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Product Description
Set in the in the atmospheric and squalid streets of Paris, Maigret sets out to prove the innocence of a man condemned to death for a brutal murder. In another one of Maigret's unconventional and audacious plans, he arranges the escape of the condemned man in an attempt to prove his theory. The presumed murderer goes on the run across Paris and its suburbs, dropping misleading clues along the way and leading Maigret into the labyrinthine twists of the mystery. Maigret is in for more than he bargained for, as he encounters rich American expatriates, dangerous foreigners and their hidden motives.
About the Author
Georges Simenon was born at Liege in Belgium in 1903. He published over 160 books and his work has been admired by almost all the leading French and English critics. His books have been translated into more than 20 languages and more than 40 have been filmed.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
an early maigret (1931) from the first tranche published. Dark and confusing, and unlike the later books, you don't get much of a view of maigret's thought processes, just an account of what happens. A classic of the canon, all the same.
Chris Heneghan
Chris Heneghan
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
That is the cry when the condemned convict Joseph Huertin escapes from death row in a Parisian jail. Huertin had been tried and convicted of the brutal murder of a rich American widow and her maid. This escape would ordinarily be one for famed Inspector Maigret to investigate. However, it turns out that it was Maigret who placed the escape in motion. Maigret, who arrested Huertin in the first instance, has had doubts about his guilt. Huertin's mental skills are minimal but he didn't strike Maigret as someone, in the absence of any possible motive, who could plan and execute such a brutal pair of murders. Maigret has arranged for Huertin to escape in the hopes that Huertin will lead Maigret to the real killer.
For those not familiar with his work 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 version. Simenon and Maigret seem 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 and the New York Review of Books Press has reissued some of his `hard stories', stories that did not feature Inspector Maigret. Simenon's Inspector Maigret Mystery, "A Man's Head" was an exciting book that lived up to the expectations of its opening chapter.
"A Man's Head" does not stray from the 20th-century detective formula. There is a murder or series of murders, a number of possible suspects, and a detective or investigator tasked with putting the pieces together and solving the crime. So fans of the detective genre will find the form and structure of the book `comfortable'. In this instance, Maigret traipses around Paris and environs on Huertin's tail while finding clues and resisting pressure from the press and his superiors to solve the case quickly. The story line progresses rapidly (the book is relatively brief at 170 pages) until a final resolution has been reached.
What sets Simenon's Maigret stories apart from those of his contemporaries is the character of Maigret and down to earth settings of the stories. Maigret is not a character that is revealed to the reader immediately. Simenon doesn't set about to provide you with a character map to Maigret's personality in any one book. Rather, he grows on you over time. He has an innate disdain for higher authority that is appealing. Simenon's settings and other characters also add a dash to his Maigret mysteries. These are not parlor room mysteries where the reader has to determine which upper-class member of the gentry (or the butler) committed murder most foul in the library. Simenon's stories have the feel of grit and the demimonde about them that adds a bit of spice to the `formula'.
Simenon's Inspector Maigret mysteries are a treat to read and should be enjoyed by anyone who likes the detective genre.
For those not familiar with his work 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 version. Simenon and Maigret seem 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 and the New York Review of Books Press has reissued some of his `hard stories', stories that did not feature Inspector Maigret. Simenon's Inspector Maigret Mystery, "A Man's Head" was an exciting book that lived up to the expectations of its opening chapter.
"A Man's Head" does not stray from the 20th-century detective formula. There is a murder or series of murders, a number of possible suspects, and a detective or investigator tasked with putting the pieces together and solving the crime. So fans of the detective genre will find the form and structure of the book `comfortable'. In this instance, Maigret traipses around Paris and environs on Huertin's tail while finding clues and resisting pressure from the press and his superiors to solve the case quickly. The story line progresses rapidly (the book is relatively brief at 170 pages) until a final resolution has been reached.
What sets Simenon's Maigret stories apart from those of his contemporaries is the character of Maigret and down to earth settings of the stories. Maigret is not a character that is revealed to the reader immediately. Simenon doesn't set about to provide you with a character map to Maigret's personality in any one book. Rather, he grows on you over time. He has an innate disdain for higher authority that is appealing. Simenon's settings and other characters also add a dash to his Maigret mysteries. These are not parlor room mysteries where the reader has to determine which upper-class member of the gentry (or the butler) committed murder most foul in the library. Simenon's stories have the feel of grit and the demimonde about them that adds a bit of spice to the `formula'.
Simenon's Inspector Maigret mysteries are a treat to read and should be enjoyed by anyone who likes the detective genre.
Format:Paperback
A Man's Head is another of the early Maigret novels, from the bumper crop that appeared in 1931. Like other titles from this period of Simenon's writing career, it's very much evidence of an emerging talent, rather than the fully formed article, which you'd expect in so young a writer.
The story is actually quite pacy and convoluted, but Simenon's strength - even at this early age - was his skill in social observation and the ability to capture the atmosphere of the times with few words. There is a cleverness here, because reading the books almost 80 years on, they still manage to feel contemporary. Nothing about the time and place seems particularly dated, proving that Simenon concentrated on charatcer and mood as much as plot to tell his stories.
Another interesting fact that emerges in this particular story is Maigret is already in his mid-forties, so again, Simenon shows good ability at writing about mature characters. This of course, improved with the later titles, but all the ingredients that came together so brilliantly when the series hit its stride are in evidence here.
Plotwise, it's engaging enough, but it feels a bit rushed at the end, and strands of the story need to be explained by Maigret to the magistrate to bring things to a meaningful conclusion. Overall, an entertaining enough early title in the series.
The story is actually quite pacy and convoluted, but Simenon's strength - even at this early age - was his skill in social observation and the ability to capture the atmosphere of the times with few words. There is a cleverness here, because reading the books almost 80 years on, they still manage to feel contemporary. Nothing about the time and place seems particularly dated, proving that Simenon concentrated on charatcer and mood as much as plot to tell his stories.
Another interesting fact that emerges in this particular story is Maigret is already in his mid-forties, so again, Simenon shows good ability at writing about mature characters. This of course, improved with the later titles, but all the ingredients that came together so brilliantly when the series hit its stride are in evidence here.
Plotwise, it's engaging enough, but it feels a bit rushed at the end, and strands of the story need to be explained by Maigret to the magistrate to bring things to a meaningful conclusion. Overall, an entertaining enough early title in the series.
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