In Murder on the Links, Agatha Christie pits the Belgian Poirot against a famous French detective. Guess who wins?
High Point: Christie’s creative plot has Poirot racing a French detective who sounds and acts incredibly like the French detective Maigret.
Low Point: There are a very few times in the story that might make you feel you’re treading water waiting for something to happen.
Author: Agatha Christie
Publication Date: 1923
Genre: Mystery
In Murder on the Links, Agatha Christie gives Hastings a bit more backbone than normal. While he frequently becomes annoyed and irritated with Hercule Poirot, Hastings seldom actively works against his good friend. He does, though, in this story.
That’s part of the appeal of Christie’s second Poirot novel. As usual, she throws up the red herrings and twists, and then somehow manages to pull it all together into a totally logical conclusion.
Most of this story occurs in France, and Christie enhances her story’s attraction by pitting the Belgian Poirot against a French detective who has also earned a solid reputation for crime solving. In fact, they wager over who will solve the mystery first.
As a bonus, if you watch the episode, “Murder on the Links,” of the British television series, Poirot, you’ll notice a striking resemblance between the portrayal of the French detective and that of the hero in the 1990s series Maigret. It makes for a fun rivalry.
Guess who wins?
Movie/TV Adaptation
Poirot (TV Series Episode) (1996)
Sources For This Book
Free eBook (Project Gutenberg): Murder on the Links
Free Audiobook (LibriVox): Not available
Available to Purchase: AceBooks, Biblio, Thriftbooks
