‘Acute psychological insight and a distinctive, spare, atmospheric style … Simenon ought to be spoken of in the same breath as Camus, Beckett and Kafka’ Independent on Sunday

''The father of contemporary European detective fiction'' Ann Cleeves

All that was still unclear, for sure. Ernest Malik had been right when he had looked at Maigret with a smile that was a mixture of sarcasm and contempt. This wasn''t a case for him. He was out of his depth. This world was unfamiliar to him, and he had difficulty piecing it all together.

Peacefully tending his garden in the countryside, Maigret is called upon to investigate a rich family with skeletons in their cupboard - and finds himself confronted by lies, snobbery and malice.

''His artistry is supreme'' John Banville

‘Gem-hard soul-probes . . . not just the world''s bestselling detective series, but an imperishable literary legend . . . he exposes secrets and crimes not by forensic wizardry, but by the melded powers of therapist, philosopher and confessor’ Boyd Tonkin, The Times