Friday, December 23, 2016

Friday's Forgotten Books, December 23, 2016

MAIGRET AND THE MAN ON THE BENCH, Georges Simenon

This was a strong story and good in all the ways that matter except one-the ending was one of those that came out of nowhere. At least for me.
A body turns up in an alley, the victim of a stabbing. He seems to be a mild-mannered fellow but his wife, IDing the body, says the shoes are not his. He never wore brown shoes. And the tie was too wild.
Maigret finds the man indeed has led a second life. And the second life is far more edgy than the first.
Simenon is very skilled at giving us a look at proper bourgeois French society here and how its expectations take a toll. I very much enjoyed reading a straight forward, well-written, character driven story. Just what I needed now.And isn't the jacket terrific?

Mark Baker, THE POET, Michael Connelly
Les Blatt, CHRISTMAS AT CANDLESHOE, Michael Innes
Damien Broderick NEUROPATH Scott Bakker
Brian Busby, I LOST IT ALL AT MONTREAL,  Donna Steinberg
Bill Crider, SPRINGER'S GAMBIT, W.L. Ripley
Martin Edwards, ANOTHER LITTLE CHRISTMAS MURDER, Lorna Nicholl Morgan
Curt Evans, GROANING SPINNEY, Gladys Mitchell
Richard Horton, A LITTLE KNOWN ACE DOUBLE, TIME THIEVES, Dean R. Koontz and AGAINST ARCTURUS Susan Putney
Jerry House, COLLECTED STORIES, Roald Dahl
George Kelley, THE TWELVE CRIMES OF CHRISTMAS, ed. Rossell, Waugh, Greenberg and Asimov
Margot Kinberg, WE ARE THE HANGMAN, Douglas Lindsay
Rob Kitchin, CITY OF THIEVES, David Benioff
B.V. Lawson, THE MAN WHO DIDN'T FLY. Margot Bennett
Steve Lewis, DEATH BENEATH THE CHRISTMAS TREE, Robert Norden
Todd Mason, 1989 Horror/Fantasy Anthologies
J.F. Norris, VICIOUS CIRCLE, Manning Long
Juri Nummelin, SPORTS IN THE PULP MAGAZINES, John Dinan
Neer, 1222, Anne Holt
Reactions to Reading, THE FACELESS, Vanda Symon
James Reasoner, EVE OF EVIL, George G. Gilman
Richard Robinson, THE WILLOWS AT CHRISTMAS, THE WILLOWS IN WINTER, William Horwood
Gerard Saylor, JACK WAKES UP, Seth Harwood; LISTEN, A GERMAN REQUIEM, Philip Kerr
Kerrie Smith, THE BANK INSPECTOR, Roger Monk
Kevin Tipple, THE EMPTY MANGER, Bill Crider
TomCat, TWO MYSTERIES, Donald Bayne Hobart
TracyK, KILL NOW AND PAY LATER, Robert Kyle

11 comments:

Todd Mason said...

Juri Nummelin has one today...I have a guest post today, up momentarily, and might add my own...thanks!

Anonymous said...

Thanks, as always, Patti, for including my post. There's a nice crop of good 'uns here today :-)

Jeff Meyerson said...

I like the new reprints of the Maigret books, which I've been picking up occasionally. I do intend to reread the series at some point (as I do with the Martin Beck series of Sjowall and Wahloo), but as newer books pile up higher and higher I don't know when that day will come.

*sigh*

Al Tucher said...

Merry Christmas Patti, have a great time.

Charles Gramlich said...

Such a great feature. Forgotten Book Friday.

Rick Robinson said...

That's one of the (many) Maigret novels I haven't gotten to yet. Also, agree 100% with Charles. FFB is wonderful! Thank you for doing it.

J F Norris said...

Just posted mine.

Vicious Circle by Manning Long

Fittingly, it's a Christmas mystery. And a Merry Christmas to you and Phil and all the gang.

Todd Mason said...

And mine is posted, and is nearly complete. A happy set of continuing solstice/new year holidays to all! And thanks again, to everyone who contributes to this and reads it, as well as to Patti for hosting and posting, as well as getting ti going!

Todd Mason said...

And Martin Edwards jumps in!

Todd Mason said...

"Four Important 1989 Horror/Fantasy Anthologies" as a suggested listing?

TracyK said...

That Maigret book does sound very interesting. I haven't read one in a while. And the jacket is very nice.

An interesting group of links today.