When Maigret discovers an unexpectedly flamboyant detail about an otherwise unremarkable man, the inspector is determined to uncover what lies beneath the stuffy appearance of his Parisian household. 'He was wearing a dark suit, a beige raincoat and on his feet, which were twisted at an odd angle, he wore yellow-brown shoes, which seemed out of keeping with a day as colourless as this. Apart from his shoes he looked so ordinary that he would have passed completely unnoticed on the street or on one of the numerous cafe terraces on the boulevard.' Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. 'His artistry is supreme' John Banville 'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century ...Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian 'A supreme writer ...unforgettable vividness' Independent

Author Biography

Georges Simenon was born in Liege, Belgium, in 1903. He is best know in Britain as the author of the Maigret novels and his prolific output of over 400 novels and short stories have made him a household name in continental Europe. He died in 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he had lived for the latter part of his life.