About the author: Georges Joseph Christian Simenon ( 1903 – 1989) was a Belgian writer, most famous for his fictional detective Jules Maigret. One of the most popular authors of the 20th century, he published around 400 novels, 21 volumes of memoirs and many short stories, selling over 500 million copies. (wikipedia)
Major characters:
- Mlle. Hélene Lange "The Lady in Lilac"
- Mlle. Francine Lange, her sister
- Lucien Romanel, Francine's boyfriend
- Louis Pélardeau, an industrialist
- Chief of C.I.D. Jules Maigret
- Madame Maigret
- Superintendent M. Désiré Lecoeur
Locale: Vichy, France
Synopsis: Chief Jules Maigret is advised by his doctor to take a vacation to Vichy to "take the waters". (Vichy is known for its mineral baths, which people can drink, bathe in, or both) Maigret and Madame Maigret travel there, and he begins his prescribed regimen of drinking several glasses of hot mineral water throughout the day.
He and Madame fill the remaining time with walking around the city and observing people, giving them descriptive names for convenience. One woman they encounter regularly they name "The Lady in Lilac" for her preference in clothing color.
One morning Maigret is shocked to see her photo in the local paper, and a news story that she has been found murdered. Maigret visits the scene, and finds his old friend Superintendent M. Désiré Lecoeur in charge. Lecoeur has found her name is Hélene Lange, an introverted loner. Her sister, Francine Lange, is called to identify the body and make arrangements. Francine is just the opposite of Hélene, a loud party girl who arrives in a sports car, complete with gigolo Lucien Romanel. As Maigret looks into Hélene's past, he finds she is surprisingly wealthy, with regular cash payments coming in; but from where?
Review: This story is as comfortable as an old slipper. Maigret and Mme. Maigret are enjoying growning old together in each other's company. I had heard about "taking the waters" but never knew exactly what that entailed, and here it is described fully. I found it amusing how they gave people descriptive names, as my wife and I have done the same. I enjoyed seeing Maigret slowly piece together details of Hélene's life, and slowly backtracked his way to the killer. There is a surprising twist at the end, and the story winds up with a suprising compassion by Maigret.
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