'Maigret would have found it difficult to formulate an opinion of him. Intelligent, yes, certainly, and highly so, as far as one could tell from what lay beneath some of his utterances. Yet alongside that, there was a naive, rather childish side to him.' Maigret is savouring a beautiful spring morning in Paris when an aspiring film-maker draws his attention to a much less inspiring scene, one where ever-changing loyalties can have tragic consequences. Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations.

Maigret shrugged his shoulders, buried his hands in his pockets and went off without answering. He had just spent one of the most wretched days in his life. For hours, in his corner he had felt old and feeble, without idea or incentive. But now a tiny flame flickered. 'You bet we'll see' he growled. Maigret's peaceful retirement in the countryside is disrupted when a relative unwittingly embroils himself in a crime he did not commit and the inspector returns to Police Headquarters in Paris once again.

Avant d’ouvrir les yeux, Maigret fronca les sourcils, comme s’il se fut mefie de cette voix qui venait lui crier tout au fond de son sommeil : – Mon oncle !… Les paupieres toujours closes, il soupira, tatonna le drap de lit et comprit qu’il ne revait pas, qu’il se passait quelque chose puisque sa main n’avait pas rencontre, la ou il eut du etre, le corps chaud de Mme Maigret. Il ouvrit enfin les yeux. La nuit etait claire. Mme Maigret, debout pres de la fenetre a petits carreaux, ecartait le rideau cependant qu’en bas quelqu’un secouait la porte et que le bruit se repercutait dans toute la maison. – Mon oncle ! C’est moi…

Eyes half-closed, head tilted against the back of his seat, he seemed not to be thinking, as the plane flew over a thick carpet of bright clouds. In reality, he was making an effort to bring names and shadowy figures to life, names and figures that even this morning had been as unknown to him as the inhabitants of another planet. The attempted suicide of a countess and the death of a billionaire in the same luxury Paris hotel send Maigret to the Riviera and then to Switzerland, as he searches for the truth amid the glittering world of the super-rich. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Maigret and the Millionaires.

'Maigret looked at him in some confusion, wondering if he waas dealing with a skilful actor or, on the contrary, with a sickly little man who found consolation in a subtle sense of humour.' A series of anonymous letters lead Maigret into the wealthy household of an eminent laywer and a curious game of cat and mouse with Paris high society.

Le petit vieux a barbichette sortait a nouveau de l’ombre de l’entrepot, a reculons, regardait a gauche et a droite, avec un geste des deux mains comme pour attirer vers lui le lourd camion dont il dirigeait la man?uvre. Ses mains disaient : – Un peu a droite… La… Tout droit… Doucement…A gauche… maintenant… Braquez… Et le camion, en marche arriere aussi, traversait maladroitement le trottoir, s’engageait dans la rue ou le petit vieux, maintenant, faisait signe aux voitures de s’arreter un instant.

Супруги Мегрэ по настоятельной рекомендации врача отправились на курорт в Виши. Они гуляют, пьют целебную минеральную воду - в общем, отдыхают. И тут, как по заказу, на безмятежном курорте происходит убийство. Дело ведет бывший коллега Мегрэ по парижской уголовной полиции. Привыкший к бурной деятельности комиссар скучает без привычной работы и приходит на помощь к местной полиции. Неадаптированный текст романа снабжен комментариями и словарем. Книга предназначена для студентов языковых вузов и всех любителей детективного жанра, владеющих французским языком.

В доме, где живет состоятельная респектабельная публика, обнаружен труп молодой женщины, бывшей проститутки. Почему она погибла, кто стрелял в нее? Комиссар Мегрэ, как всегда, с блеском, разбирается в деталях преступления и в его подоплеке. Неадаптированный текст на языке оригинала снабжен словарем и комментариями. Книга предназначена для студентов языковых вузов и всех любителей детективного жанра, владеющих французским языком. Подготовка текста, комментарии и словарь: О.П. Панайотти

'The palm trees around the railway station were motionless, fixed in a Saharan sun . . . It really felt as if they were stepping into another world, and they were embarrassed to be entering it in the dark clothes that had been suited to the rainy streets of Paris the evening before.' An officer from Scotland Yard is studying Maigret's methods when a call from an island off the Cote d'Azure sends the two men off to an isolated community to investigate its eccentric inhabitants. Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations.

Introducing Little Clothbound Classics: irresistible, mini editions of short stories, novellas and essays from the world's greatest writers, designed by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith Celebrating the range and diversity of Penguin Classics, they take us from snowy Japan to springtime Vienna, from haunted New England to a sun-drenched Mediterranean island, and from a game of chess on the ocean to a love story on the moon. Beautifully designed and printed, these collectible editions are bound in colourful, tactile cloth and stamped with foil. Georges Simenon's brilliant pipe-smoking detective, Jules Maigret, is one of the most beloved literary creations of the twentieth century. In this adventure, an officer from Scotland Yard is studying Maigret's methods when a call from an island off the Cote d'Azure sends the two men off to an isolated community to investigate its eccentric inhabitants.

'This was natural. It is the same everywhere. Rarely, however, had Maigret had such a strong sense of a clique. In a small town like this, of course there are the worthies, who are few and who inevitably meet each other several times a day, even if it is only in the street. Then there are the others, like those who stood huddled on the sidelines looking disgruntled.' Maigret's impromptu visit to an old college friend draws him into a murky investigation in a small provincial town ruled by snobbery, fear and intimidation.

They suddenly found themselves in an impersonal world, where everyday words no longer seemed to mean anything, where the most mundane details were translated into unintelligible formulae. The judges' black gowns, the ermine, the prosecutor's red robe further added to the impression of a ceremony set in stone where the individual counted for nothing Maigret receives an anonymous phone call concerning the brutal murder of a woman and young child. The tip off concerns the woman's nephew, a mild-mannered man by the name of Gaston Meurant. Maigret remains unconvinced of the man's guilt and at his trial exposes some shocking truths about Meurant's private life that may prove his innocence.

'He opened the door for her and watched her walk away down the huge corridor, then hesitate at the top of the stairs. Heads turned as she passed. You sensed she came from a different world, the world of the night, and there was something almost indecent about her in the harsh light of a winter's day' A young cabaret dancer in a black silk dress leads Maigret into a seamy world of nightclubs, drug addiction and exploitation on the streets of Montmartre. This novel has been published in previous translations as Maigret and the Strangled Stripper and Maigret in Montmartre.

For the first time in his career Inspector Maigret receives written summons to the Prefect's office where he learns that he has been accused of assaulting a young woman. With his career and reputation on the line, Maigret must fight to prove his innocence. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Maigret on the Defensive.

Standing here at the window in the middle of the morning, vaguely observing the comings and goings in the street, he had a feeling that reminded of certain days in his childhood, when his mother was still alive and he was off school because he had the 'flu or it was the end of term. It was the feeling of finding out 'what went on when he wasn't there'. Inspector Maigret is meant to be taking a holiday, but he can't resist following the development of his colleague Janvier's case in the papers - and playing a few tricks on the way. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Maigret's Little Joke.

'What else did they have to do with their days? They ambled around casually. From time to time, they paused, not because they were out of breath but to admire a tree, a house, the play of light and shadow, or a face.' While taking a much-needed rest cure in Vichy with his wife, Maigret feels compelled to help with a local investigation, unravelling the secrets of the spa town's elegant inhabitants. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Maigret Takes the Waters.