Books like Maigret and the Headless Corpse

This is my third--and, so far, favorite--Maigret. The other two I read were place outside of Paris; this one is in the heart of Paris, in a seedy, rundown district. Parts of a body are found in the river by a boat running aground; only the head is missing. Apparently, dismembered women are frequently found but this one is a man: much more unusual.In his quest to discover the identity of the man and the person who killed him, Maigret meets my favorite character (outside of Maigret himself) in the series so far. In fact, she is one of the more interesting characters I've met in general. Madame Calas is a cypher, an alcoholic bistro owner who gives nothing away in Maigret's interrogations, she is a mysterious figure. She fascinates Maigret as well who becomes almost (or actually) more interested in her and her history than in the crime itself.As I have found so far in the series, the solution of the crime is of less interest than are the characters, the locale, and, most of all, Maigret himself. Simenon is able to capture a sense of place with a few evocative images. He is expert at creating a picture of a place and its people in very few words. That is part of the power of his writing.Maigret himself is a man driven by the need to discover truth. He is interested in the secrets of the human heart and, as he himself says, a need to bring people to their better selves, not just to root out criminels. He is drawn to understanding people's actions and lives and the relationships amongst them.The series is addictive and I can't wait to read my next one!