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Maigret and the Headless Corpse Book Summary and Study Guide

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of Maigret and the Headless Corpse


The dismembered body of a man is found in the Saint-Martin Canal. Maigret stops at a small café in the neighborhood, near Quai de Valmy, and is intrigued by the proprietress, Aline Calas, who is unusually taciturn. He slowly begins to wonder if the body might be her husband, Omer Calas, supposedly away on a trip. Eventually that proves to be the case, when she turns out to be an heiress who hated her father, and ran away with a married man 25 years earlier. A lawyer, Mr. Canonge's search for heirs brought him to her café, and though she wanted no part of it, Omer discovered the facts of the inheritance, and Aline's lover, Dieudonne Pape, killed him when he came in while Omer was beating her into writing to accept the inheritance.
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The review of this Book prepared by Dana Samson



Chapter Analysis of Maigret and the Headless Corpse

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Plot & Themes

Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases 30%Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives 30%Feelings, relationships, character bio/development 20%How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) 20% Tone of story    -   Dry-cynical How difficult to spot villain?    -   Difficult, but some clues given Time/era of story:    -   1960's-1970's What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot?    -   nearly 100% Kind of investigator    -   police procedural, Foreign Kid or adult book?    -   Adult or Young Adult Book Crime Thriller    -   Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown)    -   Yes

Main Character

Gender    -   Male Profession/status:    -   police/lawman Age:    -   40's-50's Ethnicity/Race    -   French Unusual characteristics:    -   Super genius

Setting

Europe    -   Yes European country:    -   France

Writing Style

Accounts of torture and death?    -   generic/vague references to death/punishment Unusual forms of death    -   decapitated Unusual form of death?    -   Yes Amount of dialog    -   significantly more descript than dialog

Books with storylines, themes & endings like Maigret and the Headless Corpse

Georges Simenon Books Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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