Maigret Goes to School (Inspector Maigret)

By Georges Simenon

Book Overview

A quiet seaside village reveals dark secrets when Maigret investigates the murder of its former postmistress.

Drawn by the lure of springtime in the countryside and a sentimental attachment to village life, Maigret agrees to investigate the shocking murder of a retired postmistress in a small seaside village. His hopes for a country idyll are soon frustrated, however, when he realizes that beneath the villagers' calm routines lie grudges years in the making.

Maigret Goes to School is one of Georges Simenon's most lyrical and quietly disturbing novels. As he unravels a complicated web of sexual jealousy, casual cruelty, and financial fraud, Maigret is haunted by memories of his own rural childhood, reminding him how little village life has changed--and how well it conceals its darkest impulses.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250426170
• ISBN13: 9781250426178
• Release Date: January 2027
• Publisher: Picador USA
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.0" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

Study of a murder

A schoolmaster from the tiny village of Saint-André-Sur-Mer flees to Paris when he's about to be arrested for murdering the postmistress. He begs Maigret to save him by finding out the truth. Perhaps it's only the idea of a few days by the sea with plenty of fresh oysters and white wine that impels Maigret to step outside his territory. But however foolish it may be, he's off and running, like a small boy engaged in a prank. Maigret grew up in a village, and he's delighted to find the characters of his childhood reproduced in the inhabitants of Saint-André-Sur-Mer. Thanks to these helpful memories, and his rare talent for absorbing atmosphere, Maigret is not fooled for long by the wily villagers. A fun read, with interesting dynamics among the schoolboys.

Inspector Maigret investigates murder in a small coastal village

Maigret Goes to School (December, 1953) is among my favorite Maigret stories. On an early, dazzling spring day Maigret accepts a plea to help a schoolmaster accused of murder in the small coastal community of Saint-Andre-sur-Mer. Maigret recognizes that his decision was perhaps less influenced by the claimant's plea and more by his own memories of white wine and fresh oysters characteristic of the Charentes region. The community offers at best a frosty welcome to Maigret. Leonie Birard, a universally disliked, aging ex-postmistress, was shot through the eye by a 22-rifle. Almost anyone could have killed her with a lucky shot, but this close knit village concludes that the local school teacher, an outsider, was likely responsible and certainly there is no need for the presence of an intrusive inspector. Although unwelcome, Maigret understands the situation as he had lived in a small village in his childhood. I have read a fair number of the Maigret mysteries, but spaced over so many years that I have largely forgotten which ones I have read. I periodically come back to these stories because Maigret is a friend, one that I only occasionally encounter, but one whose company I always enjoy. What makes Maigret Goes to School particularly interesting to me are Maigret's memories of his childhood and the insight they provide into his character. The mystery is also intriguing. Maigret does not entirely rule out the schoolmaster, but he is a rather unlikely suspect, except for an accusatory statement made by one of his students. As usual, Maigret exercises patience, and does not jump to conclusions. Maigret's calm, persistent approach gradually reveals the solution. If Maigret Goes to School appeals to you as it did me, I suggest reading Maigret Goes Home (1932), one of the earliest stories by Georges Simenon. Prior to 1967 Maigret Goes Home was published in English under the varied titles The Saint-Fiacre Affair, Death of a Countess, and Maigret and the Countess.