‘Compelling, remorseless, brilliant’ John Gray ‘At what point in the day could the note have been slipped into his pocket, his left breast pocket?It was an ordinary sheet of glazed squared paper, probably torn out of an exercise book. The words were written in pencil, in a regular handwriting that looked to him like a woman’s.For pity’s sake, ask to see the patient in room 15.’When Inspector Maigret’s wife falls ill on their seaside holiday, a visit to the hospital leads him on an unexpected quest to find justice for a young girl.This novel has been published in previous translations as No Vacation for Maigret and A Summer Holiday.’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 supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness’ Independent