Charles Milou Books

Set in the in the atmospheric and squalid streets of Paris, Maigret sets out to prove the innocence of a man condemned to death for a brutal murder. In another one of Maigret's unconventional and audacious plans, he arranges the escape of the condemned man in an attempt to prove his theory. The presumed murderer goes on the run across Paris and its suburbs, dropping misleading clues along the way and leading Maigret into the labyrinthine twists of the mystery. Maigret is in for more than he bargained for, as he encounters rich American expatriates, dangerous foreigners and their hidden motives.

When an ominous note predicting the time and place of a death finds its way to Maigret's desk in Paris, his investigation brings him to Saint-Fiacre, the place of his birth. It isn't long before a darkness descends on Maigret and the town, as the prediction becomes a brutal reality and the Inspector discovers he is not welcome in the place he once called home. As much a thriller as a meditation on alienation, The Saint-Fiacre Affair displays Simenon's unique and searing perspective of the struggles we all are forced to endure.

" Il s'appelle Poil de Carotte au point que la famille hésite avant de retrouver son vrai nom de baptême. " Pourquoi l'appelez-vous Poil de Carotte ? A cause de ses cheveux jaunes ? - Son âme est encore plus jaune ", dit Mme Lepic. " Une approche attrayante de l'œuvre et de son auteur. Le texte du roman est suivi de notes éclairant les difficultés de vocabulaire et d'un dossier documentaire qui comprend quatre parties : Contextes (chronologie, place dans l'œuvre ), Aspects du récit (style, personnages), Thématique et Divers (sujets de travaux, conseils de lecture).