- Paperback: 144 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Classics (31 Aug 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0141025913
- ISBN-13: 978-0141025919
- Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 11 x 1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 298,322 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
The small French town of Concarneau is a summer resort. In winter it becomes the deserted, rainswept scene for a series of murder attempts that attract the interest of Maigret. While his assistant Leroy uses "science" and "deductions" to trace the murderer, Maigret's instincts unerringly guide him to the real killer past a labyrinth of fascinating characters: a paranoid failed medical doctor turned real-estate shark; a passive, working class waitress whose heart secretly burns a torch of passion; an aristocratic politician who pressures Maigret to "make some arrests"; and a snarling stray dog that knows the murderer's real identity.
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.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Friday, 7 November. Concarneau is empty. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Friday, 7 November. Concarneau is empty. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format: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 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, "The Yellow Dog" was a fun book to read and is as good a place to start for anyone wishing t discover (or re-read) Simenon.
The Yellow Dog, written in 1931, is set on a fishing town in Concarneau, France. One of the town's leading citizens has been shot. A series of murders or attempted murders soon follow. At the same time a stray, rather mangy looking yellow dog is wandering around the town. Inspector Maigret is sent to clear up the mess. In so doing he must deal with panicked locals, an irate mayor demanding an end to the affair, and a cast of characters who each, in their way, have done something to make themselves suspicious. The rest of the story involves Maigret's attempt to unravel the chain of events and find the guilty party or guilty parties.
This is a `classic' detective story in the sense that Simenon does not stray for the general formula or boundaries found in classic stories by Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie. There are twists and turns in the plot, red herrings, and fake clues, but eventually justice (or some semblance of justice) is served.
What sets Simenon apart is the character of Maigret and the supporting cast. Maigret was, or seems, ahead of his times in his aversion to `higher authority'. He also seems to have a deep and clearly defined set of moral values that does not necessarily coincide with the values held by his higher ups or by those reporters or office holders that seem to second guess his every move. This personality, this ahead of its time jaundiced eye, may explain the resurgence of interest in his books.
The Yellow Dog is an enjoyable read.
The Yellow Dog, written in 1931, is set on a fishing town in Concarneau, France. One of the town's leading citizens has been shot. A series of murders or attempted murders soon follow. At the same time a stray, rather mangy looking yellow dog is wandering around the town. Inspector Maigret is sent to clear up the mess. In so doing he must deal with panicked locals, an irate mayor demanding an end to the affair, and a cast of characters who each, in their way, have done something to make themselves suspicious. The rest of the story involves Maigret's attempt to unravel the chain of events and find the guilty party or guilty parties.
This is a `classic' detective story in the sense that Simenon does not stray for the general formula or boundaries found in classic stories by Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie. There are twists and turns in the plot, red herrings, and fake clues, but eventually justice (or some semblance of justice) is served.
What sets Simenon apart is the character of Maigret and the supporting cast. Maigret was, or seems, ahead of his times in his aversion to `higher authority'. He also seems to have a deep and clearly defined set of moral values that does not necessarily coincide with the values held by his higher ups or by those reporters or office holders that seem to second guess his every move. This personality, this ahead of its time jaundiced eye, may explain the resurgence of interest in his books.
The Yellow Dog is an enjoyable read.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This was my first Simenon and a good introduction. However, as much as the story was interesting, it was what he described of Concarneau and environs that I found fascinating. I now want to see the setting! In my view, not as good as Morse but not far off.
Format:Paperback
Simenon dashed off 11 Maigret titles in 1931, and "The Yellow Dog" is arguably one of the weaker ones to emerge from this first clutch of titles. Set away from Paris, the Maigret series lacks the bite and social commentary that makes others in the series so enjoyable - even the early titles, where the characters and writing are a little rough around the edges.
Atmospheric enough as vintage thrillers go, the book still retains some appeal as a way of re-visiting a way of life long since disappeared. Provincial jealousies, scheming and black deeds from past events come back to haunt the cast list of characters here, but Maigret himself seems out of place and ill at ease amongst the goings on.
It doesn't quite work, and the last few chapters seem to rush the plot strands together rather unconvincingly. As usual, the page count is pretty slight, so the book doen't take too much time to complete, but there are certainly more compelling entries in the series than this one.
Atmospheric enough as vintage thrillers go, the book still retains some appeal as a way of re-visiting a way of life long since disappeared. Provincial jealousies, scheming and black deeds from past events come back to haunt the cast list of characters here, but Maigret himself seems out of place and ill at ease amongst the goings on.
It doesn't quite work, and the last few chapters seem to rush the plot strands together rather unconvincingly. As usual, the page count is pretty slight, so the book doen't take too much time to complete, but there are certainly more compelling entries in the series than this one.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Dog days in Brittany
"The Yellow Dog" is an enjoyable short read that was published early in the Inspector Maigret series (1931). Read more
Published 6 months ago by Blue in Washington
Not your average Maigret thriller
The Yellow Dog (Le Chien Jaune) has many of the characteristics typical of a Georges Simenon thriller, even if it initially seems like there are going to be rather a few more... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Keris Nine
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