Maigret’s Christmas: Nine Stories

Nine stories make up this delightful holiday-themed collection, each featuring Georges Simenon’s famous detective, Jules Maigret. The first eight are short stories, and the ninth is a novella. They are:

1. Maigret’s Christmas —
2. Seven Little Crosses in a Notebook —
3. Maigret and the Surly Inspector —
4. The Evidence of the Altar Boy —
5. The Most Obstinate Customer in the World —
6. Death of a Nobody —
7. Sale by Auction —
8. The Man in the Street —
9. Maigret in Retirement.

The second is especially interesting for a Maigret collection in that the Superintendent’s name is never mentioned!

Several are about Christmas. An otherwise sensible little girl insists that she has seen Father Christmas, a statement alarming to her neighbors, Monsieur and Madame Maigret. Then, a choirboy helps the inspector solve a crime while he lies in bed with a cold. Another boy, pursued by a criminal, ingeniously leaves a trail to help Maigret track him. Many feature observant and resourceful children, frightened yet resolute, who bring out a paternal streak in the childless Maigret. The rapport between the inspector and these youthful heroes imparts a delightful freshness to this collection – a cornucopia for fans of Maigret and mysteries.

Librarian’s note #1: this is a collection of nine stories. Entries and reviews for each story including the title story, “Maigret’s Christmas” can be found elsewhere on Goodreads by searching for “a Maigret short story.”

Librarian’s note #2: the ninth story, “Maigret in Retirement”, also published in English as “Maigret Gets Angry”, is #26 in Penguin’s recent collection of Maigret novels by Simenon (75 in total).