Smoking out the truth

sir – As popular as Sherlock Holmes is (Letters, August 12), I am drawn to another fictional detective: Georges Simenon’s Maigret.

Rowan Atkinson played him recently, and although the atmosphere of the series was spot on, his portrayal wasn’t the best. Rupert Davies in the Sixties series was more authentic.

I read Jules Maigret as a calm, imposing character who didn’t so much detect murders as explore the psychology of the suspects and victims in a sympathetic way. A few puffs on his pipe, a good meal cooked by his devoted wife, and he’d worked it out.

Denise Hilton

Guildford, Surrey