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An absolute must for fans of Georges Simenon's beloved sleuth, Inspector Jules Maigret, the four-volume Maigret Collection is the finest detective series from Britain's Granada Television since the late Jeremy Brett gave us his definitive portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the 1980s.

Included in this collection are the first 12 episodes from the series, originally broadcast in 1992 and starring the masterful British actor Michael Gambon (now Sir Michael Gambon) as Maigret of the Paris Surete. Among the programs is "Maigret and the Burglar's Wife," which does honor to Simenon's compassionate tale of a retiring thief whose accidental encounter with a corpse sets in motion one of Maigret's most intense psychological duels. The equally compelling "Maigret's Boyhood Friend" finds the detective on a case drawing suspicion to an old school chum, while "Maigret Sets a Trap" is a wonderful production of Simenon's puzzler about a serial killer whose patterns of motivation and action must be deciphered before he can be caught.

Gambon is the latest in a long tradition of familiar leading men (from Jean Gabin to Richard Harris) who have played Simenon's blunt but humane, occasionally whimsical, and magnificently insightful investigator. Yet Gambon is perhaps uniquely suited to the part: a popular star with none of the baggage of a brand-name icon or the self-effacing obligations of a character actor. He captures perfectly Maigret's measured but hardly inscrutable presence in the eruptive underworld of Paris crime. --Tom Keogh

From the Back Cover
One of the bestselling authors of all time, Georges Simenon is most famous for his more than 100 novels and short stories featuring Chief Inspector Maigret of the Paris police. Concerned more with "why" than "who," Maigret's profound perception of the realities of human behavior and extraordinary psychological insight make him one of fiction's most interesting and unique sleuths. Michael Gambon brings the timeless, tantalizing exploits of Georges Simenon's legendary detective to life in 12 episodes of mystery and intrigue. From Montmartre to the remote French countryside, Maigret encounters the dark side of the human psyche. Yet he manages to maintain both compassion and a sense of humor as he explores the complex motives that lie behind every crime.

The Patience of Maigret, Maigret and the Burglar's Wife, Maigret Goes to School, Maigret and the Mad Woman, Maigret on Home Ground, Maigret Sets a Trap, Maigret and the Nightclub Dancer, Maigret on the Defensive, Maigret and the Minister, Maigret and the Hotel Majestic, Maigret's Boyhood Friend, Maigret and the Maid.

Listmania!