Fumal, an infamous bully and the owner of meat-packing industry, orders Maigret to protect him after he comes to believe his life is in danger.

However, Maigret, who was one of Fumal's targets for offense as a child, does very little to protect the man.

Originally published in French in 1956 by Presses de la Cité as Un Echec de Maigret, the first English translation (translated by Daphne Woodward) was published by Hamish Hamilton in 1962.

[1] A BBC TV version of the book first aired on November 6, 1961, under the title Death of a Butcher with Rupert Davies playing Maigret.

[2] Jean Richard played Maigret in the 1987 French TV version[3] and Bruno Cremer in the 2003 adaptation.