Lock No. 1 Inspector Maigret, Georges Simenon
Lock No. 1 Inspector Maigret, Georges Simenon
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Lock No. 1 (Inspector Maigret)

Author: Georges Simenon, David Coward

Series: Inspector Maigret #18

Narrator: James Faulkner

Unabridged: 4 hr 31 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/09/2025


Synopsis

When a drowned man comes back to life, Georges Simenon’s detective must figure out who might have wanted him dead—before they try again.

Emile Ducrau, the kingpin of a small town on the outskirts of Paris, is stabbed and left for dead in the harbor one night. When he’s pulled from the water and miraculously revived, he enlists the help of Maigret to figure out who was behind the attempted murder. As Maigret sorts through the complex web of deceit, abuse, money, and power that darken Emile’s many dealings in the town, he must also deal with the specter of his own looming retirement. But even as Maigret navigates the domineering Ducrau’s attempts to control his investigation, and contemplates his offer of a job, he’s jolted out of his reverie by two more deaths and must solve the case before the killer can strike again.

A Macmillan Audio production from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

About Georges Simenon

Georges Simenon (1903–1989) was born in Liège, Belgium. An intrepid traveler with a profound interest in people, Simenon strove on and off the page to understand—and not to judge—the human condition in all its shades. His books include the Inspector Maigret series and a richly varied body of wider work united by its evocative power, its economy of means, and its penetrating psychological insight. He is among the most widely read writers in the global canon.

About David Coward

David Coward is professor emeritus of French at the University of Leeds and a translator of many books from the French, including Albert Cohen’s Belle du Seigneur, for which he was awarded a Scott Moncrieff Prize.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Janet on August 28, 2024

Well Simenon has surpassed himself with this! From start to last it’s a masterclass on descriptive prose and captured observation, character development and downright imaginative writing. Never mind the plot. Never mind Mme. Maigret forever waiting for her husband to put in an appearance and lend a......more

Goodreads review by Jim on October 13, 2017

The more novels by Georges Simenon I read, the more impressed I am by him. Lock No. 1 is a small masterpiece. As I have written in previous reviews of Simenon's Inspector Maigret stories, what we have are not the Anglo-American emphasis on ratiocination a la Edgar Allan Poe, but something more insti......more

Goodreads review by Razvan on October 03, 2023

I have a strange feeling, as almost nothing happens and yet you like this novelette. And if, mutatis mutandis, you take apart the tram, the telephone and the taxi cab, this could be very well a short story by Balzac or Dickens. One they would be proud of.........more

Goodreads review by John on June 23, 2019

Maigret is called into investigate the stabbing of a wealthy tycoon, Ducrau. All is not what it seems. The tycoon is miserable with a family that fails to live up to his expectations. Set in Paris canals and near a lock the unsuccessful stabbing of the tycoon results in more deaths. Lots of drinking......more

Goodreads review by The Frahorus on February 21, 2020

Rispetto agli altri romanzi con protagonista il commissario Maigret, in questo ho colto ancora di più il senso di noir che abilmente il nostro Simenon riesce a donarci e mai come in questa vicenda ci presenta un antagonista, presunto colpevole, molto simpatico al commissario stesso. Si percepisce ch......more