| Plot Summary of Maigret and the Black Sheep |
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"Maigret is called to the home of René Josselin, a retired cardboard box company owner, who has been found shot in his chair at home. His wife, Francine Josselin and daughter, Véronique Fabre, had found him when they returned home from an evening at the theater. He had stayed home, and played chess with his son-in-law, Doctor Paul Fabre, who'd been called away to a sick child... only there was no sick child, and no one at that address knew anything about it. He'd gone from there to the hospital, to check his patients. The problem is that everyone involved is a "good person"... there are no suspects, and no motive. According to the concierge, no one had left the building after Dr. Fabre, and only one person had come in, for one of the neighbors. But then it seems Josselin's gun is missing, and the neighbor reports no visitors. A search of the building reveals that a man had stayed in one of the maid's rooms, and that he'd gotten the key from the Josselin's apartment. The door hadn't been forced, and Josselin wasn't taken unawares. Finally a tedious door-to-door check of the neighborhood reveals that Josselin had met a man in a café one day, and that his wife had met the same man later on. Maigret discovers an old lady who'd known Mrs Francine Josselin's family before she married, and that she had a younger brother, who had always been in trouble. Maigret confronts Mrs. Josselin, who admits she hadn't wanted to mention her brother, no doubt the killer, who'd apparently come to borrow money from Josselin once again, and shot him in anger when refused. A search for the man, Philippe de Lancieux, is unproductive, until six months later he is found dead, knifed in some kind of crime. "
Dana Samson, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Maigret and the Black Sheep |
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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 - 40%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
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?
- Somewhat obvious
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?
- none
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:
- criminal
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- almost none
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- France
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 2
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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