As Paris is terrorized by a stickup gang, the murder of a solitary, small-time burglar is of little interest to anyone--except Maigret, who unofficially investigates the killing of an incorrigible thief who was, for the inspector, something like a friend. Between the stickup gang terrorizing Paris and the ever-increasing red tape of modern police work, Maigret has his hands full. Still, when a solitary burglar whom he had unsuccessfully tried to catch for years is murdered, Maigret can't help but investigate on the sly. Stealing moments away from his hunt for the gang, Maigret works backward, reconstructing the burglar's last crime to pinpoint the moment of his death. As he does so, Maigret comes to identify more and more with the small-time crook he had pursued for years. After all, Maigret's unsanctioned investigation and the burglar's crimes have one thing in common: none of it is "according to regulations." Maigret and the Lazy Burglar offers a glimpse of an aging, cynical Maigret who is forced to break the rules to discover the truth.