The Two-Penny Bar

Inspector Maigret, Book 11

By: Georges Simenon

Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong

Length: 3 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

In this new translation of Simenon's twisted tale, a forgotten crime comes to light in the Parisian summer. The sunshine almost as thick as syrup in the quiet streets of the Left Bank...there are days like this, when ordinary life seems heightened, when the people walking down the street, the trams and cars all seem to exist in a fairy tale. A story told by a condemned man leads Maigret to a bar by the Seine and into the sleazy underside of respectable Parisian life. In the oppressive heat of summer, a forgotten crime comes to light.

Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels. Georges Simenon was born in Liège, Belgium, in 1903. Best known in Britain as the author of the Maigret books, 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.

©2014 Georges Simenon (P)2014 Audible Studios

Critic reviews

"Compelling, remorseless, brilliant" John Gray
"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)

Not the best Maigret

The story was a little hard to follow in the beginning. Toward the end it picked up and had a satisfactory conclusion.

At the haberdasher's

Maigret is on his way to meet his wife who is staying en famille in Alsace. But first, he'd better replace that tatty bowler. After all, as Madame said, "People are throwing coins in the street!"

At the haberdasher's, he meets with a top-hatted man on the way to the Two Penny Bar, a place that leads him back to a case six years before, and the words of a condemned man about the murder of a man named Ulrich.

Once more, Madame must wait. Maigret's off again, and his curiosity leads him into a group of riparian revelers and reprobates, a shooting that was probably not an accident, and a prisoner on the loose.

Madame writes to say the harvest of prunelles is extraordinary. Good thing, too. At this rate, she might still be there for the late mirabelles.

There are many comic touches in this one, as well as the usual quantity of sorrow and stress. Very well done.

This is one of my favorite Maigret stories.

This is a bit different than the usual Maigret, and one of the very best.

If you love Maigret avoid this title

Simenon writes many great (short) books, Gareth Armstrong is a wonderful performer. This book is a dud. I will still read other Maigrets but I've been mislead on this one. People deserve an honest review. Most of the set up is surreal and Kafkaesque. We're in some kind of riverside weekend getaway location. Maigret is spending time there alone while his wife is away yet still seems to be at work. It's implausible, boring and tedious. Somebody's killed. Somebody did it. The bits in between are perjury. C'est la vie. Not all Simenon's books are satisfying and enjoyable. I hope this review is prominent because you'll think more of Simenon for having avoided it.