A sanatorium at Clairfond is buried in a landslide, killing 128, mostly children. The Minister of Public Works, though he wasn't in the government when Clairfond was built, fears a scandal will envelop him. And he's not wrong, once he receives the Calume report. He asks Maigret for some discreet assistance, but it turns out the report is fatal to almost everyone who reads it ...
The highlight here is Bernard Freyd as the Minister (August Point), an honest veteran of the French Resistance trying to survive in the cutthroat Fourth Republic government. More political intrigue than crime-solving, much to Maigret's distaste. But when someone asks for his help, "I'm like a pretty woman. I can't say no."