num_pages: 336
description: 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).
language: English
title: Maigret's Christmas: Nine Stories
titlecomplete: Maigret's Christmas: Nine Stories
characters: André Lucas, Jules Maigret, Torrence (The Man in the Street), Albert Janvier, Louise Maigret
genres: France, Mystery, Christmas, Holiday, Short Stories, Fiction, Crime
ratings_count: 343
places: Paris
publisher: Harvest Books