At the renowned 36 Quai des Orfèvres, the address of the Parisian police judiciaire, Commissaire Maigret stumbles upon a letter lying around. Originating from the police of the town of Moulins in central France, the anonymous note chillingly declares: 'I announce that a crime will be committed at the church of Saint-Fiacre during the first mass of the Day of the Dead.' Urgently, he rushes to this remote part of the Bourbonnais region to attend mass on November 2. The victim is none other than the Comtesse de Saint-Fiacre, the owner of the estate where Maigret's father once served as the steward. Maigret watches helplessly as she succumbs to her predestined fate. There, everything has changed—the estate has diminished—and he immerses himself in the investigation, caught in a web of personal memories.

As is customary with Georges Simenon (1903-1989), L'Affaire Saint-Fiacre, published in 1932, stands as a masterpiece of its genre. It brilliantly showcases Simenon's talents: his ability to depict the sociology of a small provincial town, his knack for setting the mood in just a few sentences, and his mastery of narrative construction. Recognized as the finest French-language mystery writer, Simenon brings forth a distinct originality in L'Affaire Saint-Fiacre. Here, Maigret, French literature's most famous detective, momentarily overwhelmed by memories, allows events to unfold. The denouement happens with a touch of magic. A work of great art.