This was a delightful little Maigret, chiefly because Madame Maigret is at the heart of it and even does some sleuthing herself. Mention is made that this is the first that she had done so, which leads me to believe that The Madman of Bergerac (Appearances are deceiving) was later in the Maigret Mythos. At any rate, this was a splendid read. Madame Maigret has been seeing a new dentist and since the previous appointment is always running late, she has taken to sitting on […]
Shooting in the dark
This debut novel by Ariel. S. Winter is built on a couple of gimmicks. It is three different novels set in three different decades intended to be read as one and each of the three novels is written in the style of three different greats in the world of noir: Georges Simenon, Raymond Chandler and Jim Thompson. Published by the excellent Hard Case Crime imprint, all of these factors added up to me saying, “oh hell, yes!” after spotting this on the shelf of my […]
Belonging is not a form of restriction
“I still see music as an act of defiance as much as it is an act of celebration.” Since I live in the Pacific Northwest and was sentient in 1990’s, the so-called Riot Grrrrl scene in Olympia, Washington was everywhere. One of my favortite bands to come out of that scene was Sleater-Kinney and that line, from Carrie Brownstein’s new memoir, really sums up that band for me. Their unusual set-up (they do not have a bass player) and energetic, bordering on manic, delivery really […]
A curious blend of cunning and artlessness
Poor Chief Inspector Maigret! His day had started out so splendidly: “From the moment he lit it, in the doorway of the apartment on Boulevard Richard-Lenoir, Maigret savored his pipe with greater enjoyment than on other mornings. The first fog of the year was an unexpected treat, like the first snow to a child, especially as this was no noxious, yellowish winter fog but, rather, a milky haze interspersed with haloes of light. The air was crisp. He felt a tingling in his fingertips and […]