Maigret has only obvious distaste for the unkempt, disheveled Leon, who has survived since boyhood by sponging, lying, and conning his way through life. Maigret soon realises that the clown of the form at school has come down in the world and is now a con man.
Leon Florentine, an old school acquaintance of Maigret, shows up at the detective's home asking for help in the shooting death of his mistress.

Maigret’s Boyhood Friend was first published as L’Ami d’enfance de Maigret in 1968. About Maigret’s Childhood Friend.

With the help of his old friend, Maigret delves into the life of the victim and finds a complex web of relationships that leads … Leon Florentin is Maigret’s boyhood friend, with whom he went to school, and hasn’t seen since. Now Florentin is involved with a murder. When a familiar face from Maigret’s past brings him word of a mysterious killing, the Inspector jumps on the case When a long lost friend pays a visit to Maigret’s office, he is shocked to learn that the man’s roommate has been murdered.
He’s not only a swindler, but a … It was translated into English by Eileen Ellenbogen.