A review by ericwelch
Lock 14 by Robert Baldick, Georges Simenon

4.0

Certainly no need to summarize the plot. This is another of the wonderful series of police procedurals by George Simenon featuring Chief Inspector Maigret, the calm, pipe-smoking Parisian detective, who, in an almost plodding manner succeeds in bringing the villains to justice. That raises some interesting points because clearly the way the judicial system works in France is vastly different from that in the United States. There is an examining magistrate or public prosecutor, the rules are different and that almost makes the books more interesting from my perspective. Of course, there is none of the black-garbed, heavily-armed SWAT confrontations with guns blazing, so typical of some of the modern police thrillers, and for me, that's part of the series' appeal.

I have always wanted to travel along one of the many French or British canals with their numerous locks and restaurants and villages along the way that require only tying up the boat and a meander to the local village. My father did that years ago in England and it remains one of his favorite vacations. It sounds so peaceful and idyllic, yet as in all of Maigret's cases, there is an undercurrent of bleakness.

Anyway, this story, that takes Maigret away from Paris, has such a nice setting, if somewhat dark. But, then again, the chief character is an English colonel and gentleman(?) who manages to indulge in all manner of orgies and behaviors on his yacht. Perhaps that explains it. In the end, the book is a supreme love story, but tinged with despair and sadness. I think this is one of Simenon's finer efforts. Do not expect a happy ending.