Seventeen gripping short stories in which Simenon’s celebrated detective Maigret uncovers the darkness beneath ordinary lives. A hanged couple is found on a barge. A straightforward case of poisoning proves more complex than it seems. A young woman writes to Maigret fearing for her life. Time and again, the people of Paris find themselves in complex, deceitful, and terrifying scenarios—and only Maigret can uncover the truth. Written and published in journals during the Second World War, these seventeen short stories distill the atmosphere, themes, and psychological intensity that make Georges Simenon’s famous detective series so compelling.