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Georges Simenon Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (; 13 February 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a Belgian writer. He published nearly 500 novels and numerous short works, and was the creator of the fictional detective Jules Maigret. Early life and education ...

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Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

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French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

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Inspector Jules Maigret Jules Maigret (), or simply Maigret, is a fictional French police detective, a '' commissaire'' ("commissioner") of the Paris ''Brigade Criminelle'' ('' Direction Régionale de la Police Judiciaire de Paris:36, Quai des Orfèvres''), created by ...

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Detective fiction Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...

, publisher = A. Fayard , release_date = 1931 , english_release_date = , media_type = Print , pages = , isbn = , preceded_by =

The Strange Case of Peter the Lett , translator = , image = File:PietrLeLetton.jpg , caption = First edition , author = Georges Simenon , illustrator = , cover_artist = , country = Belgium , language = French , series = Inspector Jules Maigret , genre = Detective fict ...

, followed_by = The Death of Monsieur Gallet ''The Crime at Lock 14'' ( Fr. ''Le Charretier de la Providence'', "The Carter of the ''Providence''") is a

detective novel Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...

by the Belgian writer

featuring his character

Plot summary

Maigret is called to a crime scene at Lock 14 on the Marne Canal, near Dizy, when a woman's body is found in the stable of a canalside inn. She had been strangled, and was still wearing her jewellery, pointing to a crime of passion. The woman is identified as Mary Lampson, wife of an English "milord" travelling through France on his yacht, the ''Southern Cross''. Lampson and his odd collection of passengers are questioned, but Maigret comes no nearer to the truth. Also under suspicion are the crew of the barge ''Providence'', particularly its

carter Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to: Geography United States * Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Carter, Montana, a census-designated place * Carter, ...

, who had spent the night in the stable, possibly on the night of the murder. He turns out to be a simple soul, incapable of harm. When a second member of the ''Southern Cross's'' party is murdered, Maigret has to uncover the secrets of all concerned, including the mild-mannered carter of the ''Providence''.Simenon, tr. Coward

Background

Simenon was fond of boats and spent six months in 1928 navigating the rivers and canals of France. "The carter of la providence" was one of several novels written on board his boat, the ''Ostrogoth''. "I had my second boat built at Fecamp, the ''Ostrogoth''. I brought it to Paris, where I had it christened (on a whim) by a priest at Notre Dame...then Belgium, Holland, Germany".Simenon, tr. Coward

Other titles

The book has been translated three times into English: in 1934 by Anthony Abbot as ''The Crime at Lock 14'', in 1963 by Robert Baldick as ''Maigret meets a Milord'' (reissued in 2003 as ''Lock 14''), and in 2014 by David Coward as ''The Carter of 'La Providence.

Adaptations

The story has been adapted four times for film and television: in English in 1963 as ''The Crime at Lock 14'', with Rupert Davies in the main role; in Japanese in 1978 as ''Keishi to Minami Jūjisei'' ("the Southern Cross") with Kinya Aikawa; in French in 1980 as ''Le Charretier de "La Providence"'' with Jean Richard, and again in 2001 as ''Maigret et la croqueuse de diamants'' ("Maigret and the gold-diggers (lit. "diamond eaters")", with Bruno Cremer.Film history
at trussel.com.; retrieved 16 May 2016

Notes

References

''The Carter of "la Providence"'' 1931; translated D Coward 2014 Penguin Classics, London

External links

Maigret
at trussel.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Crime at Lock 14, The 1931 novels Belgian novels adapted into films Maigret novels Novels set in France Novels set in the 20th century