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Maigret is called to Delfzijl, a Dutch port town, to assist a French citizen entangled in a murder, his investigation hampered by his inability to speak Dutch, while only some of the suspects speak French.
The townsfolk are stuffily provincial & would rather the crime go unsolved than an embarrassing scandal be exposed, so Maigret's relentless prodding at the truth is most unwelcome.
Most of the characters are unsympathetic in a claustrophobic ⬇️
The real-life residents of 1930s Delfzijl were so offended by Simenon's portrayal of their community that they threatened to sue him, ironically confirming the accuracy of his impressions of the town, which he had stayed in a few years earlier. 5⭐ 1w