- Paperback: 154 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books; Reprint edition (25 July 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0143037277
- ISBN-13: 978-0143037279
- Product Dimensions: 16 x 14.4 x 1.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,277,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Death like an ever flowing stream,
By Leonard Fleisig "Len" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Lock 14 (Penguin Modern Classics) (Paperback)
Georges Simenon was the author of over 100 Inspect Maigret mystery stories. They were immensely popular in the 1930s through the 1960s but seem to have fallen out of view in the last few decades. Penguin Books has begun to reissue some of those mysteries. They are all fun books to read and Simenon's "Lock 14" is no exception.
Originally published in 1931, Lock 14 is set in a canal in France at a time when commercial barge traffic was a primary means of transporting cargo. The canals were filled with a mix of commercial and tourist traffic which effectively created a mix of upper and working class personalities. Lock 14 begins, as most such mysteries do, with a dead body. A young woman is found dead in a pile of muck, murdered in a stable near Lock 14. She was from a party of seemingly wealthy tourists leading a `debauched' life on the river. Inspector Maigret is called to the scene. He must sort through the muck and find the killer. There are many suspects and more murders soon follow. The rest of the book is devoted to Maigret's attempt to sort out the facts from fiction and find the killer. To reveal any more would spoil the plot. Simenon's Inspector Maigret mysteries are often compared to Christie's Hercule Poirot mysteries. There are many resemblances to be sure. Both follow typical `plot guidelines' for detective stories; they involve numerous suspects and a conflict between the intelligent observations of the hero and the less astute detective work of the local constabulary. There are some major differences however worth noting. The chief differences seem to me to be Simenon's darker touch and his more diverse selection of `characters'. Whereas Christie's stories most often involved an upper crusty cast of characters, Simenon's characters often come from more inauspicious backgrounds. I also think that Simenon is earthier than Christie (and others). The passengers on the tourist barge were decadent and living a pretty wild existence. The working men and women on the canal and in the towns along the canal are well drawn, rough edges and all. This was a nice change from the parlor room type mystery where everyone speaks with a sophisticated accent of some sort. Finally, for me, the centerpiece of any detective story of this type is the character of the detective. In the case of Maigret, the more I read of him (three Maigret stories to date) the more I enjoy his character. All in all I found Simenon's Lock 14 to be an enjoyable detective/mystery story. It was a fast-paced well written story with believable characters. Recommended. L. Fleisig
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not the strongest book in the Maigret series,
By Jl Adcock "John Adcock" (Ashtead UK) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Lock 14 (Pocket Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
"Lock 14" is one of the earliest Maigret titles - one of several that Simenon rattled off in 1931. The plot brings together some of Simenon's own loves in life - waterways and boats, and the atmosphere of life led in this environment is well-drawn. Naturally, it all feels very removed from our own sense of modern living, but the emotions that drive the characters to act as they do are certainly contemporary.This early title in the series suffers in some part from the translation, which is odd in places and a little jumbled when some of the characters use extended passages of dialogue. Very much a formative story in the series, Maigret is a well-drawn and canny detective, but not yet the mature and sympathetic man he became in the later stories. But even at this early stage in his writing career, Simenon shows a masterful sense of economy with words, creating mood and atmosphere in a few well-chosen sentences. It was a style he would perfect in later books.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Maigret,
This review is from: Lock 14 (Pocket Penguin Classics) (Paperback)
Very similar to 'My Friend Maigret', this time set on the canal, Simenon conjures up the usual array of odd characters and set of murders(?)(wait and see).Not Vigo's take on canal life and miles from Rick Stein's cosy meanderings or Narrow Dog to Carcasonne. Full of rich characters in 1930s France. Anyone hooked on the Maigret stories will enjoy Lock 14 one of the main Maigret novels forming part of the Penguin Red Cover series that includes the better known stories some of which have been dramatised on Radio 4 and available a few years back on tape starring Nicholas le Prevot as Maigret (perhaps the best since Rupert Davies- why the BBC have not released the latter's series is a mystery in itself. Michael Gambon's ITV series is so flat to my mind). As usual Simenon's short novels waste little in carrying the story forward; a model of brevity for today's writers. Not too taxing for those unfamiliar with Maigret stories- Enjoy! Particularly as sellers with Amazon are discounting the Penguin series presently.
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