Chief Superintendent Jules Maigret investigates the death of a well-groomed vagrant in Paris with few clues. As the victim’s identity is unraveled, Maigret grapples with a drinking problem. A slow-paced narrative picks up when an anonymous call leads to the murderer’s identification. Maigret’s tenacity unravels the truth in this gripping tale of two murders.
Category Archives: france
Maigret and the Loner by Georges Simenon
Chief Superintendent Maigret investigates the death of a well-groomed vagrant in Paris, dealing with personal struggles while untangling a complex case.
Epitaph for a Spy by Eric Ambler
Eric Ambler is the Agatha Christie of thriller writers – there’s never been a better one and this story proves the point as any one of the guests at the Reserve pension on the French Rivieria could have been the spy who caused the chief protagonist, Josef Vadassy, so many problems. Vadassy is under threatContinue reading “Epitaph for a Spy by Eric Ambler”
The Tenth Man by Graham Greene
Graham Greene wrote The Tenth Man in 1944 when he was under a two-year contract with MGM. The manuscript lay forgotten in their archives until 1983 . It was published two years later. This story starts with 30 men in a German prison cell in occupied France. As a reprisal for three murders by theContinue reading “The Tenth Man by Graham Greene”
Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
The first James Bond book that Ian Fleming wrote and I recognised some of the details from the 2006 film of the same name. Le Chiffre is a nearly bankrupt member of the secretive SMERSH organisation (SMERSH is a conjunction of two Russian words: ‘Smyert Shpionam’ meaning roughly ‘Death to Spies’. Le Chiffre and BondContinue reading “Casino Royale by Ian Fleming”
Cross of Fire by Colin Forbes
This is an extremely long thriller at over 550 pages. It needs to be though as there are so many characters not all of whom are what they seem to be at first appearance. The good people are: Paula Grey, Newman (who appears to be in a permanent bad mood), Nield, Butler, Tweed, and Marler.Continue reading “Cross of Fire by Colin Forbes”
Marshlands by Andre Gide
This is autofiction, a form of fictionalized autobiography. Autofiction combines two mutually inconsistent narrative forms, namely autobiography and fiction. The protagonist of Marshlands is a writer who is writing a book called Marshlands about a reclusive character who lives in a tower and can fish out of his windows. The narrator or protagonist is someoneContinue reading “Marshlands by Andre Gide”
Night at the Crossroads by Georges Simenon
Georges Simenon books are so easy to read. There’s snippets of conversation, vivid descriptions of the countryside, and a mystery thrown in for good measure. Maigret investigates a crime at the Three Widows Crossroads where a diamond dealer is found dead at the wheel of a car that’s in the wrong garage. In this tale,Continue reading “Night at the Crossroads by Georges Simenon”
Night at the Crossroads by Georges Simenon
Georges Simenon books are so easy to read. There’s snippets of conversation, vivid descriptions of the countryside, and a mystery thrown in for good measure. Maigret investigates a crime at the Three Widows Crossroads where a diamond dealer is found dead at the wheel of a car that’s in the wrong garage. In this tale,Continue reading “Night at the Crossroads by Georges Simenon”
Book Review – A Sentimental Journey
This is the story of Yorick, a sentimental traveller, who on a whim decides to journey from England first to France and then head towards Turin in Italy. His journey takes him via Calais, Amiens, Rennes, and Versailles to Paris. Yorick doesn’t describe his impressions of the places he visits, the monuments, the architecture orContinue reading “Book Review – A Sentimental Journey”
Julian Worker Fiction Writing 