Les derniers Maigret sont (pour moi) les plus savoureux. Le trait y est plus fin, l’énigme moins dense passe au second plan et les personnages prennent réellement corps.

Ici, c’est du meurtre d’un chef d’entreprise dont il s’agit. Un homme à femme, imbuvable (et pour un marchand de vin, c’est bien triste), féroce et odieux. Et Maigret grippé de chercher – bon gré, mal gré – son assassin.

L’occasion pour un Simenon anthropologue de Paris de décrire une ville libertine tournant autour d’un petit tyran puant ( )

Han asesinado a Oscar Chabot, rico negociante en vinos, y Maigret descubre que el muerto era odiado por muchas personas: desde maridos engañados hasta rivales en los negocios, amantes celosas o empleados despóticamente tratados... Nadie parece lamentar la desaparición de Chabot, ni siquiera su esposa. Pero, ¿quién apretó el gatillo del arma homicida? ¿El industrial Legendre? ¿Pierre Merlot, el agente de cambio? ¿Tal vez el abogado Poupard o el ministro Thorel? Maigret estudia motivos y coartadas. Debes Iniciar sesión para escribir un comentario.

Maigret and the Shy Suspect
Review of the Penguin Classics paperback (September 2019) of a new translation* by Ros Schwartz of the French language original "Maigret et Le Marchand De Vin" (1970)

Maigret and the Wine Merchant shows the more compassionate side of the Chief Inspector as he unravels the mystery behind the shooting of a cheap blended wine merchant. The victim is revealed to have been unscrupulous in his business and personal practices and to have alienated even his own family. His wife and current mistress react very calmly and coldly to the news of his death but have no specific ideas about possible enemies. Gradually an informant makes his presence clear by stalking Maigret and dropping hints about the character of the victim via phone messages and letters. Maigret realizes that the informant wishes to be caught and he proceeds to close the case with as much dignity and sympathy as he can offer to the now prime suspect.

See cover at http://www.trussel.com/maig/covers/vin-86.jpg
The cover of the original French language edition of "Maigret and the Wine Merchant" as published by Press de la Cité, France 1970. Image sourced from Maigret of the Month.

I read the first dozen Maigret novellas earlier this year and then intended to proceed with several of Simenon's romans durs (French: hard novels) which he considered his more serious work, as opposed to the lighter fare involving the Chief Inspector. The non-Maigrets are more difficult to source however and there seem to be less than a dozen in current editions from Penguin Classics. Anyway, to keep the Simenon pipeline flowing, I thought I'd add several of the late Maigrets to my ongoing Simenon reading survey.

In a rarity for completists, this is Maigret #71 in both the recent Penguin Classics series of new translations (2013-2019) of the Inspector Maigret novels and in the previous standard Maigret Series Listopia as listed on Goodreads.

Trivia and Links
* The earlier English translations also gave the title as Maigret and the Wine Merchant.

There is extensive background and a detailed plot description (spoilers obviously) about Maigret and the Wine Merchant at Maigret of the Month.

Maigret and the Wine Merchant has been adapted for television twice: The first adaptation was in a 1978 French language television episode of the long running series Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret (The Investigations of Inspector Maigret) (1967-1990) starring Jean Richard as Inspector Maigret.
The second adaptation was in a 2002 French language television episode of the revival series Maigret (1991-2005) starring Bruno Cremer as Inspector Maigret.

There is an article about the Penguin Classics re-translations of the Inspector Maigret novels at Maigret, the Enduring Appeal of the Parisian Sleuth by Paddy Kehoe, RTE, August 17, 2019. ( )

Maigret has the flu and is very grumpy throughout this story. He becomes frustrated about a man who can see him but Maigret cannot see him. It is a case of humiliation with an interesting ending. ( )

Wine merchant Oscar Chabut is murdered as he emerges from a notorious Paris brothel. As Inspector Maigret tracks down his killer, he finds that he has many suspects as Chabut was not a well liked man. He was notorious for sleeping with the wives of his friends and business acquaintances and did not hide that he did so. As well he abused his employees forcing the women into sexual relationships and the men into fearing him.

This is a readable mystery that seems to impart the notion that almost every married person in Paris is unfaithful. ( )