Before Simenon brought Commissioner Maigret to life, he explored a whole series of police inspectors leading up to the pipe-smoking commissioner. One of these predecessors is G7, whose most distinctive feature is his red hair. He owes his nickname to this: at the time, Parisian taxis of the G7 brand were recognized by their red roofs. The commissioner himself drives a tiny, not entirely rainproof Citroën 5CV. G7 is well-mannered, but can become rough when investigations are not progressing. In one of his cases, his softer side emerges: when he falls in love with a suspect, he resigns from the police force and becomes a private detective. These early stories, now available in German for the first time, are much more than mere exercises. The typical Maigret atmosphere is already palpable, along with Paris, the island of Porquerolles, and more.