Maigret and the Toy Village

Jules Lepie (Peg Leg) is a bookkeeper who loathes adventure, to the point of never marrying. But adventure pursues him. One day he embarks on a long sea voyage purely by mistake - and loses a leg in a brawl! Peg Leg then retires to a placid development of cute little pink brick houses with tiny gardens. But once again peace eludes him. For no apparent reason, he's shot dead in his perfect dollhouse. To the astonishment of relatives, his heir turns out to be his servant girl Félicie. This skinny young woman with her nanny-goat forehead, la-di-da airs and flamboyant clothes leads Maigret quite a dance. What's the meaning of her odd behavior? She won't answer the simplest question without telling a lie. Trapping the slippery Félicie seems impossible. So naturally Maigret becomes obsessed with her. He can't tear himself away from this outlandish girl and her fairy-tale town. Simenon creates one of his oddest and most amusing characters in Félicie. And in this delightful book, Maigret's style of working the case is at its most erratic and eccentric.