| Plot Summary of Maigret Afraid |
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"On his way back from a meeting of the International Police Congress in Bordeaux, Maigret stops to visit his old school friend, Julien Chabot, in Fontenay-le-Comte. A man in the same train car, Hubert Vernoux, introduces himself and asks if Maigret has come to help solve the murder case. In fact, Vernoux's brother-in-law, Robert de Courçon had been murdered four days earlier, followed by the murder of the Widow Gibon in the same way, a blow to the head with a pipe. While Maigret is at Chabot's, a call comes in reporting a third murder, the drunkard Gobillard, in the same manner. Chabot is the Examining Magistrate for Fontenay-le-Comte. Maigret discovers that there are two cliques in the town, a clear class separation, and that the general feeling is suspicion of Alain Vernoux, Hubert's son, a non-practicing doctor. When it is discovered that Alain has a mistress, Louise Sabati, she is arrested and questioned, and soon after he commits suicide. By this time Maigret has realized that Hubert Vernoux was the likely murderer, and that the murders of Gibon and Gobillard were merely red-herring crimes to avoid suspicion. Maigret returns to Paris, and learns by letter from Chabot that Vernoux was in custody, had gone into a crazy fit, seemingly suicidal, and was being considered as likely insane... "
Dana Samson, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Maigret Afraid |
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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 - 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?
- Challenging
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:
- unemployed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
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?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 3-4
Unusual forms of death
- crushed
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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