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The Yellow Dog
The Yellow Dog
Apr 21, 2025 3:23 PM

Author:Georges Simenon,Linda Asher

The Yellow Dog

The fifth book in the new Penguin Maigret series: Georges Simenon's gripping tale of small town suspicion and revenge, in Linda Asher's timeless translation.

There was an exaggerated humility about her. Her cowed eyes, her way of gliding noiselessly about without bumping into things, of quivering nervously at the slight­est word, were the very image of a scullery maid accustomed to hardship. And yet he sensed, beneath that image, glints of pride held firmly in check. She was anaemic. Her flat chest was not formed to rouse desire. Nevertheless, she was strangely appealing, perhaps because she seemed troubled, despondent, sickly.

In the windswept seaside town of Concarneau, a local wine merchant is shot. In fact, someone is out to kill all the influential men and the entire town is soon sent into a state of panic. For Maigret, the answers lie with the pale, downtrodden waitress Emma, and a strange yellow dog lurking in the shadows...

Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. This novel has been published in a previous translation as A Face for a Clue.

'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' John Gray

'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

Reviews

A memorable tale of treachery, espionage and violence...Ancient Rome is brought vividly and vibrantly to life

—— Nick Rennison , BBC History Magazine

Carin Gerhardsen writes so vividly, like she is painting with words, gripping your heart and soul in an ever-tightening tourniquet

—— Peter James

The books are fast-paced and addictive: finely tuned pieces that virtually demand to be read in one sitting

—— Barry Forshaw

When it comes to thrills, he's Forsyth class

—— Mail on Sunday

McNab is the best suspense thriller writer to put pen to paper since Alistair MacLean

—— STEPHEN COONTS

Action-packed and authentic in every detail, it gives us a hero who's at least as scary as the villains. Andy McNab is the real deal and a rare commodity - a hard guy who knows how to write

—— JOHN CASE

[Nesbo's] trademark twists and turns

—— Joan Smith , Sunday Times

Whereas Headhunters, the first of Nesbø's novels not to feature Harry Hole, was a ruthlessly linear chase story, The Son is far more complex and sophisticated. The characterisation is deeper and more detailed... which only adds to the sense of life-and-death drama.

—— Evening Standard

Nesbo has crafted a book that's engaging, entertaining and surprising, with the kind of plot twists any crime writer would be proud of... It's an excellent whodunnit, with enough twists and turns to keep even the most experienced of crime fans guessing right up to the end

—— Sunday Business Post

The Son creates a brand new anti-hero, an avenging angel of sorts whose destiny is driven by righting perceived wrongs with a bloody and bullet-riddled path through the criminal underworld

—— Birmingham Mail

Jo Nesbo is an excellent novelist even if he's not writing about Harry Hole

—— Marcel Berlins , The Times

Another of Nesbo’s gripping tales

—— Sun

Complex and sophisticated... The world [Nesbo’s] creations inhabit is infinitely cruel, brutal yet beautiful

—— Mark Sanderson , Evening Standard

Watch it fly off the shelves and pack the audiences in the cinemas in equal measure

—— Roddy Brooks , UK Press Syndication

This story stays with you long after you’ve finished it

—— Joanna Czechowska , Woman

Nesbo is on top form with this crime novel, a book that you quite rightfully can't put down

—— Bristol Magazine

This is a novel of total authority, with a highly original concept

—— Good Book Guide

Long Way Home is a truly exceptional debut crime novel, a perceptive, smart and harrowing look at modern England. Written with great skill, confidence and originality, it feels like a game-changer for twenty-first century British crime fiction

—— Doug Johnstone, author of Smokeheads and Hit and Run

Long Way Home gave me that tingle of excitement that only happens rarely, the feeling I got when I first read George Pelecanos and Dennis Lehane - the combination of brilliant writing, a thrilling plot and social heart. I genuinely think it's one of the best debuts I've ever read

—— Mark Edwards

Eva Dolan is the real deal. Plenty of contemporary British crime writers claim to write about the real world but in Dolan's brave, brilliant debut she nails it completely. The Daily Mail will hate it. I loved it.

—— Martyn Waites

A pacy, twisty, compelling and addictive crime thriller - but it's so much more besides. For me, the best experiences in literature are those that take you somewhere you don't know; to people and places you have never encountered. I was hoping for a rattling good page-turner. I wasn't expecting anything quite so profound

—— Kevin Sampson

Eva Dolan’s stunning novel is a gritty and unflinching look into a seedy, violent world that most of us would rather pretend never existed. In DI Zigic and DS Fereira, Dolan has created two authentic and intriguing characters

—— Howard Linskey, author of The Drop and The Damage

Crisp and intelligent writing, strong characters, a great mystery and an engaging style. From the first page, I knew I was in safe hands

—— Dan Smith, author of The Child Thief and Red Winter

A novel set in Peterborough might not be the most tempting of premises, but this is worth your time detective duo Zigic and Ferreira, Dolan has created two engaging characters. The first of a series, this is a promising debut that pulls no punches

—— Shortlist

With such compelling characters, Dolan breathes new life into the police procedural novel and marks herself out as an exciting writer to watch

—— UK Press Syndication

Dolan's a terrific new talent, and I can't wait to be kept awake by her next novel

—— Kate Saunders , Saga

A great read, a real page turner and a very satisfactory ending

—— Jeremy Ransome , Spalding Guardian

An impressive series debut, and the next book will be eagerly awaited

—— Good Book Guide

Raw and real start to a new series

—— Sarah Hilary , Red Online

What could be standard police procedural stands out for its excellent character work and the timely way it deals with hot-button political topics dominating the headlines

—— Herald

The plot is tight, the anger righteous but not worthy, and the action thrilling. Happily she has a new novel out next year

—— Metro

Well paced and packed with some genuinely surprising twists and turns, not to mention a sneaky red herring or two…, the book will definitely keep your interest piqued to the end

—— Cambridge News

Gripping…Excellent book.

—— Dorothy Flaxman , Nudge

An assured and compelling debut that brings multi-cultural Britain vividly to life. I feel I know Zigic and Ferreira, the protagonists of this terrific novel, and look forward to their next outing. I hope I don’t have to wait too long

—— Craig Roberston, author of Random and Witness the Dead
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