Lunchtime read: Maigret and the Idle Burglar

Once caught by the bug it is easy to find yourself drifting to the crime section in your local library. So finding myself back there once again who better to pick up than one of the most prolific writers and his famous detective creation by one of the Inspector Maigret novels by Georges Simenon.

Coming on the back of a few Police procedural thrillers there are echoes here with the Parisian police being crippled by changes introduced that hands the power to the magistrates. Maigret is called to inspect a body that has been dumped with the face bashed in but because of the rules he should not even be there.

The irony is that he knows the victim and could be helpful but is never given the chance being encouraged to leave by the magistrate’s representative. He goes home but knows that the victim is a Swiss burglar who works alone, keeps his head down and is someone that in an odd way Maigret respects.

He visits the mother to tell her that her son has died to try to find a motive but comes away without any answers and goes back to trying to locate a gang member from a ring that is terrorising post offices and banks in the capital.

More tomorrow…