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The Grand Banks Café

Inspector Maigret
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( 1,901 ratings, 218 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In an isolated fishing community, the discovery of Captain Fallut's body sets off a tense investigation steeped in local superstition and secrets. The mystery deepens with a disturbing photograph of a woman whose face is violently obscured, hinting at dark undercurrents beneath the surface of this maritime world. Georges Simenon weaves a gripping story that captures the insular atmosphere and the quiet complexities of life at sea.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for fans of atmospheric crime and psychological thrillers, readers who appreciate rich character studies, and those drawn to classic European mystery novels.

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It was indeed a photograph, a picture of a woman. But the face was completely hidden, scribbled all over in red ink. Someone had tried to obliterate the head, someone very angry. The pen had bitten into the paper. There were so many criss-crossed lines that not a single square millimetre had been left visible.

Captain Fallut's last voyage is shrouded in silence. To discover the truth about this doomed expedition, Maigret enters a remote, murky world of men on the margins of society; where fierce loyalties hide sordid deeds.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A new translation of this gripping novel set in an insular fishing community, part of the new Maigret series.

It was indeed a photo, a picture of a woman. But the face was completely hidden, scribbled all over in red ink. Someone had tried to obliterate the head, someone very angry. The pen had bitten into the paper. There were so many criss-crossed lines that not a single square millimetre had been left visible.

On the other hand, below the head, the torso had not been touched. A pair of large breasts. A light-coloured silk dress, very tight and very low cut.

Sailors don't talk much to other men, especially not to policemen. But after Captain Fallut's body is found floating near his trawler, they all mention the Evil Eye when they speak of the Ocean's voyage.

Series: Inspector Maigret

View all
  • Maigret and Monsieur Charles
    The last novel in Simenon's celebrated series When an elegant but nervous woman appears in Inspector Maigret's office and reports her rich and successful husband missing, Maigret and Lapointe find themselves on the trail of a man leading a double life— a prominent Parisian solicitor by day, a playboy known as Monsieur Charles by night.
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • Maigret and the Good People of Montparnasse
    When a man is found dead at home, Maigret must look past the seemingly good intentions of the victim's family to figure out just who the culprit is. A retired manufacturer has been shot dead by his own pistol, last seen alive by his son-in-law. In this seemingly motiveless murder, Inspector Maigret must rely on his famous intuition to discover...
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    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • Maigret and the Informer
    In the penultimate novel in the series, Maigret investigates a crime in Paris's seedy red light district. The body of a well-known Parisian restaurateur turns up on Avenue Junot in Montmartre, seemingly having been killed elsewhere. Inspector Maigret is on the case and soon discovers that the murder may be gang-related after a colleague working in the red-light district receives...
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    $2400
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    Ships Tuesday
  • Maigret and the Old People
    Maigret and the Old People explores the intriguing investigation of a murder involving an esteemed official. Maigret is called to the home of Armand de Saint-Hilaire, a highly respected official who has been found shot dead in his study by his housekeeper. After interviewing everyone concerned, Maigret is at a loss regarding the identity of the perpetrator until he comes...
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  • Maigret and the Saturday Caller
    Maigret and the Saturday Caller introduces us to a tense encounter where Inspector Maigret finds himself face-to-face with a visitor who openly admits his intentions to commit murder. However, when this visitor goes missing, Maigret is left to worry that he himself may have become the victim. The story unfolds one evening when Maigret is followed home by a man...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • Maigret Goes to School
    Maigret Goes to School follows the renowned detective as he heads to a small seaside town where the residents are closing ranks to hide the truth. When a school teacher from near La Rochelle seeks Maigret's help to defend his innocence, Maigret accompanies him back to a small coastal town. There, he confronts the insular community in order to uncover...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • Maigret in Vichy
    While on holiday Maigret gets involved in a local murder case. Maigret and his wife take a much-needed holiday to Vichy, where they quickly become accustomed to the slower pace of life. When a woman, whom they regularly pass by on their daily strolls, is murdered, Maigret can't help but offer his assistance to the local Inspector, a former colleague...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • Maigret's Secret
    Maigret's Secret explores Maigret's internal struggle with an old case whose conclusion continues to haunt him. At a dinner party, Maigret recounts the case of Adrien Josset, who was found guilty and executed for the murder of his wife, Christine. Despite all clues pointing to Josset's guilt under the controlling influence of the magistrate, Maigret remains unconvinced following his one...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • Maigret Travels
    Maigret Travels delves into the intriguing circumstances surrounding the attempted suicide of a countess and the mysterious death of a multi-millionaire. Both incidents involve seemingly unrelated individuals, yet they occur in the same hotel. When multi-millionaire David Ward is found dead just hours after the countess's suicide attempt, Maigret suspects a connection between the two cases. The investigation intensifies when...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • Maigret and the Tramp
    Maigret and the Tramp by Georges Simenon follows Inspector Maigret as he investigates an attack on a Parisian tramp. When a tramp is recovered from the Seine after being badly beaten, Maigret must delve into the man's personal circumstances to figure out just who wanted to kill him.
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  • Maigret, Lognon and the Gangsters
    Maigret, Lognon and the Gangsters sees Maigret getting tangled up with some notorious American gangsters in this new translation. Maigret was less angry, in fact, than he seemed. Pozzo was a tough customer, but he didn't mind that. Nor did he mind dealing with characters who had sent the American police packing—genuine hard men who played for keeps. Maigret hadn't...
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    Ships Tuesday
  • Maigret and the Reluctant Witnesses
    Maigret and the Reluctant Witnesses follows Maigret as he struggles to break through a victim's uncooperative family to uncover the truth behind a murder in book fifty-three of the series. Maigret is called to the home of the Lachaume family, where the eldest brother has been found shot dead. Upon his arrival, the family close ranks and claim to have...
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    $2200
    Elsewhere:
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    Ships Tuesday

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

"One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century... Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside..." — The Guardian

"I love reading Simenon. He makes me think of Chekhov." — William Faulkner

"A supreme writer... unforgettable vividness." — The Independent

"Superb... The most addictive of writers... A unique teller of tales." — The Observer

"Compelling, remorseless, brilliant." — John Gray

"A truly wonderful writer... marvellously readable... absolutely in tune with the world he creates." — Muriel Spark

"Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth century." — John Banville

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780141393506

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 June 2014

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Contributors:

  • Translated by David Coward
  • Translated by David Coward

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 9.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 124g

Pages: 160

About the Author

Georges Simenon (Author) Georges Simenon was born in Li ge, Belgium in 1903. An intrepid traveller with a profound interest in people, Simenon strove on and off the page to understand, rather than to judge, the human condition in all its shades. His novels include the Inspector Maigret series and a richly varied body of wider work united by its evocative power, its economy of means, and its penetrating psychological insight. He is among the most widely read writers in the global canon. He died in 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he had lived for the latter part of his life. David Coward (Translator) David Coward is Emeritus Professor of French at the University of Leeds and has translated many books from French for Penguin Classics.

Also by Georges Simenon

View all
  • Maigret and Monsieur Charles
    The last novel in Simenon's celebrated series When an elegant but nervous woman appears in Inspector Maigret's office and reports her rich and successful husband missing, Maigret and Lapointe find themselves on the trail of a man leading a double life— a prominent Parisian solicitor by day, a playboy known as Monsieur Charles by night.
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • Maigret and the Good People of Montparnasse
    When a man is found dead at home, Maigret must look past the seemingly good intentions of the victim's family to figure out just who the culprit is. A retired manufacturer has been shot dead by his own pistol, last seen alive by his son-in-law. In this seemingly motiveless murder, Inspector Maigret must rely on his famous intuition to discover...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • Maigret and the Informer
    In the penultimate novel in the series, Maigret investigates a crime in Paris's seedy red light district. The body of a well-known Parisian restaurateur turns up on Avenue Junot in Montmartre, seemingly having been killed elsewhere. Inspector Maigret is on the case and soon discovers that the murder may be gang-related after a colleague working in the red-light district receives...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • Maigret and the Old People
    Maigret and the Old People explores the intriguing investigation of a murder involving an esteemed official. Maigret is called to the home of Armand de Saint-Hilaire, a highly respected official who has been found shot dead in his study by his housekeeper. After interviewing everyone concerned, Maigret is at a loss regarding the identity of the perpetrator until he comes...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • Maigret and the Saturday Caller
    Maigret and the Saturday Caller introduces us to a tense encounter where Inspector Maigret finds himself face-to-face with a visitor who openly admits his intentions to commit murder. However, when this visitor goes missing, Maigret is left to worry that he himself may have become the victim. The story unfolds one evening when Maigret is followed home by a man...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • Maigret Goes to School
    Maigret Goes to School follows the renowned detective as he heads to a small seaside town where the residents are closing ranks to hide the truth. When a school teacher from near La Rochelle seeks Maigret's help to defend his innocence, Maigret accompanies him back to a small coastal town. There, he confronts the insular community in order to uncover...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • Maigret in Vichy
    While on holiday Maigret gets involved in a local murder case. Maigret and his wife take a much-needed holiday to Vichy, where they quickly become accustomed to the slower pace of life. When a woman, whom they regularly pass by on their daily strolls, is murdered, Maigret can't help but offer his assistance to the local Inspector, a former colleague...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • Maigret's Secret
    Maigret's Secret explores Maigret's internal struggle with an old case whose conclusion continues to haunt him. At a dinner party, Maigret recounts the case of Adrien Josset, who was found guilty and executed for the murder of his wife, Christine. Despite all clues pointing to Josset's guilt under the controlling influence of the magistrate, Maigret remains unconvinced following his one...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • Maigret Travels
    Maigret Travels delves into the intriguing circumstances surrounding the attempted suicide of a countess and the mysterious death of a multi-millionaire. Both incidents involve seemingly unrelated individuals, yet they occur in the same hotel. When multi-millionaire David Ward is found dead just hours after the countess's suicide attempt, Maigret suspects a connection between the two cases. The investigation intensifies when...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • The Little Man from Archangel
    The poignant story of an outsider falsely accused of murder from the celebrated author of the Maigret series. She was beautiful, full of vitality, and he was sixteen years older, a dusty, lonely bookseller whose only passion in life was collecting stamps. Jonas is used to his young wife disappearing. Everyone in the town knows that she goes off with...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • Night at the Crossroads
    Inspector Maigret investigates a case of deception in an isolated community. Maigret has been interrogating Carl Andersen for seventeen hours without a confession. He's either innocent or a very good liar. So why was the body of a diamond merchant found at his isolated mansion? Why is his sister always shut away in her room? And why does everyone at...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Maigret's Revolver
    Maigret goes to London on the trail of a young man on the run. When Maigret's prized gun goes missing, he must travel to London on the trail of a troubled young man on the run. Maigret's Revolver is a wonderful picture of both London and Paris and one of Simenon's most ingenious and satisfying stories.
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

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