A Crime in Holland (Inspector Maigret Book 7)

I have been reading through the Penguin reissues of the Inspector Maigret novels, and this is the first one that I can say I actively disliked in the end. Although I like the character of Maigret a great deal and also love individual scenes within the novels, I have to say that so far the stories themselves have not always come together as a satisfying whole. Perhaps my biggest complaint is on full exhibition in this one: the fact that the underlying mystery seems to always to come out of the blue from an all-knowing Maigret rather than being unfolded in a way that teases and enlightens the reader in careful steps.In this case, a Dutch academic has been murdered, and in somewhat cliche fashion we are given, literally, a list of the prime suspects in the first couple pages. Each one, plus a couple additional possible perpetrators, is interviewed or confronted in turn by Maigret, who appears to have a number of unrevealed hunched about the entire situation -- pretty much all of which turn out to be correct. The latter portion of the novel then consists of a somewhat ridiculous and also cliche attempt to have everyone re-enact the evening of the murder, a strategy which appears to have little value other than filling a number of pages, since Maigret already knows who the guilty part is. In the end, the solution to the mystery hinges on convenient coincidences which, to my mind, are really not under the killer's control, and looking back, I find the whole thing rather contrived, almost a parody of the "Golden Age" type of locked-room mystery, in the broadest sense. Still, the character interactions are well-done, though again Simenon paints them in thick strokes, with much of the nuance and texture implied rather than made explicit. The first half is a good read; the last third rather boring and trite.

A murder and several likely prospects. A careful re-enactment helps Maigret to undercover the perpetrator. Dogged police care works for him in another case

all of Simenon,s Maigret books are between 4 and 5 star This one is no exception good story great people. Only thing be careful to make sure your Maigret books are by Simenon and not other authors, because the real Maigret is only written by Simeono. Will be happy when the entire collection of 77 books are available in English and on Kindel. You can not make a mistake buying this book

Excellent Kindle edition. One of my favorite Maigret's. A story of sex, frustrated love, and cold-blooded murder, with one of Simonen's most memorable characters: Beetzji Liewens, an eighteen-year old diva with youthful eroticism and a seductive bosom. A respectable man is murdered and Maigret carves his way through the Dutch toy village to solve the case. Humorous and tragic.

I have loved all of Inspector Maigret books which I started reading 50 yrs ago.......George Simenon.A good mystery.......once you start reading this book you won't be able to stop....smile.the clues, the people, as he talks to them, they think they can fool him, but he smokes and listens.......and at the end............................he know's who did it and why, and some of them are surprised...even ME....haha. No sex, just a good old fashioned mystery.

We discovered Maigret on PBS and decided to read a book or two. We then discovered George Simenon wrote 75 Maigret mysteries. So far we have 12 of them and we haven't been disappointed yet.

Enjoying all the Simenon books that Penguin Classics are publishing on my Kindle Papeerwhite.

A little contorted to try to accommodate the visit of a non-Dutch speaking detective to a primarily Dutch-speaking village and the mix of characters. Somewhat confusing as to who spoke what, despite occasional reminders in the story.

I don’t think Maigret novels travel well outside France. As the title states, this one is set in Holland to where Maigret has been assigned to help a French national suspected of murder. Needless to say, Maigret soon edges out his Dutch counterpart in leading the investigation. The book is an odd mixture of a travelogue describing a now-vanished Holland (sailors wearing wooden clogs) and a closed room murder mystery worthy of Agatha Christie. Only one or two characters come alive and the story doesn’t really engage. That said, Simenon is a true writer and even one of his weaker books is worth your time.

A Crime In Holland is typical of the early Maigret novels. It starts well, and shows Simenon's interest in themes that he explored more successfully in his later work. Here, Maigret investigates a murder in a quiet, insular Dutch town, where passions and deceptions lurk beneath apparently still waters. Nothing much happens, and yet everything happens. Surprisingly subtle and well-controlled storytelling for an author still under 30, the signature feature of the early Maigret's prevails here as it does in other titles from this period. The book lurches to a rapid and slightly unsatisfactory conclusion, with a particularly short final chapter that links the strands of the plot together at a point in time some two years after the events outlined in the book. Shades of Agatha Christie are to be found here in the sequence where Maigret gathers everyone involved to explain the solution to the murder. Thankfully Simenon moved on from such formulaic devices fairly swiftly. Okay, but nothing special.

How does Maigret investigate when he can't speak the language in a strange culture with no official status? Read on.

......Inspector Maigret, 72 in total. Quirky and interesting characterisations, this time a case in Holland. Evocatibpve of time and place.

A slow read. I'm beginning wonder if these recent translations haven't something to do with this or because the originals were a bit long winded to begin with. It was a neat idea having M trying to solve a crime in a country where his native tongue was of little use to him but did it work? Hmmm.