The Yellow Dog by Georges Simenon ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

First published in 1931, this French mystery novel has been republished dozens of times and translated into many languages. The Inspector Maigret series is comprised of 75 novels, plus a book of Christmas short stories (which I will totally be looking for this holiday season). I wonder if this is one of the longest-running series, which began in 1930, and the last book was published in 1972. Georges Simenon, a Belgian writer, died in 1989. He is considered one of the most prolific writers of the 19th century with over 400 novels plus memoirs and short story collections.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

June 2025; Picador; 978-1250391025
audio, ebook, print (144 pages); mystery

I was introduced to Georges Simenon and his Inspector Maigret series two years ago when my book club selected the series for one of our meetings. Due to the age of the series it was difficult to find enough copies of any one book in our library system so we each chose to read a different novel in the series and discuss Simenon's body of work as a whole. I read Maigret Get Angry (book 26). When I saw that a reprint edition was coming out of one of the earlier books in the series, I knew I had to read it.

The Yellow Dog is book 6 in the series, but it can be read out of order.

All of the books in the series are on the short side, and this one is no exception. Yet, it doesn't feel like a novella. In many ways, it seems very simplistic - Maigret spends most of his time in the hotel's cafe or walking at night through the town. At the same time, there are wonderful descriptions that make you feel like you are there. The novel is very atmospheric. 

I'm not sure this is exactly the kind of detective novel where you can solve it on your own. There isn't a lot of police work going on  - it is mostly Maigret making observations, but at the same time, I did get a feeling that there was something off about one of the characters - so much so that I suspect that he at least knew more than he was letting on.

It is a fun, quick read. Interestingly, it doesn't really feel "old". Sure, there is no technology; fingerprinting is a new police method, but I didn't really notice the lack of technology (except perhaps for cell phones since the journalists had to use the hotel telephone to file their stories). Only in one interaction did I feel like there was outdated social norms and that was a scene between Maigret and the waitress Emma. But even that was mild compared to what I imagine how it could have truly been in the 1930s.

 

Buy The Yellow Dog at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour. 

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