Inspector Cadaver (Penguin Modern Classics) [Paperback]

Georges Simenon was the author of over 100 Inspector Maigret mystery stories. They were immensely popular in the 1930s through the 1960s. Inspector Maigret stories also appeared in film and TV versions. Simenon also authored dozens of books described as "romans durs", or `hard stories' that had a darker tone than his Maigret novels. Simenon seems to have fallen under the radar in recent decades but in recent years he seems to have been rediscovered by a new generation of mystery/detective story fans. Penguin Books has begun to reissue some of those Maigret mysteries (usually in groups of three mysteries) and the New York Review of Books Press has reissued many of his `romans durs'. "Inspector Cadaver is one of Penguin's latest Inspector Maigret Mystery reissues, along with My Friend Maigret (Inspector Maigret Mysteries) and Maigret and the Man on the Boulevard (Inspector Maigret).

"Inspector Cadaver" finds Maigret in the village of Saint-Aubin-les Marais. Although the town itself is fictional it is planted by Simenon squarely in the Vendee region of France, southwest of Paris near the Atlantic coast. Simenon lived in the area during WWII (the story was originally published in 1943 under the title "Maigret's Rival") and, as portrayed by Simenon, Saint-Aubin was an isolated, self-contained area which rivals Peyton Place as far as its perchance for gossip and sense of isolation from the rest of the world is concerned.

Maigret finds himself in Saint-Aubin at the request of a Magistrate in Paris. A young working-class man has been found dead apparently run over by a train. The town gossip seems to point its ugly finger in the direction of the Magistrate's brother-in-law and Maigret agrees (reluctantly) to travel to Saint-Aubin to help the brother-in-law out. Maigret is surprised to discover that a former policeman, Inspector Cavre (known as Inspector Cadaver) now working as a private detective, is also destined for Saint-Aubin. As the plot develops Maigret and the reader is introduced to life in this isolated village. Simenon does a wonderful job describing the sense of isolation Maigret feels at entering into this self-contained and xenophobic world. Maigret's unofficial investigation is made more complex (but more interesting to the reader) as he deals with old family ties, small town snobbery, class-distinctions, and a general aversion to strangers. The efforts by Inspector Cadaver also make Maigret's life more difficult (and actually lead me to conclude that the original title is the more apt of the two.)

Simenon's Inspector Maigret mysteries are often compared to Christie's Hercule Poirot mysteries. There are many resemblances to be sure. There are some major differences however worth noting. The chief differences seem to me to be Simenon's darker touch and his rather cynical feelings toward the more `respectable' members of French society. This is very evident in "Inspector Cadaver" but it is not so intrusive that it gets in the way of the story. Simenon treats words with respect and doesn't use more than seems necessary to advance the story. "Inspector Cadaver" is an excellent example of the story-telling art of Georges Simenon and well worth reading. L. Fleisig

A colleague asks Inspector Maigret to go to small village on the Atlantic Coast to help his family sort out a problem. A young man has died and villagers are beginning to gossip. The hope is that Maigret will be able to quiet the malicious rumors. What Maigret finds is a village divided into two factions. Those spreading the rumors and those hiding a village secret.

Readers usually see Inspector Maigret in his Parisian element. In most of his novels, he deploys a team of detectives as he rushes to solve crimes. But in the end, we know that the mystery will always be solved due to Maigret penetrating psychological insights. What makes "Inspector Cadaver" interesting is that Maigret is out of his element. The villagers are not Parisians and he does not have his team of detectives to help him out. He is going to have to solve this mystery only with his knowledge of human behavior.

Georges Simenon had an amazing career. He wrote over four hundred novels of which seventy five featured his detective hero, Inspector Jules Maigret. Over the years, publishers have printed over 500 million copies of his work. Like any great stylist, some of his works are better than others. Unfortunately, "Inspector Cadaver" is not one his better mysteries. Yet, like Ella Fitzgerald or Frank Sinatra even his lesser works are better than average.

Interesting that this Maigret mystery novella was originally published during WWII, but makes no mention of that event or any other "time marker." In any event, "Inspector Cadaver" takes Paris Inspector Superintendent Maigret to a small village in the Vendee area of France. The locals refer to it as the Green Venice, but it is otherwise a quiet agricultural area where crime, especially murder, happens on a modest scale. A young man has been killed on the railway that passes through the area and there are locals who believe that the death was no accident. Fingers point to the family that Maigret has been asked by a colleague to assist through the investigation.

The mystery is eventually resolved, though justice is not done. Watching Maigret sort it out is the sweet part, but the way that author Simenon evokes the social structure and daily habits of village life are also extremely enjoyable. The book is a good example of Simenon's flawless story-telling, his portrayal of complicated human behaviors and his sense of place.

SPOILER (of sorts) - my only small quibble with this book is that it resembles a bit too closely the novella, "Maigret in Holland," with which a lot of the story line intersects.

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