Like the other Maigret books I've read, I found this fascinating and the premise SO much fun. It's a quick read, not too heavy, but nevertheless Simenon touches on complexities under the surface that gives the book a unique texture.

A wine dealer is shot in a seemingly quiet seaside town, prompting Detective Maigret to investigate a series of strange events: poisoned drinks, a missing man, and a mysterious dog. Despite the townspeople’s silence, Maigret unravels the truth behind the escalating mystery.

My reaction to this book is similar to the one for “The Carter of ‘La Providence’”: emotionless police procedural, focuses on setting, flat characters, not a whodunnit but a vehicle to portray an almost insolvable crime. This book, at least, has a somewhat engaging plot. I won’t be reading more from this author.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Golden Age mysteries are amongst my favourite fiction stories to indulge in Though not my best-loved author, Georges Simenon knew his way around whodunits with whispers of noir. The fifth in the Maigret series, The Yellow Dog is set in coastal France, short and sweet and riddled with poison, large footprints, and red herrings. The plot is clever and even the chilly weather helps set the scene. The conclusion is satisfying and unexpected.

Realistically flawed Inspector Maigret takes on a case in which a man is shot. A large neglected dog looms in the picture, too, and as a dog lover, tore my heart into pieces. There are stronger books by Simenon but I would still recommend this as a first foray into the genre. I enjoyed it as it encapsulates that something special about Golden Age mysteries which is difficult to fully capture in the modern day. The writing is sparse and impactful, nothing superfluous here. The vivid descriptions of atmospheric 1930s France took me there in a heartbeat. Murder is just part of the mystery. All in all, well worth your time immersing yourself in.

While I have read many of the Golden Age writers, Simenon was not one of them so when the opportunity presented itself, I accepted it. I'm sorry to say, I'm not a fan. As so often happens in the Golden Age, the writer doesn't exactly play fair with the reader. They learn things that are not shared with the reader, or just arrive at a "deduction" with little or nothing to back it up. In this story, a group of friends in a small town in France appears to be the target of an assassin, and the only clue is a tellow dog who appears at each crime scene.

Inspector Maigret is called to Concarneau, France, after a prominent local wine merchant is shot in the street. The crime sets off a series of suspicious events: a yellow dog is seen lurking mysteriously around town, a local reporter disappears, and a rash of poisonings follows. As the townspeople grow increasingly paranoid, Maigret remains calm and observant, refusing to be swept up in hysteria.

This is almost the french version of Columbo, slow and steady he is, looking at every angle and conducting multiple interviews, the Inspector slowly draws his conclusions. Rather than focusing on action-packed detective work, Maigret employs his signature method—immersing himself in the town’s rhythms, listening more than interrogating, watching rather than reacting. He slowly uncovers a story of greed, secrets, and simmering resentment that leads to a subtle but satisfying resolution for all.

This is a slow burn so sit back and prepare to immerse yourself as well into the small town politics and petty jealousies that inhabit small town living.

The author does a good job of painting a gloomy seaside town where tension hangs in the damp air. The yellow dog becomes a symbol of unease, its unexplained presence adding an eerie layer to the mystery. Wherever he goes, mayhem follows. Maigret, as always, is quietly compelling, methodical, unflappable, and deeply human.

The novel also serves as a social critique, peeling back the respectability of the town’s bourgeois class to reveal the petty rivalries and moral decay beneath. Simenon excels at exploring the human condition through the lens of crime, and The Yellow Dog is a fine example of this. The mystery itself, while intriguing, is secondary to the atmosphere and psychological insight.

This is a short read at 134 pages and will leave you wanting more.

My thanks to Net Galley, and Farrar, Strauss, Giroux Picador for this arc.

Very short well written and structured whodunit? I watched a few if these on Masterpiece but I don't think this was for me. Difficult to focus with the French words, I wanted more with the dog and felt it was a heavy read.

The Yellow Dog
By Georges Simenon

This is one of the earlier Inspector Maigret mysteries. It takes place in Concarneau, France and begins with a seemingly beloved townsman, stopping in a doorway to light his cigar, being shot by an unknown assailant for no apparent reason. Police Inspector Maigret is called in to investigate.

The injured man, a M. Mostaguen, has been in the Admiral Café playing cards with his three friends; M. Le Pommeret, a self-important dandy; M. Servieres, the sometime journalist; and Dr. Michoux. As Maigret works to put together the pieces and solve the crime, still other crimes take place involving poison; blood in an abandoned car and a disappearance; and a shooting. This leaves the almost manically frantic and fearful Dr. Michoux, who is convinced he is to be the next victim.

But Maigret has his keen eye on Emma, the barmaid; the yellow mutt who seems to recognize her; and the unknown giant the townspeople think is responsible for the crimes. In the end, Maigret does, of course, solve the case and arrest the guilty party. When the true story is explained, an old wrong is made right and the miscreant is sent to Devil's Island.

This is a simple and direct murder mystery, but still a fun read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

This book takes place in Concarneau, in Brittany. A group of wealthy men usually meet in the Admiral hotel. On this night, the doctor leaves early, and when the wine merchant leaves, he stops at the front of an empty house, and is shot through the keyhole. Another man is poisoned. Maigret is called to come solve the crime. Soon another of the wealthy men disappears - his car is left by the sea with blood stains in it. Reporters come from afar. The hotel waitress Emma is keeping something to herself, but Maigret knows she is innocent. Maigret puts the Doctor into the prison, partly to protect him from himself.

Finally, at the end, Maigret explains the whole story. I thank Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux who are republishing this early 1900's popular Simenon book for providing me a copy to read before republication.

A quick read that was an interesting mystery. I was left guessing until the end. I was impressed with how cleverly Simenon wove together the plot and planted clues to how the crimes were committed and why. The resolution at the end was very satisfying save for the outcome with the dog. If you like noir style mysteries set in the 1930s you should give this one a read. Thanks to NetGalley and to Picadour Press for allowing me to read an ARC on the latest translation of this novel in exchange for this honest review.

Classic George Simenon Maigret mystery. This one is set in a seaside town and not Paris. As usual, I didn't guess the end.

This is an enjoyable read for mystery fans, in that it shows what mystery writing was like at a certain time in literary history. The writing is so stripped bare, the clues given minimal, the characterization is less shown and more told.

I recommend this book for genre fans.

4 stars for a short mystery at 144 pages. Chief Inspector Maigret is called to the small seaside town of Concarneau, France to investigate a shooting and possible attempted murder. In addition, a strange yellow dog is seen in town. There are more attacks before Maigret solves the mystery. The key to the mystery is found in an elusive giant of a man.
I thought that this mystery was a pleasant read and recommend it to fans Of Georges Simenon and mystery fans in general. There is no graphic violence, graphic sex or bad language. The translation was excellent.
Thank You Farrar, Straus and Giroux/Picador for sending me this eARC through Netgalley.
#TheYellowDogInspectorMaigret #NetGalley

Pub Date Jun 03 2025

This was a classic detective story. It wasn’t anything new or thrilling for me, it’s just a meh story in my opinion. I saw the mystery clearly and it held no surprises for me.

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.