The Madman of Bergerac [Paperback]

I am not mad. Salvador Dali.

That premise, so aptly stated by Salvador Dali, forms the philosophy that guides Inspector Maigret in his search for the person the inhabitants of the quaint French town of Dordogne consider to be a maniacal killer. The fact that this premise deeply offends the bourgeoisie sensibilities of the townsfolk of Dordogne seems not to matter overly much to Maigret although it certainly added to the enjoyment of reading Georges Simenon's "The Madman of Bergerac".

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 versions. Simenon also authored dozens of books that he described as "romans durs", roughly translated as`hard stories' that had a darker tone than his Maigret novels. Simenon seems 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'. Penguin's latest Inspector Maigret Mystery reissue, "The Madman of Bergerac" is a fine example of the Simenon's craft and a fine example of Simenon's craftsmanship.

In the absence of a book description I think it appropriate to set out the basic plot of the book. Set in 1932, it is a warm, sunny March in Paris and since Inspector Maigret is not particularly busy and his wife is out of town he decides to take up the open invitation to visit is his retired former colleague Inspector Leduc. Leduc has a cottage near Dordogne in south-west France. Unable to sleep on the overnight train ride because of the disturbing noises made by the fellow in the upper berth, Maigret follows his berth-mate into the corridor to get some air. He is so astonished to see the man jump off the train as it slows down around a curve in the tracks on its approach to a station that he jumps off the train in pursuit. The man immediately shoots Maigret. Maigret is found and taken to hospital where he is accused by the police of being "the madman of Bergerac", a killer who has already killed two local girls. Once he is identified as a police inspector from Paris, Maigret sets out to solve the crimes. However, due to his wounds Simenon is confined to his bed. He sends for his wife to assist him and quickly begins and completes the investigation while confined to bed-rest.

As implied at the beginning of the review, Maigret insists that the killer is very likely a local who appears to one and all to be perfectly sane - apart from the fact that he every now and again commits a brutal murder. This theory is considered insulting by the townsfolk but Maigret is not deterred and the investigation continues.

Simenon's Inspector Maigret mysteries are often compared to Christie's Hercule Poirot mysteries. There are many resemblances to be sure. There are some major differences however worth noting. The chief differences seem to me to be Simenon's darker touch and his rather cynical feelings toward the more `respectable' members of French society. This is very evident in the "Madman of Bergerac" but it is not so intrusive that it gets in the way of the story and telling the story always seems to be Simenon's main focus. Simenon treats words with respect and doesn't use more than seems necessary to advance the story.

Finally, for me, the centerpiece of any detective story of this type is the character of the detective. In the case of Maigret, the more I read of him the more I enjoy his character. This was a fast-paced well written story that can be read in one or two sittings. Recommended. L. Fleisig

Reading Simenon is like eating pistachios--it soon becomes compulsive because the item consumed is so tasty. In "The Madman," Inspector Maigret is laid up in a provincial French town after being wounded by a man he was tracking (for his own, not police, reasons). Intrigued by rumors of a "madman" on the loose in this town, Simenon begins his own bedside investigation into the crime. Without benefit of even a wheelchair to survey much of the town's layout (a lá Jimmy Stewart in "Rear Window," which this novel predates by several decades), Maigret's insight into human nature is such that, within the confines of 150 or so pages, he pieces together what is happening, unraveling a host of small-town hypocricies along the way. My only complaint about the Maigret novels (and what keeps me holding back the fifth of five stars from my review) is that, unlike Simenon's "dark" novels, they have "happy endings"; i.e., the bad guy is caught. Reality often veers away from our desires for "closure," yet even with the Maigret novels, Simenon lays bare the thin skrim that separates civility from ruthlessness.

This features Inspector Maigret who followed a man off the train and was shot in the process. His description of the small town and its snobbery and foibles is wonderful. He searches for the Madman of Bergerac who is a murderer terrorizing the small town of Bergerac.

All in all a most enjoyable read.

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