Inspector Maigret is one of my favorite detectives—but in The Yellow Dog, he didn’t feel quite like himself compared to earlier encounters.
The story unfolds on a rainy, tragic day in France, centered around the mysterious death of an elegantly dressed woman found in a stable with no witnesses, no nearby roads, and no mud on her body.
The atmospheric set-up, misdirections, and like most of the time, “No one noticed, except Maigret,”

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux via NetGalley for the DRC, this is an honest review.

I'm on a very bad streak of reading books that are a part of a series - in the case of THE YELLOW DOG the series is quite extensive. I have never read one of the Inspector Maigret's mysteries before.

I enjoyed the mystery and the setting, but I didn't feel that we got enough information about Detective Chief Inspector Maigret.

I'm sure the past books have explained more about the detective, but it was difficult to follow along if you were new to his antics.

However, I think fans of the series will greatly enjoy THE YELLOW DOG.

Thank you NetGalley and Farrar, Strauss and Giroux for an e-copy of THE YELLOW DOG to review.

I rate THE YELLOW DOG three out of five stars.

A short, but satisfying mystery.

There's nothing flashy about Maigret: he's a solid detective who gathers evidence, comes up with a plausible scenario based on it, and tempers justice with compassion.

Originally published in 1931, in English in 1939, and now re-released in English, "The Yellow Dog" offers readers a taste of Georges Simenon's signature crime storytelling. Set in the small seaside town of Concarneau, France, a series of unsettling murders and attempts shake the town. Most of the crime scenes seem to have one thing in common—a mysterious stray yellow dog that always appears nearby. The townspeople become increasingly paranoid, wondering if a madman or outsider is the perpetrator.

Enter Detective Jules Maigret, dispatched from Paris to solve the case. Maigret has an unconventional thought process that frustrates local law enforcement as well as his colleagues. He tries to solve crimes by imagining the end, working backwards. But Maigret’s patience and insight gradually expose the town’s secrets, revealing possible motives and deception hidden beneath the surface.

Simenon, who was born in Belgium and known for his fascination with the human condition, infuses "The Yellow Dog" with richly drawn, often quirky characters. This isn’t a high-octane thriller; it’s a cozy mystery that unfolds with an engaging charm.

This is the first book I have read in the Detective Maigret series, though Simenon apparently wrote seventy-five in all. Clocking in at only 144 pages, "The Yellow Dog" will appeal to fans of classic, character-driven mysteries.

This will be posted on UnderratedReads on 7/29/25.

I did not realize that this novel had been written originally in 1931, but I’m glad that I received a copy. This novel was short, but I have found the really good ones usually are. This reminded me of the Ellery Queen novels. I did also try to start the TV series that I believe was based on this character, but I cannot remember if I finished it.

If you love good old-fashioned mysteries like Ellery Queen, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, then you will love Maigret and Georges Simenon.

Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

Not a great read overall. I’m not sure if it is the translation or the story itself. Have read and enjoyed other Simenon works. This one was just too cut and dry for me. The story was not enjoyable or satisfying.

Simenon began writing his Maigret books in 1929 and publishing them in 1931 – racing out eleven in the first year – after which the schedule slowed down considerably. Six in 1932 and then one or two or three each year after that – up until 1973 when the final Maigret was published – number 77, Maigret and Monsieur Charles.

The Yellow Dog is the sixth Maigret book in the series, but they do not have to be read in order. Rather like the Agatha Christie books, each one is a stand alone story and can be enjoyed at any point along your reading journey.

The setting is a small coastal town in Brittany, Concarneau, with most of the action taking place around the local pub, the Admiral Hotel. A group of men meet there regularly for a drink, Monsieurs Mostaguen (a wine merchant), Servières (a retired newspaperman), Michoux (the town doctor) and Le Pommeret (a man of independent means). On the night in question, Mostaguen is shot in the leg on his way home from the pub. The following night, Dr Michoux discovers that their bottle of Pernod has been laced with strychnine, then Servières disappears the next day before Monsieur Le Pommeret is found dead in his home.

Spotted near the crime scene are some large footprints and a strange yellow dog who seems to gravitate towards young Emma, the waitress at the hotel, although she has never seen the dog before.

Enter Maigret to solve the mystery. A mystery that involves him walking around town, describing the picturesque sights as he goes. He made it sounds so appealing I had to do a little research, which led me to adding Concarneau to my European travel wishlist, although I suspect it is no longer a quaint little seaside village with a quiet off-season.

The Yellow Dog was another excellent Maigret story. I’m enjoying these early stories (that have just be reprinted by Picador US) immensely as Simenon establishes his Maigret character by sending him out into the regional areas of France and Belgium.

I always adore a good mystery - short stories, novellas, novels, sweeping epics, detective stories - you name it.

I honestly never heard of Georges Simenon, let alone heard of his prolific output in the 20th century. He published nearly 500 novels and additional short works, including the detective Jules Maigreut.

I doubt I can add anything in my review of this newest edition of the sixth volume starring Inspector Maigret, so I will keep this fairly simple.

Almost a century removed from its original publication, I found The Yellow Dog an engaging and page turning detective story. It opens with a violent murder, and we meet our intrepid detective, who immediately goes to work - albeit in his own eccentric way.

Inspector Maigret sorts through clues and a rather long line of suspects as we meet a host of quirky characters. In this rather short piece, Simenon manages to wildly entertain the reader without overloading us with too many characters and side stories.

I highly recommend this new edition of The Yellow Dog.

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the advance copy. All opinions my own.

Like taking a vacation from the modern world. I had not read Simenon before but will now check out other books of his.

this is a compelling entry in the Inspector Maigret series, filled with atmospheric tension and quiet intrigue. set in a small French town, the novel skillfully builds suspense through Maigret’s methodical, unhurried approach to solving a series of unsettling events. the author’s writing is especially crisp and evocative, capturing both setting and character with precision. while the mystery itself isn’t overly complex, the psychological depth and immersive mood more than compensate for it! some pacing lags in the middle, but overall, it’s a satisfying, classic detective story. would read more books from this author!

#TheYellowDogInspectorMaigret #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Yellow Dog is, I believe, the sixth installment in the Inspector Maigret collection written by Georges Simenon and originally published in 1931. I have been wanting to read the books in this collection for some time now, and this novel seemed like the perfect entry point into the series.

This mystery is set in the small port town of Concarneau and opens with the unusual, unprovoked shooting of a wine merchant. The plot quickly spirals into a strange series of events, including poisoning, murder, and another shooting. The storyline is intriguing, though the pacing is slow at times and some of the characters lack depth. Despite these minor drawbacks, the book delivers a satisfying and wholesome story that is also a quick read.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and I look forward to reading the other books under this collection.

This was first time hearing of or reading Georges Simenon, who I learned published over 400 novels in his lifetime. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The translation from French to English was easy to understand, and except for some of the names, it was easy to read. This novel is a wonderful reminder that you don’t need 500 pages to tell a good story. I was truly impressed with his ability to build characters, provide backstory and tell a story that spanned continents in so few pages. An excellent novel by a writer who should not be forgotten.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m so glad I read this book! I’d never read a Simenon novel before and I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The Yellow Dog was the perfect balance of mystery and suspense.

I have been a fan of the Maigret television series but until The Yellow Dog I had never read any of the Simenon books.

This book provided an absolutely fascinating look into the mind of Maigret. He is not in Paris but has trekked outside the city to Concarneau, which is a seaside village. There has been a shooting and in an incredibly twisting tale... I settled in to work along to figure it all out.

Silly me for thinking I would solve it before the beloved Maigret! I was guessing right up until the end!

This might have been my first Maigret book but it absolutely won't be my last! I highly recommend.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux | Picador for the digital copy of the book. It was republished on June 3, 2025.

2.5 stars
A good mystery for a stormy day. Nothing about it stands out as exceptional but it does fit nicely in the category of detective mysteries like those of Holmes and Poirot. The reveal is satisfying.
I didn’t love the characters or how they were described, but this is the first of this detective that I read and you definitely can jump right in and understand his character without needing to read others.

Small town suspicions abound in this tiny seaside village where a man is shot, sending the town into panic, rumors abound and an appearance of a scruffy yellow dog adds to the mystery.

1930s France and the Inspector is pulled from Rennes to solve this murder. Seemingly being at the wrong place at the wrong time or mistaken identity seems to be the general way of thinking. But the strange combo of characters, seemingly very different but very familiar with each other strikes Inspector Maigret as odd and he tries to find the reasoning behind this.

The story moves at a slow pace but the elements of revenge and love and murder are hard to resist.

I enjoyed this story a lot! Maigret was a character! I thoroughly enjoyed following this detective for this investigation.

Reading this reminded me of reading some of Agatha Christies shorter Poirot stories. I enjoyed that it was short and still descriptive enough to give all the characters depth.

It's a well written story and the translation is great. I would definitely recommend this for a nice summer afternoon, which is when I read it. If you like detective stories I believe you will enjoy this one a lot as well.

This book is a recent reprint of one originally published in 1931. The strength of this novella is the setting. One really gets a feeling of the small community and the way the people there relate to one another. The mystery plot is complex and it takes some time for Maigret to explain it all in the end. Maigret is a methodical investigator, often appearing to do nothing but all the while his brain is working. There is not much suspenseful action. Simenon's writing style reminds me a little of Agatha Christie but this work is translated so I do not know how much that affects the reading experience. I enjoyed it but not enough to seek out other novels about Maigret.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

I'm arriving late at the Inspector Maigret party - this is the first of the books I've read - but it's easy to see what all of the fuss is about. The tone is noir moodiness: a French fishing town complete with dark nights, fog, mysterious strangers (human and canine), and townfolk with secrets and schemes. Maigret walks those dark streets, asking his questions, making his observations, sending off his telegrams to Paris for crucial information, and delivering his, mostly legal, justice in the end. The prose is tight and crisp, the plot is complicated without being Baroque, and the characters are well-drawn. Well worth a read.

Simenon's Maigret mysteries are elegantly simple. The Yellow Dog takes us to the depths of regional France, and immerses us in the life of the village. There are the standard characters, the doctor, the mayor, the petit bourgouisie. All of them are fully fleshed and interesting. In a single twist, Simenon's detective exposes the evil-doers and their motives.

I look forward to enjoying more of these translations of the Maigret series from Picador.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.