Drawn by the lure of springtime in the countryside and a sentimental attachment to village life, Maigret agrees to investigate the shocking murder of a retired postmistress in a small seaside village. His hopes for a country idyll are soon frustrated, however, when he realizes that beneath the villagers' calm routines lie grudges years in the making. Maigret Goes to School is one of Simenon's most lyrical and quietly disturbing novels. As he unravels a complicated web of sexual jealousy, casual cruelty, and financial fraud, Maigret is haunted by memories of his own rural childhood, reminding him how little village life has changed - and how well it conceals its darkest impulses.