THE MURDER ON THE LINKS
UK publication: 1923 (John Lane, The Bodley Head)
US publication: 1923 (Dodd, Mead)
Detective: Hercule Poirot
Genre: Novel
Plot
summary and comments: Poirot and Hastings are now rooming together
in London (Hastings is Private Secretary to an MP) and are holidaying
together at a resort town in the north of France, when an eminent local
businessman is kidnapped and presumed murdered, masked men having broken
into his house and tied up his wife. There are discrepancies in his wife's
story, and the French police investigate, with young detective Giraud
of the Surete scorning Poirot's advice (to his own detriment, of course).
Hastings becomes infatuated with a young auburn-haired girl (who is suspected
for a time) and it seems likely that they will marry at the end of the
novel. One of Poirot's friends, the agent Joseph Aarons, will reappear
in The Big Four.
::READERS REVIEWS::
jpcii from Toms River, NJ USA
"A body that should be discovered and a variety of possibilities
make this book a solid Poirot mystery. The competition between Poirot
and a young detective who uses "scientific methods" such as
investigating tobacco ash appears to be a shot at another famous detective.
More could have been done with this but Christie usually wastes little
time with character development. Hastings is even dimmer than usual in
this one, but the mystery is a good one and not too obvious."
"This
book revolves around the Renauld family & it deviates from the usual
AC novels. First of all, there is another detyective M. Giraud (who, of
course, despises Poirot's old-fashioned way of dealing with things) &
Hastings falls in love, not with a red-head ;-), but with...ok, i won't
spoil it, by telling u who it is. The plot is not a straight-forward one,
but one involving many twists & turns. Just when u think you've caught
the murderer, there appears another one. On the whole, a good read but
not one of her best."
Christopher
Rubery from Coventry, Warwickshire United Kingdom
"I think overall that the "Queen of Crime" overdid herself
in this one. There are a few too many plotlines outlined at once and overall
it becomes a LITTLE too complicated for my liking. That said however the
characters were as fun as ever and a welcome romance for Hastings! (warning.this
book contains identical twins-always a problem!)"
"This
book revolves around the Renauld family & it deviates from the usual
AC novels. First of all, there is another detyective M. Giraud (who, of
course, despises Poirot's old-fashioned way of dealing with things) &
Hastings falls in love, not with a red-head ;-), but with...ok, i won't
spoil it, by telling u who it is. The plot is not a straight-forward one,
but one involving many twists & turns. Just when u think you've caught
the murderer, there appears another one. On the whole, a good read but
not one of her best."
::YOUR OPINION::
