but I cannot remember it being mentioned, and Wikipedia cites no reference. What is clear is that this shrewd, yet holy, monk will be a force to be reckoned with in the Abbey at Shrewsbury.

Review: Red Knife

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Cover image of "Red Knife" by William Kent Krueger

Red Knife (Cork O’Connor Number 8), William Kent Krueger. Atria Books (ISBN: 9781416556749), 2008.

Summary: Cork O’Connor is asked to help end a series of apparent revenge killings threatening a war between the Ojibwe and Tamarack County.

Buck Reinhardt’s daughter is dead from a drug overdose. He believes Lonnie Thunder, one of a group of young Ojibwe men, the Red Boyz, is responsible. And he wants revenge. The leader of the Red Boyz, Alex Kingbird, seeks out Cork O’;Connor in his role as private investigator to arrange a meeting with Reinhardt, promising him justice. Before the meeting can happen, someone brutally murders Kingbird and his wife.

Cork and Sheriff Marsha Dross want to find the killer before things escalate into an all-out blood feud. The lead suspects are Reinhardt and Lonnie Thunder–until a sniper’s bullet ends Reinhardt’s life. And Cork cannot find Thunder.

The tribal council hires Cork to bring an end to the killing. In the process, he discovers an evil beyond the Red Boyz and the townspeople. It will force him to choose between his commitment to law enforcement and loyalty to his Ojibwe heritage. Meanwhile, his daughter Anne will face her own struggle as she seeks to be a true friend to Uly Kingbird, the brother of Alex, and a suspect in Reinhardt’s death

The prologue describes a massacre that occurs in a clearing that will be called Miskwaamookomaan or Red Knife. Two hundred years later, that clearing became the site of a school. You will forget it as it seems irrelevant to the subsequent plot. I did, only to encounter one of the most chilling plot turns in Krueger’s series so far.

Review: The Mind Readers

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Cover image of "The Mind Readers" by Margery Allingham

The Mind Readers (Albert Campion Number 18), Margery Allingham. Open Road Media (ASIN: B08CRRYGK7), 2020 (First published in 1965).

Summary: When Amanda’s nephews, playing with telepathic devices, are nearly kidnapped, Campion gets involved in a deadly quest.

The Mind Readers reminded me of the fascination with telepathy and extra-sensory perception in the 1960’s. In this story, a mix of mystery and science fiction, Allingham explores the implications of being able to read the thoughts of others. It is perhaps needless to say that this ability is neither benign nor desirable in her portrayal. Only children can handle it, lacking the depth of experience to comprehend the swirl of thoughts and emotions in adult minds. For adults, it can be unsettling to deranging.

The story begins at the home of Canon Avril, where Albert and Amanda are visiting. They are awaiting a visit by Amanda’s nephews, Sam and Edward, on term break. What promises to be a pleasant time is upset when someone tries to kidnap the boys on the way from the station. It comes out that the boys have been playing with telepathic devices. When taped to the jugular, allow one to read other’s thoughts and communicate telepathically.

As it turns out, the boys’ father Martin has been working on this problem at a research facility at a remote location connected by a causeway on the coast. Martin turns up with Pagan Mayo, who assumes responsibility for the devices, even though it is apparent they know nothing about them. These devices produce results they have not been able to achieve. There is an international effort to harness this technology with the English and French chief rivals. When Pagan Mayo turns up dead, it is clear the rivalry is deadly.

By this point, Edward, the older of the boys, has disappeared. Yet from what he says before he leaves, he seems to know what he is doing. But what Is he doing, and is he safe from the murderous people who seem after the telepathic devices he and Sam had been experimenting with? Meanwhile. Campion has gone to the research facility to see if he can unravel the mystery of the devices while DS Luke hunts for Edward. Campion is on the island when Pagan is murdered. The head of the facility, Ludor puts it on lockdown. Campion’s becomes a murder target. But an old associate offers unexpected help.

As the story comes to a climax, we wonder who killed Mayo, where the devices came from, and what happened to them. Most of all, we wonder, “Where’s Edward?” and what does he know about all this? At a deeper level, Allingham raises the specter of a technology that people would kill for. And in the end, would we really want to know the hidden thoughts of others? And what would it be like to be in a crowd? Would you really want to know everyone’s thoughts, simultaneously?

Review: Brother Cadfael’s Penance

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Cover image of "Brother Cadfael's Penance" by Ellis Peters

Brother Cadfael’s Penance (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael Number 20), Ellis Peter. Open Road Media (ASIN: B00LUZNZB0) 2014 (first published in 1994).

Summary; Olivier, Cadfael’s son from his crusading days, is held hostage without ransom. Cadfael forsakes his vows to save him.

Frustrated by the stalemated civil war and Maud’s imperious and inadequate leadership, Philip FitzRobert switches sides to King Stephen. Philip is son of Robert of Gloucester, half-brother of Maud, and her most staunch supporter, so this hurts. Philip’s castellan also surrenders Faringdon. But not all of his men, among whom is Olivier of Bretagne, abandon their loyalty to Maud. They are held hostage for ransom. With an attempt at peace talks, a list is published. Olivier’s name is missing and his whereabouts unknown.

Olivier, if you remember, is Cadfael’s son from his crusading days. When he left Maria, the woman he loved to return home, he did not know she was with child. He only learned of this after his vows, when he and Olivier crossed paths. In passing, Olivier mentioned his mother’s name and the circumstances of his birth. However, to not interfere with Olivier’s life, Cadfael kept this knowledge secret, except to his confessor.

The bishops, tired of war and wanting to recruit for another crusade, bring Stephen and Maud together for a peace conference, offering safe conduct for all, including Philip and the castellan, Brien de Soulis. Hugh Beringar is among those attending. Cadfael secures permission from Radulfus to go to the conference to seek information about Olivier. But he must return with Hugh. Anything further is a breaking of his monastic vows.

When they arrive, Cadfael recognizes Yves Hugonin, Olivier’s brother-in-law, who Cadfael had rescued as a child. Yves is also seeking news of Olivier. But in his impulsiveness, he attacks de Soulis, accusing him of treachery. Order is restored, and in an audience with Empress Maud, he is both disciplined and given hints that she would not be displeased were de Soulis to be killed.

The peace talks fail. And Cadfael fails to get an answer to the whereabouts of Olivier. But before the proceedings end, at the end of Compline, Yves, one of the first to exit, trips over something and cries out. It’s a body. Brien de Soulis is dead, stabbed in the heart. And because of the earlier incident, Yves is the prime suspect. But Empress Maud invokes the safe conduct, and he leaves with her troops. But before they reach their destination, he is seized, most likely by Philip’s men.

Cadfael learns of this. He and Hugh also look at the body. They find de Soulis was killed with a dagger thrust, face to face with someone he had no reason to suspect. It couldn’t be Yves, an open enemy. They also find a strange seal among de Soulis’ possessions. Cadfael makes a fateful decision to break his vows and part from Hugh. He believes Philip is holding Yves, and Olivier.

On his way to Philip’s castle, La Musarderie, Cadfael finds one more clue confirming Yves innocence. He learns the seal belonged to one of deSoulis’ captains. Supposedly, he set his seal to the surrender of Faringdon before going on an errand. He was found dead, supposedly thrown by a horse. Everything points to de Soulis as his murderer, because he wouldn’t agree to the surrender. Someone else had a motive to kill de Soulis.

When Cadfael arrives at La Musarderie, he sees Philip, presenting the evidence that secures Yves release. He also learns that Philip is holding Olivier. Philip offers no explanation. He names no ransom. Though moved, he even rejects Cadfael’s offer of himself in place of his son.

Yves returns to Maud. Hoping to secure Olivier’s release, he reveals that Philip himself is at La Musarderie. Robert of Gloucester, Philip’s father, is away. Maud uses the opportunity for revenge. Not only will she besiege and conquer La Musarderie. She will take and hang Philip. Even Yves knew this would be disastrous. It would mark an escalation of the war. He gets word to Cadfael at La Musarderie.

Will they find a way to avert this grievous mistake? And will Cadfael somehow succeed in rescuing Olivier? And even if they manage to escape the sack of the castle, what will become of the apostate Cadfael? Will he have saved his son only to lose his vocation and his soul? And should Olivier learn that Cadfael is his father, how will he respond to this knowledge? When Cadfael parted from Hugh, in disobedience to his abbot, he risked all that was sacred. But would he succeed or would he lose all?

In John 15:13, Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Cadfael embodies these words in the last of the Cadfael stories. We wait with bated breath in wonder that, even with faint hope, Cadfael risks all.

Review: Maigret and the Wine Merchant

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Cover image of "Maigret and the Wine Merchant" by Georges Simenon.

Maigret and the Wine Merchant (Inspector Maigret Number 71), Georges Simenon (Translated by Ros Scwartz). Penguin (ISBN: 9780241304280), 2020 (First published in 1970).

Summary: Maigret investigates the murder of a wealthy wine merchant, a womanizer and a ruthless employer.

Theo Stiernat is something of a pathetic young man. He bludgeoned his grandmother to death for a few francs. He “didn’t mean to do it” yet savagely beat her. While Maigret interrogates him Oscar Chabut, a wealthy wine merchant, also meets his death, gunned down in front of a high class brothel. Maigret knows the place, the Rue Fortuny and Madame Blanche, its proprietor.

He questions her and Chabut’s secretary, the latest of many lovers. Chabut was a notorious womanizer. Jeanne Chabut, his wife knows all about it. More than that, she furnishes Maigret with a list of all his known lovers. Many were married and it seems Chabut delighted in humiliating the husbands. No one is broken up over his death. But it is not clear who hated him enough to kill him.

All through the investigation, Maigret is down with the flu, frustrating his wife who cooks him magnificent meals, while trying to keep him in his bed.

Then the calls start coming. And the caller knows his whereabouts, but eludes attempts to capture him. Could this be the murderer? Maigret thinks so–in this case a troubled soul who wants to tell his story but has to be sure someone will listen without roughing him up. And so Maigret waits for the murderer to come to him.

There’s an interesting insight in this tightly written plot. The murderers are figures worth listening to and pitiable. But so are their victims, whether an old grandmother or a rich wine merchant. And it is this that drives Maigret, even when the victim is a wealthy man whose death no one mourned. He was a human being.