Meanwhile, a forensic examination of the body leads Maigret to the seaside town of Fécamp, and to the family of a Norwegian sea captain, Olaf Swaan, another man who matches Peter's description.

Simenon tells us that, like any other policeman, Maigret “worked with the amazing tools that men like Bertillon, Reiss and Locard have given the police; anthropometry, the principle of the trace and so on”.

[1] Simenon recalled when asked about the conception of his character, that he was sitting on his boat and imagined "a large, powerfully built gentleman I thought would make a passable inspector.

As the day wore on I added other features; a pipe, a bowler hat, a thick overcoat with a velvet collar, and, as it was cold and damp, I put a cast-iron stove in his office".

[3] The story has been adapted for television three times: In English in 1963 (with Rupert Davies in the main role); in Dutch in 1967 (Jan Teulings); and in French in 1972 (Jean Richard).