The social life of a local tavern may not be as congenial as it first seemed. Maigret learns of an unreported murder when condemned prisoner Jean Lenoir confesses that he and his partner witnessed someone dumping a lifeless body into the Canal Saint-Martin. Lenoir blackmailed the murderer, who squirmed away and wasn't seen again until one evenig at a local tavern, the Guinguette a Deux Sous. Maigret is nearly at a loss as to where to begin such an investigation, but patience, as always, comes to the rescue, and the inspector finally uncovers a clue amidst a tangle of contradictions and startling coincidences.

Genre: Mystery