A postcard from Rouen is the last sign of life of the representative Émile Gallet. When his wife receives this message, he has already been found murdered in a hotel in Sancerre. Inspector Maigret's investigation reveals that Gallet was very highly insured and that his son Henri was seen in Sancerre on the day of the murder. Did the boy kill his father to get the insurance money? Henri claims he was only visiting his girlfriend Eleanor, who lives there ... Based on the very first novel in the Maigret series: 'Monsieur Gallet, décédé' (1931). In German, the novel was published as 'Maigret und der tote Herr Gallet' and as 'Maigret und der verstorbene Gallet'.