When a tramp is recovered from the Seine, after being badly beaten, Maigret must delve into the man's personal circumstances to figure out just who wanted to kill him.

Maigret uncovers some troubling family politics in this new translation, book thirty-three of the new Penguin Maigret series. 'He had realized that it was her eyes as much as her vivacity that made her look so young. They were of a blue that was paler than the September sky over the sea and still had an expression of surprise, of wonderment' When a charming elderly widow appeals to him for help, Inspector Maigret travels to a seaside village in Normandy...