| Plot Summary of Maigret's Boyhood Friend |
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"A schoolmate of Maigret's from the Lycée Banville, Léon Florentin, whom he hadn't seen for 20 years since he'd met him by chance one day on the street, appears in Maigret's office. He'd been the class clown, a habitual liar. He tells Maigret that the woman he'd been living with, Joséphine Papet has been murdered. She had had five lovers, and eventually Maigret learns who they were. Victor Lamotte, a winegrower from Bordeaux, Fernand Courcel, a businessman who lived in Rouen, François Paré, of Versailles, who worked in the Ministry of Public Works, Jean-Luc Bodard, a young insurance salesman, and Florentin. Except for Florentin and Bodard, they'd each thought they were the only one supporting her.
Florentin claims he was in the apartment and hid when he heard someone at the door, remaining hidden till the man had left 15 minutes later, and finding Papet, shot. All deny any connection. The concierge, Mrs. Blanc, a stubborn mountain of a woman, maintains that no one but Florentin had gone up, but Maigret isn't convinced. All had the opportunity. Maigret has them all meet in his office, including the concierge, for a confrontation, and waits to see if there are any results.
Mrs. Blanc eludes the inspector following her, and Maigret realizes the implications. Armed with a search warrant he discovers 2,200 francs in her apartment. She'd been bribed to keep quiet, and after the confrontation realized she could get more. Maigret interrogates Florentin once more, realizing that his story didn't ring true. The man who had come, Victor Lamotte, had come for Florentin, who had tried to blackmail him with letters he'd sent Papet. Lamotte had lost his temper and grabbed a gun from her drawer, and accidentally shot her while threatening Florentin.
"
Dana Samson, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Maigret's Boyhood Friend |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 70%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
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
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- French
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Genius (really!)
Physique
- healthy but a geeky weakling
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- small businessman
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- France
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 1
Unusual forms of death
- perforation--bullets
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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