The quintessential French detective returns with an irresistible three volume collection of classic crime novels, each carefully chosen by The Folio Society’s editors to represent the very best of Jules Maigret.
In Maigret in Society, Maigret Sets a Trap and Maigret’s Mistake, we see the detective wrestle with the upper echelons of the French aristocracy, attempt to foil a crazed murderer on the streets of Paris, and investigate the pervasive influence of a charismatic brain surgeon. Full of the psychological astuteness and elegant writing that made Simenon enormously popular with his fellow writers as well as readers, these three volumes are produced in series with The Folio Society’s first Maigret collection.
George Simenon was a prolific writer, but it is for the creation of the French detective Jules Maigret that he is most celebrated. Although born in Belgium, Simenon moved to Paris with his lover Régine Renchon in 1922, and became deeply familiar with the city’s lively nightlife, especially its bars, bistros and restaurants. This intimacy flavours his Maigret novels, creating what Julian Barnes called ‘Maigretland’: a romanticised version of France that nevertheless retains a sense of grit amongst the glamour.
For this three-volume Maigret set, Harry Brockway has turned his eye once again to the classic French detective, creating a series of bold black and white wood-engravings that capture the atmosphere and emotional heft of Georges Simenon’s works. The bindings feature a striking image of the detective himself, while the title is blocked in silver on the clothcovered slipcase.
The Folio Society’s Maigret Set 2, which includes Maigret in Society, Maigret Sets a Trap, Maigret’s Mistake by Georges Simeon, illustrated by Harry Brockway, is available exclusively from The Folio Society.
