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    The Murder on the Links
    The Murder on the Links
    The Murder on the Links
    Ebook248 pages3 hours

    The Murder on the Links

    By Agatha Christie

    3.5/5

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    Hercule Poirot is without a doubt the greatest detective since Sherlock Holmes. He’ll need all of his skill, intelligence, and wit to solve this crime. He is called to France and must solve a brutal murder on an upscale golf course. His only clues are the oversized jacket worn by the corpse and the love letter in one of the pockets. But before he can solve the case Poirotfinds himself with another corpse on his hands.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherStart Publishing LLC
    Release dateApr 14, 2020
    ISBN9781952438455
    Author

    Agatha Christie

    Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in over 70 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 20 plays, and six novels written under the name of Mary Westmacott.

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    Reviews for The Murder on the Links

    3.5/5

    56 ratings43 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I picked this book up with a few other Agatha Christie novels after reading The Science of Murder: The Forensics of Agatha Christie by Carla Valentine. I read through most of Christie's catalog when I was in junior high, but didn't remember a lot of what Valentine was mentioning, so I decided to revisit a few. This is one of Christie's earlier works and it shows. Poirot vacillates between searching for physical evidence and deriding it before focusing on the work of his "little gray cells." I'm still not entirely sure of how the initial murder took place, though the motive was very clear. I also find Hasting's love story to be overly melodramatic and slightly maudlin - he has had three conversations with this woman and falls in love with her, ugh.
    • 4/5
      Murder on the Links is the second Hercule Poirot book by Agatha Christie. Most of the action is set in Northern France. Dame Agatha does a great job of setting the scene and introducing the characters in this twisty mystery that will have you guessing until the end. It also delves more deep into the friendship between Poirot and Hastings. The plot is a fun one that involves Poirot getting a letter for help to come to France. When he arrives, his would be client is already dead. There is a nice little rivalry between Poirot and the French detective on the case. It’s a fun read for mystery fans.
    • 4/5
      Originally published in 1923, I read an Agatha Christie Signature Edition published in 2001. ISBN 0-00-711928-3. 319 pages.Having recently transacted some business in Paris, Arthur Hastings is returning to London, to the rooms he is now sharing with Belgian ex-detective Hercule Poirot, by the morning Calais express. He shares a compartment with a young woman who introduces herself as Cinderella.On the following morning in London Poirot receives a letter from France, from someone who says he is desperate need of the services of a detective. The letter is written in a "bold characteristic hand", with a hastily scrawled line at the bottom, "For God's sake, come!" Poirot and Hastings set out straight away for Dover and then Calais. When they arrive at their destination they discover that the writer of the letter has already been murdered. His brutally stabbed body is discovered face down in a bunker on a nearby golf course, clad in its underwear and an extremely long overcoat.This is Agatha Christie's third novel, her second to feature Hercule Poirot and Arthur Hastings. Although this is only the second time we have seen Poirot in action, Hastings implies they have worked other cases together since THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES. In a reference to Inspector Japp from Scotland Yard in the opening pages, Hastings says that he had "more than once introduced us to an interesting case."The police have already been called to the murder scene by the time Poirot arrives and he is delighted to discover the police commissary is an old acquaintance whom he last saw in Ostend over a decade before. The commissary is able to introduce Poirot to the examining magistrate and the victim's doctor. After Poirot has inspected the scene and between them they have interviewed some of the household, a stranger turns up. He proves to be Monseiur Giraud from the Paris Surete, a much younger man, a "modern" detective, arrogant, self-assured, and only about thirty years old.From this point on the action becomes a competition between Poirot and Giraud to solve the case. Poirot and Giraud constantly refute each other's theories, and Hastings typically is ready to see Poirot as a quibbler, and indeed at one stage goes out of his way to deceive Poirot and thus lets him down. Giraud disparages Poirot's deductive methods, preferring to use more scientific evidence such as the new art of fingerprinting. Poirot makes no secret of the fact that he believes Giraud is not nearly observant enough.In addition Hastings loses his impartiality by falling head over heels in love with one of the suspects. It will be interesting to see if she appears in a future book.The plot is quite a complex one, and indeed I feel that the complexity actually became a little difficult for Christie to sustain. The reader is required to accept a considerable degree of coincidence, straining the credibility of the plot just a bit.There's quite a lot of description of Poirot and we have a really good idea of what he looks like. Hastings, through whose eyes we see the action of the novel, says "An extraordinary little man. Height, five feet four inches, egg-shaped head carried a little to one side, eyes that shone green when he was excited, stiff military moustache, air of dignity immense! He was neat and dandified in appearance." There is a scene however at the end of the novel which is a bit at odds with that description. Look out for it and see what you think."Dashing forward, he [Poirot] battered wildly on the front door. Then rushing to the tree in the flower-bed, he swarmed up it with the agility of a cat. I followed him, as with a bound he sprang in through the open window". Sedate, dapper, neat little Poirot climbs a tree? Never!Just as in the earlier two books, there are quite large sections of denouement, when Christie makes sure that the reader understands the complexity of the plot and the cleverness of her carefully woven webs. Almost 80 pages before the end Poirot begins his exposition designed to make things clear for the thick Hastings. Hastings thinks all is resolved and Poirot reminds him there is yet one more murder to be solved.My verdict. THE MURDER ON THE LINKS has stood the test of time quite well. Red herrings abound. Hercule Poirot changes his mind several times, and so did I. My rating: 4.2Interestingly MURDER ON THE LINKS contains a dedication "To My Husband a fellow enthusiast for detective stories and to whom I am indebted for much helpful advice and criticism."Agatha has been married to Colonel Archibald Christie since 1914, and her marriage, although apparently an unhappy one, will survive until their divorce in 1928.
    • 4/5
      Ercule Poirot receives a letter begging him to travel to France to help in a mysterious case. Upon his arrival it turns out that the man who wrote the letter was murdered and it is up to Poirot and his friend Captain Hastings to solve the murder and a couple of other mysteries along the way. A couple of years ago I got my hands on a volume of five of Christie's Miss Marple mysteries along with a book of short stories and for some reason while I enjoyed them I didn't love them. It all seemed very formulaic with superficial characters and without much feeling. Now that I've been reading more of her books I can't help but think that the timing wasn't right when I picked up that volume. I even remember saying in earlier Christie reviews that to me her novels are good riddles but usually don't have much depth. I officially take it back. This was Christie's second published novel and already we have a theme that will repeat in a number of her later books - heredity and its effects on a person's character. Poirot is a big believer in heredity and something tells me that Dame Agatha was as well. It was interesting to see how such considerations played a part in the characters' actions. We also have the matter of social classes and marriage outside of one's class. It seems like an archaic and snobbish subject in this day and age but in Christie's time it was very much relevant and I must admit, marriage is difficult enough without partnering up with someone who doesn't even have the benefit of a similar background. Like Poirot said, 99 times out of 100 it doesn't make for a happy union. But do not despair, my democratic friends, luckily for us Christie favors love and happiness much more than numbers and odds, and that's all I'm going to say about that. As far as the characters go this set was a lot of fun. Hastings always deems himself such a great detective and speaks of Poirot almost pityingly when the Belgian genius makes conclusions that don't coincide with his. Fortunately he remains such a good sport when he realizes that all his ideas were wrong that one can't hold it against him, which I don't think Poirot ever does. The French police are a different matter entirely and it was very amusing to watch them battle it out over the many plot twists - as the officer in charge of the investigation lamented this was not at all a simple case and you do have to get the little grey cells working to keep track of it all. Mme Renauld was definitely my favorite female character. She was a remarkable woman indeed and only at the very end of the book do we see the full extent of it. The rest weren't very straightforward either. We have devotion, self-sacrifice, strength, deceit and calculation all present and as carefully as I watched for clues I couldn't always tell who was looking out for whose interests. Hope you have better luck, both here and with the identity of the killer - I was off the mark yet again and A.C. is currently leading 15-0. That's ok, I have 51 more chances.
    • 4/5
      Another great one.Difficult to read any Poirot now without seeing David Suchet in your mind. His work might be the closest-to-the-mark portrayal of any mystery series character.
    • 5/5
      waw, what an amazing plot this one has. as an actively deducing reader, I was constantly set on the wrong foot. the murder case is wonderfully concieved, brilliantly laid out and the plot of the book contains suspense, action and turns on every page. an exceptional story in the Poirot-series by the great Agatha Christie.
    • 4/5
      Hastings and Poirot are united in another crime solving escapade, this time involving a dead body found on the edge of a golf course. It's not surprising that they would work together, as they are currently sharing a flat in London. One morning, while at breakfast, Poirot receives an urgent summons from Paul Renauld. The two men travel to his home, but arrive too late - Renauld is dead. Earlier that morning, men entered Renauld's house, tied up his wife and abducted him. The police later found his body in an open grave next to a golf course near his home. He was stabbed in the back. Renauld's son is supposed to be in the Americas, his secretary was in London, and only three women servants were in the house with them.
    • 3/5
      Audio book performed by Hugh Fraser

      Captain Arthur Hastings narrates this second book in the mystery series featuring Hercule Poirot. It all begins when Hastings meets a young woman on a train. In short order Poirot receives a letter from a South American millionaire living in France stating that his life is in danger and pleading with Poirot to come at once. Hastings and Poirot immediately go to France, only to find that their “client” has been murdered. There is no shortage of suspects – wife, son, neighbors, vagrants, even the girl on the train shows up. The local police are not happy to have Poirot interfering but he insists on his using his superior “little grey cells” to ferret out the truth amid all the clues, red herrings, prevarications, and intrigues.

      I love Poirot, but I don’t think this is Christie’s best effort. In my opinion, the whole love-interest between Hastings and the girl stretches credulity too far, and is totally superfluous to the basic plot; did I say “basic” – it’s really far from basic, in fact it’s overly complicated. Given that this was originally published in 1923, and was only the second book in the series, I should probably cut Christie some slack, and I will. It’s still an entertaining cozy, and I was interested from beginning to end.

      Hugh Fraser does a marvelous job performing the audio version. He really brings Poirot (and the many other characters) to life.
    • 4/5
      As always an excellent performance on this audiobook by Fraser. These are kind of our "go-to" audiobooks for long car rides together these days. The story is solid, but not my favorite.
    • 3/5
      This was just too complex, with plots within plots and complicated historical crimes. Most of the characters were morally compromised in some way, and I'm deducting an extra star for Hastings being willing to commit perjury for the 'love' of a woman he had had three short conversations with.
    • 3/5
      In which a panicked note to Hastings leads to murder…

      You can’t go wrong with Poirot and Hastings, although "Murder on the Links" is a complicated affair. Christie wasn’t yet at the height of her powers, but she had mastered these characters in the intervening short stories, so the second Poirot novel proves a strong indicator of things to come. The mystery is solidly written, forcing Poirot’s little grey cells to work overtime, and there are some nice character dynamics. If there’s a flaw, it’s that it feels too perfectly constructed, as if no one could actually commit this murder.

      Amusingly, Christie had already grown tired of Hastings (or, rather, the expectation that he appear as her constant narrator), and the seeds are sown here that will see him gone for Argentina, to return only intermittently, by the time Poirot returns to the novel format in "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd".

      Three-and-a-half stars.

      Poirot ranking: 18th out of 38
    • 4/5
      Poirot is asked to come quickly to France. It is the postscript that really convinces the esteemed investigator to take on the case. He arrives to find the man who sent the note murdered. Although Giraud, the French detective, seems to be up on the latest in scientific investigation, it is Poirot's psychological studies of the persons involved which leads to the conclusion. This is one with all sorts of twists and turns in the plot. It will keep readers guessing up to the very end.
    • 4/5
      This is the second Hercule Poirot mystery and it finds both Hastings (our narrator) and M. Poirot being hired by a millionaire in France who feels his life is under threat because of a great secret that he possesses. When they arrive at his Villa, however, they discover that the millionaire has already been murdered and is a most alarming and intriguing fashion. Poirot is chagrined that an arrogant detective with the French police has taken over the investigation, and he challenges the man into a wager as to which one of them will have the culprit first. The clues are quite disjointed and don't seem to go together at all, but Poirot has more than one trick up his sleeve, and a very long memory that serves him well.There is no shortage of suspects in this story, and each one of them fits all the clues but one, with each one leaving out something different. It's full of twists and turns and revelations that kept me interested till the very end. And, no, I didn't guess correctly! I give this a 4 because while it was very cleverly plotted, there was just a tad too much going on that turned out to be completely superfluous at the end. The trick, though, was deciding what was vital and what wasn't.
    • 4/5
      This was an exceptionally good Poirot mystery. There were a lot of complicated plot twists at the end, and just when I thought I had everything figured out there were more surprises. A couple of romances too!
    • 2/5
      November 1998 Hastings finds love sums up this book for me. Sadly I watched part one of the BBC version of this book, I say sadly because the movie version does not follow the story line of the book, which is like following two conversations at the same time. Anyway, Christie is an extremely talented mystery writer, just when the murder is solved, things happen. Things and people are never what they appear to be which is almost the only constant thing. Someday I may read all Christie’s mysteries from beginning to end, won’t that be a task?
    • 5/5
      The book has a quite complicated plot, which is apparently based on a real case, and is very French in its feel. Poirot is completely at the heart of this book and you can feel his character and his 'little grey cells' developing. There is a slightly ludicrous, romantic subplot involving Captain Hastings, but this does not detract from the novel in the least and here I can really feel Christie growing into her craft.
    • 4/5
      The Murder on the Links is the second of Christie's Poirot series and from it a better picture of what this Belgian detective is like. The thing that struck me was that he might be a precursor to the man known in the current day as Mr. Adrian Monk. Hercule Poirot comes into a room and immediately looks around and if he can he will begin to straighten up the pictures on the wall, align edges of things out of place and generally look for what is out of order. This is basically the method to his madness as the saying goes.

      Poirot's second characteristic is that he leaves forensic details to others because he can't waste time on clues like cigarette butts or blades of grass because frankly he knows nothing about them and he refuses to make himself look ridiculous moving his nose across the ground like a hound dog. Leave that for the dogs he says.

      Poirot gets a frantic letter from France where a Mr. Renauld is in fear for his life. Despite leaving immediately with his friend Captain Hastings, he arrives too late. Renauld has been found in an open grave on a golf course wearing an overcoat which is too large for him over his underwear.

      There are many entangled threads involving several mysterious characters that Poirot teases out in a delicate fashion all the while poor Captain Hasting is totally lost at sea. He is a lot more that a day late and a dollar short. It made me wonder just why Poirot puts up with him.
      I like the early Poirot books the best because as yet you don't get tired of the little grey cells comments.
    • 4/5
      I'm not much for cozies in general, but I do like Agatha Christie and, the earlier Hercule Poirot novels are very nicely crafted. In this story, an Englishman living in France summons Poirot to Merlinville-sur-Mer in France. The Englishman, Paul Renaud, believes his life to life to be endangered. Poirot arrives in all due haste; but it is too late. Renaud's body is discovered on a golf course.... Silly me, I was half afraid that the book was going to contain arcane golfing terminology and I was going to have to ask DH about mashies and niblicks and such, but rest assured, there was nothing about golf in the story :-)

      Redacted from the original blog review at dog eared copy, Hercule Poirot Mysteries (1-4): Mini Op-Ed Reviews, 10/10/2011
    • 3/5
      A nice, solid detective. The story keeps you guessing, it's complicated enough to not be too straightforward.
    • 4/5
      Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings together, though sometimes at odds. It's a more complicated plot than in The Mysterious Affair At Styles, and it's possible to figure out some of it while missing quite a bit. There's also a part parody/part critique of the Holmes canon, with a French inspector who very much uses those methods.
    • 4/5
      A letter containing a desperate plea for help brings Hercule Poirot to France, but unfortunately not before the author of the letter is murdered, his body found in a bunker on a golf course. As the story unfolds, so do the infamous twists and red herrings that are such a signature of Ms Christie's works
    • 4/5
      Murder on the Links is the second Hercule Poirot mystery from Agatha Christie. In this story, told by Poirot’s friend Hastings, we are given a convoluted mystery about a body of a man found in a soon to be built bunker on a proposed golf course. The setting is the chateau in France of this rich yet mysterious dead man. Timing seems to be the matter that concerns Poirot’s little grey cells and, in this case, the timing is very difficult to work out. A good mystery and, we are also treated to the story of how Hastings meets his wife to be and comes to go to South America and raise cattle. Hercule Poirot is in fine form during this story as Agatha Christie reveals more of this man’s character and motivation. His ego, always a large one, gets plenty of stroking from the local French police that are very happy to see him show up and include him in all details of the case. His superior ways can be a little grating at times but in this case we root for Poirot to solve the mystery before a very snooty Parisian detective does.Charming and witty, with lots of red herrings to throw you a curve, I enjoyed Murder on the Links very much. As with all of Christie’s mysteries, the fun outweighs the obvious coincidences that she relies upon to move the plot forward.
    • 5/5
      Another classic Hercule Poirot mystery by Agatha Christie. I love any book starring Hercule Poirot, but in this book, Hastings was the shining star for me. I found his blundering around the case extremely amusing. I also enjoyed following his love story in this one. Poirot did an excellent job solving the case, but I really enjoyed the comic relief provided by Hastings in this one.
    • 4/5
      After my disappointment with the first book in the Poirot series I'm pleased to admit that this second installment turned out to be a vast improvement. I like narrative's upbeat tone. It's fast paced yet leaves plenty of room for reflection.More than once the problems facing Poirot and his friend appear to be resolved, only for a twist here, a turn there, and more investigation is required.The characters are all well-drawn, especially Poirot.Overall, an entertaining read.
    • 3/5
      I can't stand Arthur Hastings. I never loved fussy Poirot with his mustache and his LGC's, so I fully expected to be annoyed by him – but by the end of this book I was longing to slip into an alternate universe in which Hastings became the next murder victim. I assume he's supposed to be an ass (see what I did there?), but good grief, he's an overachiever. Case in point: "Now I am old-fashioned. A woman, I consider, should be womanly. I have no patience with the modern neurotic girl who jazzes from morning till night, smokes like a chimney, and uses language which would make a Billingsgate fishwoman blush!" My ladylike response to this in a Kindle note was "Bite me, Hastings." Also, anyone who can say "My blood literally froze at the sight" - twice - instantaneously loses any lingering respect I might have had. There are just a number of oddities in the writing, which I didn't expect from Christie. Like: "'One can see by his face that he was stabbed in the back,' remarked Poirot." That still makes me smile. Honestly, the whole bent of the mystery just seemed silly, and had me making snide or incredulous notes throughout. In the end, Poirot was so arrogant, and Hastings such a moron, and the plot so ludicrous I was left feeling like I was reading some pastiche instead of the genuine Christie. Something interesting that did pop up: I believe that a well-known anecdote exists to the effect that a young writer, determined to make the commencement of his story forcible and original enough to catch and rivet the attention of the most blasé of editors, penned the following sentence: '"Hell!" said the Duchess.' - I assumed that was a reference to Lord Peter; the very first line of his very first appearance is '"Oh, damn!" said Lord Peter Wimsey at Piccadilly Circus.' But there actually is a book by Michael Arlen – called, in fact, "Hell!" Said the Duchess. I wonder, though: "Hell" came out in 1934, and Whose Body? In 1923 – was "hell" a response to Peter's "Damn!"?
    • 4/5
      Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie - good

      Oops, another Agatha Christie so soon after the last one! My excuse is that I've needed to read things on my kindle recently as I've hurt my arm and am finding holding a book difficult. This was sitting in my TBR folder just tempting me. Sadly, as it was given to me, I think whatever software was used to break the DRM mangled the text a bit as there were a few places which had [missing], thankfully not enough to spoil the read, but a little annoying.

      This one is written from Hasting's perspective and I found that quite different (think it is the first of that style I've read). It was also different from the TV adaptation which was quite refreshing (didn't like the way the TV played up silly rivalries and added comedy).

      Not the best Agatha Christie, not the worst. Certainly worked in the 'keep Chrys occupied without straining her arm' stakes!
    • 3/5
      A good HP book. I don't know why, but it felt more like a "first novel" to me than The Mysterious Affair at Styles did. There is a lot going on in the story, both with the main action and between various characters. I did really like the character development of Hastings and the development of the relationship between Hastings and Poirot. I expect that this background will make the rest of the HP books more enjoyable.
    • 4/5
      A fairly early Agatha Christie novel involving Hercule Poirot, narrated by his friend Hastings. They travel to France in response to an urgent letter, only to find that they are too late to prevent a tragedy. Poirot's investigations are somewhat hampered by the French police, and also by various involved folk evidently not telling the truth. Well-paced writing with a good plot, with somewhat flat characters - but that's not unusual for Christie. There's a low-key romance, too, and some mildly amusing banter here and there. A good diversion, available in Kindle form as well as various print editions.
    • 1/5


      This book is not only a mystery, but it is about relationships & romance. As most all Christie's mysteries are about relationships, that of the victim to the suspects and the murderer(s), as well as the friendships the detectives have their co-detectives.

      M. Poirot receives an extraordinary letter from businessman M. Renauld: "For God's sake, come!" Poirot and Hastings go to Renauld's home, only to find that Renauld had been murdered that morning. Meeting them at the gate is Marthe, the girl M. Poirot noted has "anxious eyes".

      Madame Renauld was tied up and her husband taken away. Entry to the house was through the open front door. Renauld's body was found, stabbed in the back, in a newly-dug pit that was to serve as a sand bunker of the adjacent golf course. Renauld had sent his son Jack away on business to South America; given the chauffeur a holiday; his secretary, Gabriel Stoner, remains in England, leaving three female servants in the house.

      A servant reported that neighbour Madame Daubreuil, the mother of Marthe, (had paid two hundred thousand francs into her bank account in recent weeks) visited M. Renauld after Madame Renauld had retired for the night but another servant contended it was an unknown woman who came the day before, whom Renauld urged to "leave now".

      At the scene of crime there was: a smashed watch; a long piece of lead pipe; a love letter signed by "Bella"; the fragment of a check with the name "Duveen"; and the murder weapon (a letter opener used as a dagger). Renauld changed his will two weeks before, leaving almost everything to his wife and nothing to his son.

      While the M. Poirot, the French magistrate and police do their work, Monsieur Giraud of the Sûreté joins them and is overtly hostile to M.Poirot and the rest of the team.

      Hastings had previously encountered a young lady whom he named "Cinderella" on a train to Calais and fell in love with her. She later turned up at the links and asked Hastings to be shown the scene of the crime. Like the great azz Hastings is, he left her alone at the scene of the crime and she absconded with the murder weapon.

      Jack Renauld returns home, his ship having been delayed. Jack admits to arguing with his father over who he wants to marry, but shows he is unaware of the change in the will. Marthe is the girl in question, considered unsuitable to both his parents.

      Meanwhile when M. Poirot is away, another body was found with the same dagger in his heart. No one recognises the well–dressed man who, by his hands, could be a tramp. It is found that the man died before Renauld's murder. When M. Poirot examined the new corpse with the doctor they find that the man died of an epileptic fit and was stabbed after death.

      So the book goes on & on, with many side clues, investigations, & romantic involvement. The characters are not likeable and most of the dialog between M. Poirot & Hastings is imbecilic blathering.
    • 4/5
      I'm going through the Poirot mysteries in order, so this is only the second one I've read, but I prefer this one over The Mysterious Affair at Styles.I must admit, one of the characters I knew was going to come back, but not in the way I imagined it. Christie's talent for a mystery shines when Poirot reveals the truth and you can go back in your mind with the evidence and it seems to check out. Sometimes it may seem a little far-fetched, but if you read with your mind going, "ANYTHING can happen," it makes for a much more interesting read.I enjoyed this one a lot, especially with all the hidden identities here and there. Definitely one I'd recommend.

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    The Murder on the Links - Agatha Christie

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