Bleach Vol 18

Georges Simenon was born in Belgium in 1903. At 16 he was a reporter on his local newspaper; at 19 he moved to Paris to become a - very prolific - novelist. In all he wrote 400 novels, 75 of them about the legendary detective Inspector Maigret. Those whose memories stretch back to black-and-white television will still remember vividly the evocative music, and the sight of Maigret thoughtfully lighting his pipe, which introduced the long, hugely popular, series. The Yellow Dog, first published in 1931, takes Maigret to Concarneau, a small Breton fishing town pounded by Atlantic rollers. A small group of local dignitaries meet regularly in the cafe of the Admiral Hotel to drink and gossip. As the story opens one of them - a popular wine-dealer - is shot in the abdomen and badly, though not fatally, wounded whilst attempting to shelter from the wind in the doorway of a derelict house in order to light his pipe. The bullet appears to have come through the letter-box of the house, and when the door is forced open there are signs of recent occupation, including muddy footprints of a man, and a dog. The man has vanished, but the dog joins the curious group attracted by the sound of the shot. It is a large yellow dog, which no one has seen before - and it, too, is wounded. The next day, at the agitated request of Concarneau's mayor, Inspector Maigret arrives, installs himself in the Admiral Hotel and begins his inquiries. There are further sinister events - a death by strychnine poison is the only fatal one, but something distinctly odd is going on in the normally quiet, well-behaved town, and panic begins to set in. Maigret, however, remains calm and with the help of his colleague Inspector Leroy unhurriedly pursues his objective. Inspector Leroy is puzzled by his method. Maigret patiently explains that he does not have a single method but treats each assignment differently. In this case he is 'running the investigation backwards.... It's a question of atmosphere, of faces...'. Whatever that means, it works - and keeps the reader glued to the page throughout. (Kirkus UK)