| One day, Maigret visits Jean Lenoir, a criminal, in his cell to tell him that his reprieve was not granted. Lenoir starts to talk about something very different, how one day someone dumped a body in canal Saint-Martin and how he and his friend Victor had seen him and blackmailed him. In time, he lost track of him but he run into him once at the inn Guinguette a Deux Sous. Some time later, when Maigret is buying a hat, he overhears a man planning to go to that inn and follows him. The man's name was Marcel Basso. A few days later the Inspector finds out that this Marcel Basso killed a man called Feinstein.
Feinstein's wife, Mado, was Basso's mistress and when Feinnstein had tried to get money from Basso and threatened to kill himself if he could not they struggled for the gun and Feistein was killed. Basso was arrested but he escaped. At the Taverne Royale, Maigret makes a new drinking partner, James who works in an English bank in Place Vendome. He returns to the inn even if he promised Madame Maigret to go to Alsace. There he encounters a man called Victor Gaillard in who Maigret recognizes Jean Lenoir's partner. But Victor does not want to say who the murderer they once blackmailed was. Basso was arrested again while trying to run away with his wife and children and he puts him in Victor's cell. Now, the inspector has two dilemmas: why did his drinking partner, James tried to help Basso to flee and who was the mysterious murderer and why did the two partners protect his identity? | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - Dry-cynical How difficult to spot villain? - Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - nearly 100% Misc. Murder Plotlets - solving long-past murder Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book descript. of violence and chases - 40 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 40's-50's Ethnicity/Race Unusual characteristics: Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - money/treasure How sensitive is this character? Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting Europe Yes European country: - France Misc setting - prison Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths Unusual forms of death - perforation--bullets Unusual form of death? Yes Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog |
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