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The Group at the Grand-Café Book Summary and Study Guide

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of The Group at the Grand-Café


Maigret, in retirement at Meung-sur-Loire, has taken to spending his days playing manille at the Grand Café, where he has become one of the regulars. The other players sometimes vary, including Hubert, the butcher, whose shop is across the way, Urbain, the veterinarian mayor, Citroën, the mechanic, the blacksmith, and sometimes the café owner played as well. One evening, after the game, the news came in that the butcher had been killed. He'd had a lot of cash with him and had told everyone he was driving it over to the notary's for safekeeping. Maigret shows no interest in the case at all, even though everyone comes to see him about it, including Angèle, the 20-year-old waitress at the café, whom the butcher was in love with, and Urbain was as well, the mayor himself, and Gabrielli, the superintendent. Maigret's refusal to participate puzzles and annoys everyone, but eventually the crime goes unsolved. A few years later, after several people involved have died, Maigret explains to his wife that he'd realized quickly that it had been a suicide made to look like a murder, so that his wife would collect the insurance. He had refused to participate since he didn't see why he should have a hand in denying the family the money.
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The review of this Book prepared by Dana Samson



Chapter Analysis of The Group at the Grand-Café

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Plot & Themes

Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases 20%Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives 60%Feelings, relationships, character bio/development 10%How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) 10% Tone of story    -   Dry-cynical Time/era of story:    -   1960's-1970's Kind of investigator    -   police procedural, Foreign Kid or adult book?    -   Adult or Young Adult Book Any non-mystery subplot?    -   theft/fraud investigation 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 Misc setting    -   resort/hotel

Writing Style

Accounts of torture and death?    -   generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog    -   significantly more descript than dialog

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