My first collection of Maigret stories, full of short and punchy plots that I devoured them in a day.

I appreciated their to-the-point expositions. The background and clues are laid out bluntly and succinctly. There are the usual gruff-detective traits but Maigret mostly comes across as a everyman who just happens to be good at solving crimes and therefore has the job of being a superintendent.

But does he have any distinct personal traits? Perhaps it's due to the necessity of economy in short stories, but the Maigret here is almost a blank slate, lacking in any distinction from other people beyond his pipe addiction and the occasional casual sexism. Is it so that the reader can better project into the shoes of Maigret? I look forward to finding out in book-length stories, which I foolishly ambitiously hope will be in French. ( )