In the 21st book in the Maigret series and the second one published in 1942 after an interval of 8 years without a Maigret, we find the Chief Detective Inspector in his beloved Paris exploring the cellars of a deluxe hotel where a woman has been found strangled and  stuffed into locker 89.  All signs point to Prosper Dongue, the man in charge of the coffee operation in the hotel’s cellar, where another world exists, separated from the wealthy travelers occupying the Majestic’s upper floors.  The evidence against Dongue is so compelling that the Judge has him arrested before Maigret can even begin to weave his magic, but weave it he does, spending hours in the cellars soaking up the atmosphere and the aura of the place.  When a second murder there occurs days later, Dongue is even more the likely culprit but not in Maigret’s eyes.

Once again, our intrepid Chief Inspector hangs around, chats with random people, goes into one of his famous semi-trances, and emerges with a clear idea of who the real murderer is.  All ends up well, except of course for Mrs. Oswald Clark (aka Mimi from the nightclub in Cannes) and the night porter Collebouf who ended up in the locker.

Good to have our Chief Inspector back in Paris where he belongs.