The first Maigret mystery I read was "Maigret and the Toy Village." My wife had bought it, intrigued by the title, and after reading it passed it on to me. This would be the beginning of a long and enjoyable reading experience that would include reading all of Simenon's Maigret stories and many of Simenon's other novels. So, I have a fondness for this story - a quirky mystery with the young housekeeper Felicie at its center - of which the original title is "Felicie is here."
Maigret arrives in a town on the outskirts of Paris to investigate the murder of "Peg Leg," and there he meets Felicie, Peg Leg's housekeeper. It's the repartee between inspector and housekeeper that drives the story. Yes, there's a plot and it does work, that is, the actions and the motives behind them are sufficient to drive the story, to allow it all to hold together. But it's the conversations between Maigret and Felicie that will hold you through to the end. The acting is spot on as Maigret gradually shows a fondness for Felicie like that of a father to daughter, and Felicie in her own way returns that feeling. I wish I could better capture in my description here the almost touching connection that occurs between Maigret and Felicie because it's what makes this episode one of the best in the series, I think.
And while there are some seemingly unimportant characters and creatures that flow into and then out of some scenes (like a rabbit that is seen here and there) it's integral because it's how the filmmakers captured not just the plot of the book, but more important its mood. On several occasions in his novel Simenon refers to this place as a "fairy-tale village" or a "toy village" and so it's clear this locale was different from other towns and villages Maigret has visited. It's a fanciful place and Maigret will miss it when he concludes his work there and must leave.
See this one and I think you'll look forward to seeing it again.