Georges Simenon wrote 75 novels and 28 short stories about Maigret, the heavy-set, plodding, pipe-smoking, and deeply insightful Chief of Detective Inspectors of the Police Judiciare on the Quay de Orfevres, and this story, the 62nd in the series published late in Simenon’s career is a good one.

I have the entire collection of 75 novels in paperbacks and hard covers in my library in Vermont, most of them bought at used bookstores over the decades, and several of them are original, green or orange-covered Penguin editions. I  had hoped to add another original Penguin paperback bought at a bookstand along the Seine, but after several tries without success including a visit to Shakespeare & Co, I gave up and bought this new Penguin edition at Simpson on the Rue Rivioli, an English bookstore established in 1870.

It’s a classic Maigret. The shooting victim in this book is a policeman, a detective inspector in the 18th named Lognon and nicknamed Luckless due to his poor fortunes on the police force and in his marriage.  When Lognon is found shot and nearly dead on Rue Junot, Maigret goes into action eventually focussing on Norris Junker, a wealthy art collector whose house was across the street from the attempted murder.

In his usual manner, Maigret noses around the neighborhood and the Junker’s home and lives until the crime becomes clear. It’s a complex and subtle story and worth reading.

I loved reading a Maigret in Paris where I not only could follow the intrepid detective’s path on Google maps as I do from home but also visit his home located at 132 Boulevard Richard-Lenoir, Police headquarters at 32 Quay de Orfevres, and even Rue Junot, the scene of the crime.

If you don’t know Maigret, find a Simenon and read it. They’re short, easy, entertaining, and a taste of Paris in the mid-20th C.