Maigret and the Headless Corpse by Georges Simenon

Partial John Doe found in Paris canal

Published in 1955, Maigret and the Headless Corpse is the 75th novel and/or story published by author Georges Simenon featuring his recurring character Inspector Maigret. Sometimes the titles of these Maigret novels can be a little vague, but this one is spot on. A barge passing through Paris is too heavily laden, causing it to drag in the mud on the bottom of the canal. In an attempt to free the vessel, the bargemen discover a disembodied arm underneath the murky waters. Inspector Jules Maigret, superintendent of the Police Judiciaire, is sent to investigate. He calls in a diver who discovers more body parts—a leg, a torso, but no head, making it very difficult to identify the victim, much less figure out who killed him and chopped him up into pieces.

Maigret canvasses the neighborhood, which fortunately for him includes quite a few taverns. (Drinking on the job was apparently never an issue for the Paris police of Maigret’s era.) He becomes particularly fascinated by one tavernkeeper whom he questions, a peculiar woman who minds the bar while her husband is away. This woman, named Aline Calas, has a strangely ambivalent manner. She willingly and uncaringly answers Maigret’s questions, but in the tersest and most mechanical manner possible. As he learns more about her lifestyle, she displays such an attitude of resignation and a lack of self-respect that nothing seems to phase her. When she tells Maigret that her husband has gone away on business for the weekend, he gets the sneaking suspicion that the headless corpse from the canal might just be Mr. Calas.

In this novel, Maigret confesses to himself that he became a detective not so much for the thrill of figuring out who done it, but rather for a personal fascination with why they’ve done it. In another life, Maigret might have been a psychologist. Maigret might as well be speaking for the author Simenon, who likewise demonstrates over and over again in his novels, Maigret or otherwise, that he is more interested in the psychology behind criminal behavior than in the cat-and-mouse game of clues and detection. In Maigret novels, the police work often proceeds in a very methodical, almost mundane manner. The real thrill of the mystery—for Maigret, for Simenon, and for the reader—is uncovering the back story behind the crime. This is very apparent in Maigret and the Headless Corpse, where the solving of the crime is almost a foregone conclusion, but the insight into the characters’ minds and motivations is what proves to be enthralling and memorable about the story.

This is the 21st Maigret novel that I’ve read, and I would count it among one of the better ones I’ve encountered thus far. The characters in this book are very interesting, and Simenon really makes you care about their lives. The conundrum of identifying a headless corpse adds to the complexity and uniqueness of the investigation. I had a hard time putting this book down. The Maigret novels are all short, well-written, and suspenseful, which often makes them an addictive read. That’s true of Maigret and the Headless Corpse even more than most of Maigret’s adventures.
If you liked this review, please follow the link below to Amazon.com and give me a “helpful” vote. Thank you.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2DO4S3I71ZVX6/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm