Georges Simenon

my favourite reads of December 2025

The Allingham Case-book by Margery Allingham (1969)

A collection of short stories, some featuring Albert Campion.

Funny, clever, really enjoyable.

Cover Her Face by PD James (1962)

A devious housemaid is strangled in her bed and Dalgleish discovers she had a lot of enemies.

The first PD James I’ve ever read and I liked it a lot.

Do Admit! by Mimi Pond (2025)

A biography of the infamous Mitford sisters in graphic novel form.

I find graphic novels like this a bit hard to read when there are lines of text all over the page in every direction, but the Mitford sisters are so fascinating I persevered.

Night at the Vulcan by Ngaio Marsh (1951)

Young actress Martyn Tarne stumbles into a job as a dresser in a play with a cast that has complicated feelings about each other. When the star actor dies, some of the cast and crew are happy for her to take the blame.

A bit slow-moving and too focused on how sweet and charming Martyn is, but it was still pretty good.

Police at the Funeral by Margery Allingham (1931)

The fiancée of an old friend of Campion’s is the personal companion to a spiky elderly lady, who lives with her strange and unlikeable adult children and nephews, one of whom has disappeared. Campion goes to investigate.

Not my favourite Allingham, but her B-list books are still better than a lot of other authors’ A-list ones, if you ask me.

Remarkable Diaries (2020)

A large, beautifully illustrated book on diaries through the centuries, with a good range of subjects. It inspired me to hunt down a few so I can read more.

The Yellow Dog by Georges Simenon (1931)

Maigret is brought in to investigate when a would-be assassin seems to be targeting a group of influential men in a small town. 

Simenon is economical – no wasting time on extraneous conversation or character-building or much description of any sort. I like it.

my favourite reads of October 2025

A Man’s Head by Georges Simenon (1931)

Maigret suspects that a man found guilty of a double murder didn’t do it and sets out to discover who did.

Quick-moving and enjoyable. There is a strange quality to all the Maigrets I’ve read so far and I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. A vagueness, maybe? There are definitely moments when I’m not entirely clear on what is happening. Maybe it’s Simenon’s style or maybe it’s the style of French books from the thirties. I am far from an expert.

Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham (1930)

An American judge is pursued across the Atlantic by a ruthless gang that has already killed four of his employees. (“Four murders in his house within a month? That ought to be stopped. He’s been told about it, I suppose?”) The judge’s adult children hire Albert Campion to help protect their father and expose the gang’s leadership.

Good plotting + fun twists + splashes of humour = very entertaining.

Swing, Brother, Swing by Ngaio Marsh (1949)

An obnoxious and widely despised band member is murdered during a performance by their guest drummer, the eccentric and unpredictable Lord Pastern. But did Lord Pastern really do it?

I liked this one a lot. Lady Pastern is hilarious.

Time Anxiety by Chris Guillebeau (2025)

Useful advice on how to live a happier life.

A quick, but valuable read.