MAIGRET SETS A TRAP

Five perfectly ordinary women living in the same district are murdered; Maigret sets a trap using his fellow police officers. It's often said that one reads Maigret for Maigret, not for the story. That being the case, Sachs has struck just the right note for this aging and weary police inspector. The chief problem here is that there isn't much variation in the minor characters, making it difficult to differentiate among them or to figure out who's speaking. However, Sachs handles the narrative very well. He says proper names in a French accent in deference to the Paris setting, and his briskly clipped tone handles them easily. His pacing is steady, reflecting the matter-of-fact tone of police procedures. S.F. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPT 93]