'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' John Gray Maigret finds himself back on the Rue des Acacias just ten days after cracking another case there. This time it is the murder of a criminal Maigret has known for over twenty years and one he always suspected was behind a string of jewellery robberies in the city. Maigret's patience is tested as he eliminates neighbour by neighbour in his hunt for the murderer. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Maigret Bides His Time. 'His artistry is supreme' John Banville 'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian

“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré Inspector Maigret is working on connecting an old nemesis to a string of robberies, but when the man is found dead, he must turn instead to hunting down his killer. Maigret finds himself back on the Rue des Acacias just ten days after cracking another case there. This time, he is tasked with solving the murder of a criminal he has known for more than twenty years, one he always believed was behind a series of jewelry heists in the city. While the stakes rise, Maigret’s patience is tested as he eliminates suspects neighbor by neighbor in his hunt for the murderer. A riveting mystery, Maigret’s Patience showcases the inimitable detective’s tireless mettle in the pursuit of the truth.

'His artistry is supreme' John Banville For the first time in his career Inspector Maigret receives written summons to the Chief Commissioner's office where he learns that he has been accused of assaulting a young woman. With his career and reputation on the line, Maigret must fight to prove his innocence. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Maigret on the Defensive. 'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian

Maigret's longest-running case involves two decades of jewelry heists, a generation of conspiracy, and the revelation of a long-buried secret from World War II.

Set in the oppressively squalid streets of Paris, A Man's Head features Simenon's famed detective as he tracks a killer on the run, while the writer's sharp prose evokes the atmosphere of Parisian luxury hotels, seedy bars, and dark alleys.

The Patience of the Spider is the eighth novel in Andrea Camilleri's wryly humorous Inspector Montalbano series. Chief Inspector Montalbano is on enforced sick leave. But when a local girl goes mysteriously missing, the whole community takes an interest in the case. Why are the kidnappers so sure that the girl's impoverished father and dying mother will be able to find a fortune? The ever-inquisitive Montalbano steps in, to get to the heart of the matter in his own inimitable style. The Patience of the Spider is followed by the ninth novel in the series, Paper Moon.

Maigret one day receives an anonymous letter written on extravagantly splendid stationery. Without giving further details, it states that a murder will be committed shortly and pleads for Maigret's help. Maigret, though used to letters from cranks that lead nowhere, is shaken. He has no trouble tracing the stationery to the house where it came from -- the sumptuous Paris establishment of an eminently successful expert in Maritime Law, who is surrounded by family, various office help, and household staff.