PIETR THE LATVIAN commences the latest entire series audio quest, having now finished the much loved Discworld novels. I'm also aware I've got a few other series underway in this quest - mostly they've lapsed because I'm easily distracted, or because they've failed to hold interest. This first Maigret outing definitely held interest, not always in the way I was expecting though.
Maybe it's just me, but the anti-semitism and the casual racism in this audio really jarred, so much so that there was a point when I thought I'm going to have to abandon this quest at the opening salvo. Cheating a little and looking through a lot of commentary and reviews, I was convinced me to press on, mostly because so many people find Maigret such a compelling character - which he most definitely is.
This introduction to Maigret brings to life a slightly grumpy lone wolf type detective, haunted by his decisions and dogged in his pursuit of the truth. The plot was interesting, and the detection methods, with surveillance and stakeouts playing a big part, and strikingly, the use of detailed written descriptions of suspects. Everything is played out against a dark, damp (often pouring rain) Paris, that seems as repressed and dogged as Maigret on occasions.
Discomfort aside, there are a lot of books in the Maigret series, and the quest will continue for the moment, as there is much commentary about the differences in each novel.
Pietr the Latvian
The first novel in the famous Inspector Maigret series.
What Maigret sought, and what he waited and watched out for, was the crack in the wall. In other words, the instant when the human being comes out from behind the opponent.
Who is Pietr the Latvian? Is he a gentleman thief? A Russian drinking absinthe in a grimy bar? A married Norwegian sea captain? A twisted corpse in a train bathroom? Or is he all of these men? Inspector Maigret, tracking a mysterious adversary and a trail of bodies, must bide his time before the answer can come into focus.
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