{"product_id":"liberty-bar-isbn-9780141396095","title":"Liberty Bar","description":"\u003cb\u003e“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eInspector Maigret loses himself in coastal luxury—and danger—in this devastating mystery set on the French Riviera\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e“It had a smell of holidays. The previous evening, in Cannes Harbour, with the setting sun, had also had the smell of holidays, especially the Ardena, whose owner swaggered in front of two girls with gorgeous figures...”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDazzled at first by the glamour of sunny Antibes, Maigret soon finds himself immersed in the less salubrious side of the Riviera as he retraces the final steps of a local eccentric.\u003cb\u003ePraise for Georges Simenon:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “These Maigret books are as timeless as Paris itself.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “The matchless French crime novelist.” —Adam Gopnik, \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Maigret ranks with Holmes and Poirot in the pantheon of fictional detective immortals.” —\u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “I love reading Simenon. He makes me think of Chekhov.” —William Faulkner\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “An astute observer of human nature, writing in a spare and vivid style.” —Amor Towles\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I never read contemporary fiction–with one exception: the works of Simenon.” —T.S. Eliot\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “One of the most important writers of our century.” —Gabriel García Márquez\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A favorite writer of mine.” —Sigrid Nunez\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A great writer of detail, of atmosphere.” —Leïla Slimani\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Feels incredibly modern…A great writer.” —Ian Rankin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “The greatest of all, the most genuine novelist we have had in literature.” —André Gide\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A supreme writer . . . Unforgettable vividness.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Independent\u003c\/i\u003e (London)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Superb . . . The most addictive of writers . . . A unique teller of tales.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Observer\u003c\/i\u003e (London)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Compelling, remorseless, brilliant.” —John Gray\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A truly wonderful writer . . . Marvelously readable—lucid, simple, absolutely in tune with the world he creates.” —Muriel Spark\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A novelist who entered his fictional world as if he were a part of it.” —Peter Ackroyd\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth century.” —John Banville\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Gem-hard soul-probes . . . not just the world's bestselling detective series, but an imperishable literary legend . . . he exposes secrets and crimes not by forensic wizardry, but by the melded powers of therapist, philosopher and confessor\" ―\u003ci\u003eTimes\u003c\/i\u003e (London)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Strangely comforting . . . so many lovely bistros from the Paris of mid-20th C. The corpses are incidental, it's the food that counts.\" ―Margaret Atwood\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"One of the greatest writers of the 20th century . . . no other writer can set up a scene as sharply and with such economy as Simenon does . . . the conjuring of a world, a place, a time, a set of characters - above all, an atmosphere.\" ―\u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Gripping . . . richly rewarding . . . You'll quickly find yourself obsessing about his life as you tackle each mystery in turn.\" ―Stig Abell, \u003ci\u003eThe Sunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e (London)\u003cb\u003eGeorges Simenon\u003c\/b\u003e was born in Liège, Belgium. He is best known in the Englishspeaking world as the author of the Inspector Maigret books. His prolific output of more than four hundred novels and short stories has made him a household name in continental Europe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eShaun Whiteside \u003c\/b\u003eis a Northern Irish translator of French, German, Dutch, and Italian literature. He lives in London with his wife and son.\u003csection epub:type=\"cover\"\u003e      \u003cp\u003e              \u003c\/p\u003e    \u003c\/section\u003e          \u003csection epub:type=\"titlepage\"\u003e            \u003cp\u003eGeorges Simenon\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cbr\u003e------------------------------\u003cbr\u003e            \u003cp\u003eLIBERTY BAR\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTranslated by\u003c\/i\u003e David Watson\u003c\/b\u003e            \u003cp\u003e                            \u003c\/p\u003e        \u003c\/section\u003e                                                                                                                                                                                                \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e            1. The Dead Man and His Two Women        \u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e            2. Tell Me About Brown …        \u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e            3. William’s Goddaughter        \u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e            4. The Gentian        \u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e            5. The Funeral of William Brown        \u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e            6. The Shameful Companion        \u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e            7. The Order        \u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e            8. The Four Heirs        \u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e            9. Chatter        \u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e            10. The Divan        \u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e            11. A Love Story        \u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e            EXTRA: Chapter 1 from \u003ci\u003eLock No. 1\u003c\/i\u003e         \u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cb\u003e                        ABOUT THE AUTHOR        \u003c\/b\u003e        \u003cp\u003eGeorges Simenon was born on 12 February            1903 in Liège, Belgium, and died in 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he had lived            for the latter part of his life. Between 1931 and 1972 he published seventy-five novels            and twenty-eight short stories featuring Inspector Maigret.\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003eSimenon always resisted identifying            himself with his famous literary character, but acknowledged that they shared an            important characteristic:\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003eMy motto, to the extent that I have one,            has been noted often enough, and I’ve always conformed to it. It’s the one            I’ve given to old Maigret, who resembles me in certain points …            ‘understand and judge not’.\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003ePenguin is publishing the entire series of            Maigret novels.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e            PENGUIN BOOKS        \u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cb\u003eLIBERTY BAR\u003c\/b\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘I love reading Simenon. He            makes me think of Chekhov’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e – William Faulkner\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘A truly wonderful writer …            marvellously readable – lucid, simple, absolutely in tune with the world he            creates’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e– Muriel Spark\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘Few writers have ever conveyed with such a            sure touch, the bleakness of human life’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e – A. N. Wilson\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘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’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e – \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘A novelist who entered his fictional world            as if he were part of it’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e – Peter Ackroyd\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘The greatest of all, the most genuine            novelist we have had in literature’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e – André Gide\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘Superb … The most addictive of            writers … A unique teller of tales’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e – \u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘The mysteries of the human personality are            revealed in all their disconcerting complexity’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e – Anita Brookner\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘A writer who, more than any other crime            novelist, combined a high literary reputation with popular appeal’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e – P. D. James\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘A supreme writer … Unforgettable            vividness’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e– \u003ci\u003eIndependent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘Compelling, remorseless,            brilliant’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e – John Gray\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘Extraordinary masterpieces of the            twentieth century’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e– John Banville\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003csection epub:type=\"chapter\"\u003e                        \u003cp\u003e1. The Dead Man and His Two                Women \u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eIt all began with a holiday feeling.                When Maigret stepped off the train, half of the railway station at Antibes was                bathed in sunlight so intense that the people coming and going were reduced to                shadows. Shadows in straw hats and white trousers, carrying tennis racquets. The air                was humming. There were palm trees and cactuses along the quayside, a strip of blue                sea beyond the street-lamps.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eSomeone was running to meet him.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Detective Chief Inspector                Maigret, I believe? I recognized you from a photo that was in the papers …                Inspector Boutigues …’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eBoutigues! Even the name was comical!                Boutigues had already picked up Maigret’s suitcases and was dragging them                towards the subway. He was wearing a pearl-grey suit with a red carnation in his                buttonhole and shoes with fabric uppers.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Is this your first visit to                Antibes?’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eMaigret mopped his brow and tried to                keep up with his cicerone as he threaded his way between the groups of people,                overtaking everyone. Eventually, he found himself standing before a horse-drawn                carriage with a cream-coloured canvas roof, its small tassels bobbing about. Another                forgotten sensation: the bounce of the springs, the coachman’s                crack of the whip, the muffled sound of hoofs on softened bitumen.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘We’ll go and have a drink                first … No, no, I insist … The Café Glacier, coachman …’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eIt was nearby. Boutigues explained:\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Place Macé … In the centre                of Antibes …’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eA pretty square with a garden, and                cream or orange canopies on all the houses. They simply had to sit out on a terrace                and drink a Pernod. Opposite was a shop window full of sports outfits,                swimming-costumes, beach robes … To the left, a photographer’s studio                … A few smart cars parked along the pavement … That holiday feeling                again!\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Would you like to see the                prisoners first or visit the scene of the crime?’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eAnd Maigret replied without really                knowing what he was saying, as if someone had asked him what he was drinking:\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘The crime scene.’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eThe holiday continued. Maigret smoked                a cigar that his colleague had offered him. The horse trotted along the promenade.                To the right, villas hidden away among the pines; to the left, a few rocks, then the                blue of the sea dotted here and there with white sails.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Have you got your bearings yet?                Behind us is Antibes … Where we are is the start of Cap d’Antibes, which                is nothing but villas, some very expensive villas at that …’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eMaigret nodded, blissfully. His head                was befuddled by all this sunshine, and he squinted at Boutigues’ red                flower.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Boutigues, wasn’t                it?’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e ‘Yes, I’m                a Niçois. Or rather, I’m Nicene …’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eIn other words, pure Niçois, Niçois                squared, cubed!\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Over here. Can you see that                white villa? That one there.’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eIt wasn’t intentional, but                Maigret observed all this in disbelief. He just couldn’t get into work mode,                couldn’t convince himself that he was here to investigate a crime.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eHe had, however, received some very                particular instructions:\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘A man called Brown has been                killed in Cap d’Antibes. It’s all over the papers. Best if you avoid any                dramas.’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Understood.’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘During the war, Brown worked for                military intelligence.’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Ditto.’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eAnd here they were. The carriage drew                to a halt. Boutigues took a small key from his pocket and opened the gate, then                crunched along the gravel of the path.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘It’s one of the least                attractive villas on the cape!’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eHowever, it wasn’t that bad                either. The mimosas filled the air with a sickly scent. There were still a few                golden oranges hanging on the miniature trees. Then there were some odd-looking                flowers that Maigret didn’t even know.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘The property opposite belongs to                a maharajah … He’s probably in residence right now … Five hundred                metres further along, on the left, there is a member of the Academy … Then                there is that famous dancer who lives with an English lord …’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eYes! And so what? Maigret wanted to                settle down on the bench next to the house and sleep for an hour. He had, after all,                been travelling all night.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e ‘I’ll fill                you in on the bare bones of the situation.’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eBoutigues had opened the door, and they                found themselves in a cool hallway whose picture windows looked out over the                sea.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Brown lived here for about ten                years …’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Did he work?’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘No … he must have had a                private income … People used to call them Brown and his two women                …’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Two?’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Only one of them was actually                his mistress: the daughter … Her name is Gina Martini.’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘She’s in                prison?’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Her mother too … The three                of them lived together without a maid …’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eThat much was evident from the state of                the house, which was far from clean. There were maybe one or two beautiful things,                some valuable items of furniture, some objects that had seen better days.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eEverything was dirty and in a mess.                There were too many rugs, hangings and throws spread out over the armchairs, too                many things impregnated with dust …\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘These are the facts: Brown had a                garage just next to the villa … He kept an old-fashioned car which he drove                himself … He used it mainly to get to the market in Antibes …’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Yes,’ sighed Maigret, as                he watched a man fishing for sea-urchins, probing the bed of the clear sea with his                split reed.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Someone noticed that the car had                been left by the roadside for three days and nights … The people around here                    don’t poke their noses into each other’s business                … No one was unduly worried … On Monday …’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Really? And today’s                Thursday? … OK.’\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e","brand":"Penguin Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302525128933,"sku":"NP9780141396095","price":11.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780141396095_515ace6d-5266-4a0a-a869-ff5e0976717c.jpg?v=1742927939","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/liberty-bar-isbn-9780141396095","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}