It is highly unusual for me to be reviewing a book that was written nearly a century ago. But as Picador has secured the rights and are about to release it in paperback form, they offered me a free advance copy for review.

Maigret is more taciturn than Holmes, less polite than Poirot, and less violent than many others... and somehow his abrupt style endears him. This is an excellent edition in the Maigret line, and has the same dramatic group confrontation we love from others such as Poirot. If you're unfamiliar with Maigret, be prepared for an occasional unusual turn of phrase, or exotic name. Remember that he was created by the Belgian Georges Simenon, who wrote these works in French. This translation is excellent, and I think the quirks simply serve to make it more exotic.

This a shorter work than most today, but I think that's a good thing making it a delightful casual rad that still packs in the many twists and turns that keep us guessing. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

#TheYellowDogInspectorMaigret #NetGalley

Four hard-drinking, lecherous friends — all of them well to do — meet most nights at the Admiral Hotel’s café in the backwater seaside town of Concarneau — when they’re not carousing. On Friday, Nov. 7, one of their number is wounded, shot in the stomach, on his way home from a night of drinking with these friends. One by one each friend, is attacked — always when a certain yellow dog is present (or appears soon after) — until only one remains: the cowardly Dr. Ernest Michoux. Beside himself with terror, Dr. Michoux refuses to leave the confines of the Admiral Hotel. Will the murderer strike again anyway?

Georges Simenon has crafted an intriguing slim novel in which Inspector Jules Maigret operates at his surliest. He realizes that the perpetrator is sowing red herrings to disguise the real purpose of the crime spree. And that the finest citizens of Concarneau have the most to hide. For those looking for a mystery story with some French flair and an off-beat plot, look no farther than The Yellow Dog.

Late one night, a local wine dealer is shot in a small town as he pauses in front of an unoccupied house to light his cigarette. Shortly after, a strange, dirty yellow dog, whose owner is unknown, begins to circle the town. Shortly after, weird things start to happen in the town. Poisoned drinks are being served at a local bar, a local man suddenly goes missing, and a mysterious yellow dog wanders about the town aimlessly, leaving its footprints next to large boot tracks.
Detective Chief Maigret quickly arrives to calm the townspeople's nerves, who are confused by the sudden intrusion into their town. The detective soon discovers that he has his work cut out for him. Nobody in town wants to talk. It is edge-of-the-seat reading as Maigret cleverly pursues this small town's mysterious happenings, especially the mystery of the yellow dog.

A wine merchant is shot when he stops in a doorway to light his cigar on his way home after stopping for a drink at the local gathering place. Then a strange yellow dog shows up in town and mystery ensues. Interesting read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley! I received an invitation to read this book and received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This story is classic Maigret: there is a crime in a little Breton town among a small circle of suspects who know each other well. Maigret, the Paris police detective, comes as an outsider, sniffing around the edges of their tight-knit group like the mysterious yellow dog of the title. Even as Maigret’s investigations seem to provoke more unsettling events, you get the feeling that every one of the characters in this drama is lying, holding out on him in some way. Not all of these lies are malicious; not all these people are criminals. But to bring out the truth and find out who is responsible for one murder and several attempted murders, and various other strange occurrences, takes all Maigret’s patience and perceptiveness about human nature. In the end, all becomes clear, even the reason for the appearance of the stray yellow dog no one has seen before.
The atmospheric storytelling of Georges Simenon comes through in the excellent translation by Linda Asher. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book.

This was my first Simenon book and my first introduction to Detective Maigret. It took me a while to get into this story, but the mystery was intriguing. There were a lot of red herrings, but the reveal was really interesting. I enjoyed Simenon’s description of the locations a lot - very atmospheric!

Thank you to NetGalley, Farrar, Strauss, & Giroux and Picador for my review copy!

Some years ago, I took a writer’s seminar at a community college. One exercise involved reading a short passage from a book and commenting on it. I thought it was so well-written. The seminar’s speaker was outstanding, so I thought it was reasonable to ask if he wrote it. “I wish I had,” he said. “That was written by Georges Simenon.”

So it was no wonder that when I saw a chance to read and review “The Yellow Dog,” I jumped on it. Simenon introduced the main character, Inspector Maigret, in 1930. This story was released in 1931. By the end of Maigret’s career, Maigret had appeared in 75 novels and 28 short stories.

In this episode, the inspector travels to the small port of Concarneau, France, where a man has been shot. A yellow dog– known to no one– has suddenly appeared in town. This is just the beginning of attempts on the residents’ lives. The yellow dog attends each one.

In his quiet, subtle way, Maigret solves the crimes. The guilty are charged and the innocent go their own ways.

Thank you to NetGalley for this copy of “The Yellow Dog.” This is my honest review.

This was my first read of a book by Georges Simenon. I enjoyed the descriptive writing and the French setting. The story moved quickly while still developing the characters and I enjoyed it all right to the end. I will look for more of Georges Simenon's novels when wanting a cozy mystery.

"An eerie mystery in which a local wine dealer is shot and a strange yellow dog starts to circle the town - Inspector Maigret must navigate small-town dynamics to find the elusive culprit.

Late at night in a small seaside town, not a single light is on, and everyone is asleep. Or almost everyone: a man, drunk, departs for home after another evening at a hotel bar, where he and a few others regularly gather. Suddenly, he collapses - struck by a gunshot. The victim turns out to be the town's most successful wine dealer, and the event soon leads to a series of other curiosities: poisoned drinks at the bar, another man found missing, and a dirty yellow dog haunting the neighborhood, accompanied by large, unfamiliar boot tracks. Detective Chief Inspector Maigret, who happens to be nearby heading up a mobile unit, arrives swiftly to resolve the growing confusion. Though a chill sets over town, with townspeople remaining tight-lipped, Maigret's pursuit of the truth in Georges Simenon's The Yellow Dog makes for a thrilling, breathless adventure."

Because the new series is why we're getting these lovely reprints!

This wonderful republished book is shortish and classic Simenon, a belgian author whose Detective Maigret was Parisian. He wrote in the mid 20th century and was easily one of the most popular detective novelists in the world. I think three different series have been televised, all of which are wonderful. The Yellow Dog is one of his first novels and there really is a yellow dog who comes and goes and is quite important.
Maigret stands out among detectives because he attempts to put himself in the mind of the criminal in order to solve murders. Hard to say more without talking about this wonderful early book. This is the first time I've read it.
I recommend it

The Yellow Dog (Inspector Maigret) by Georges Simenon

4 Stars

144 Pages
Publisher: Farrar Straus and Giroux, Picador
Release Date: June 3, 2025

Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Police Procedural, French, 1930s

Four men are enjoying a drink at the end of the night. Mr. Mostaguen, a wine dealer, leaves and stumbles into a darkened doorway. He is shot through the letterbox in the door. The following night, there is an attempted poisoning with a bottle of Pernod. Luckily, Dr. Michoux notices the white powder swirling around the bottle. However, the doctor was unable to stop the poisoning of Mr. Le Pommeret, the vice-consul for Denmark. All the while, there is a yellow dog showing up around the town. No one recognizes the dog and while searching they notice gigantic footprints and believe the dog.

The story is fast paced, the characters are well developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. The writing is like that of Agatha Christie’s Poirot character. I have watched several Maigret television shows which made me want to read one of his stories. If you like who dun it stories, you will enjoy this book.

I like Inspector Maigret, but the writing is a little slow for me. Interesting plot, quirky characters, a few plot twists to keep it interesting.

The Yellow Dog is #6 in Simenon's Maigret series - not there's any reason to make a point of reading these novels in order of publication. Everything about it works. The fresh, contemporary cover art. The complexity of the solution to the mystery. Maigret in all of his thoughtful, cranky, mentoring-resisting brilliance. The cast of characters in the community in which we're immersed. None of them shallow "types". All of them potential murderers. I recommend The Yellow Dog to anyone in the mood for Simenon's masterful mysteries.

Perhaps a little bit clunky and missing something après translation, but the mystery moves along nicely for, in the end, a fun read.

I worked hard to keep reading but it was worth it at the very end of the story. I kept saying have patience, the man is working, I think he is. And he was working. It reminded me of reading older mysteries like The Mystery of the Dunes than carried the suspense on and on and on, rather than building it in stages and keeping the reader feeling like they were a very close audience to the action.

This new edition of The Yellow Dog, a novel by Georges Simenon, is part of his well-known Maigret detective series. In this story, Inspector Maigret is called to investigate a strange murder linked to the appearance of a yellow dog.

I was not familiar with the character of Inspector Maigret, but while reading, anyone can easily understand what kind of character he is: definitely eccentric and striving for “true” justice above anything else.

Simenon’s writing style is accessible and offers some psychological insight, though perhaps less than I was expecting. I found the pacing of the story quite rapid. Sadly, I did not like the choice to keep the inspector’s deductive process hidden from the reader. Throughout the book, he limits himself to observing without actively conducting an investigation. The plot, while interesting, lacks the urgency and excitement I prefer in a mystery and ultimately fell flat for me.

Personally, it’s a two-star read, especially when compared to another work by the same author, The Cat, which I appreciated much more for its faster pace and stronger character development.

Still, it is objectively a well-crafted novel worth reading for those who enjoy slow-burn crime stories, particularly fans of Inspector Maigret or Simenon’s writing. For this reason, I assigned 3 stars to the novel.

(Thank you for providing me with a copy of this book!)

I enjoyed The Yellow Dog (Inspector Maigret). Old fashioned mystery as it should be as it was originally published in the thirties. It's a nice mix of characters.

The unnamed protagonist, who sees himself as an emerging author in a writing rut, is suddenly lucky. As his lover puts it, “You recognise a noted recluse, whom no-one has heard boo from in fifty years. You ambush her at her place of residence, and she invites you in for tea and bickies, decides to spill the full, unabridged beans. The great mystery of Australian letters falls right into your lap.” Except, it’s under false pretences.

He's writing something that’s not a straight-out biography but includes himself as the writer. He admits “what I was concocting was not literature, but the story of a parasite and his perfect host.” He’d confessed his desire to be the next great Australian writer, but will strike many as lazy, lacking integrity, with occasional feelings of guilt that are quickly dismissed for the sake of getting his name on the cover. Watching him desperately trying to cover his lies is entertaining, but by the time he’s doing a deep self-analysis, it’s hard to muster any sympathy for him.

Some great characters, many of whom might not be quite who they claim, a clever plot with some delicious twists, and dialogue laced with plenty of black humour. An impressive debut.

This is my first Maigret and it didn’t disappoint. I can see echoes of Fred Vargas’ Adamsberg in his demeanor and methods. He is passive. Doesn’t jump to conclusions and he doesn’t believe in deductions, not even when they’re elementary. This is a very short novel, full of quirky characters and with a strong plot. It is just atmospheric enough to make the Breton village come to life without slowing down the pace. This is clearly a classic, so it’s pointless for a lowly reader like me to review it. This story has survived the test of time and, if we’re getting a new edition it must be good. And it is. It was written in a different time and, even if it doesn’t seem outdated, <spoiler>the treatment of the titular dog is not kind,</spoiler> so that was not my favorite part. The rest is just great.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Farrar, Straus and Giroux | Picador.

With the title of The Yellow Dog, I thought a yellow dog would be have a more central role in the story. To get to the point it doesn't.

As this is my first George's Simenon novel, maybe that's just how his titles vs the actual novels go with a very loosely linked title. He did do a lovely job of making it easily to envision the setting of a quiet seaside town that can easily be shaken by the smallest of disturbances to their daily routines.

Throwing together the discovering of many characters in the first chapter was a bit jarring as I had trouble keeping up with who was who. There didn't seem much forward character development nor much background on characters to better assess any motives.
This may be to my lack of reading mysteries but over all the plot twists were there and then nearly all summarized neatly by chapter 10.
I definitely didn't guess the eventual ending culprit or the reason for their actions so I failed miserably at my sleuthing abilities. However, if you are intrigued by fast paced novel with a multitude of characters in a small town that seems to know about each other's business this novel may be for you.