| Plot Summary of Maigret and the Surly Inspector |
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"While Maigret is visiting the Emergencies Room, chatting with his nephew Daniel, a call comes in from the 18th. Someone had broken an alarm box, shouted "Merde to the cops" and then a shot. Arriving at the scene they found the dead man, Michel Goldfinger, a diamond merchant with a heavy debt due the next day. And the inspector in charge, Lognon, the "Grouser". But something about the shouted message troubles Maigret, since it resembles the last words of Stan the Killer, a message that had not been published in the papers.
Goldfinger had lived with his wife, Mathilde Goldfinger, and his sister-in-law, Eva. He had a large insurance policy in his wife's name, payable even in the event of suicide, if a year had passed. It was 13 months. Gastinne-Renette, the ballistics expert, told Maigret that a silencer had recently been fitted onto the gun, and so the suspicions of murder were growing. Only how did Mathilde Goldfinger communicate with her accomplice? She never left the building, never telephoned. Finally Maigret remembers a short-term detective, Mariani, who been on the Stan the Killer case, and tells Lognon, to finish up the case. Mariani had taken an apartment above the Goldfinger's, and so she'd merely gone upstairs to communicate with him.
"
Dana Samson, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Maigret and the Surly Inspector |
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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 - 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
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:
- Female
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- unemployed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
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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