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The Murder on the Links
Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is summoned to France after receiving a distressing letter with a urgent cry for help. Upon his arrival in Merlinville-sur-Mer, the investigator finds the man who penned the letter, the South American millionaire Monsieur Renauld, stabbed to death and his body flung into a freshly dug open grave on the golf course adjoining the property. Meanwhile the millionaire's wife is found bound and gagged in her room. Apparently, it seems that Renauld and his wife were victims of a failed break-in, resulting in Renauld's kidnapping and death.
There's no lack of suspects: his wife, whose dagger served as the weapon; his embittered son, who would have killed for independence; and his mistress, who refused to be ignored - and each felt deserving of the dead man's fortune. The police think they've found the culprit. But Poirot has his doubts. Why is the dead man wearing an overcoat that is too big for him? And who was the impassioned love-letter in the pocket for? Before Poirot can answer these questions, the case is turned upside down by the discovery of a second, identically murdered corpse...
There's no lack of suspects: his wife, whose dagger served as the weapon; his embittered son, who would have killed for independence; and his mistress, who refused to be ignored - and each felt deserving of the dead man's fortune. The police think they've found the culprit. But Poirot has his doubts. Why is the dead man wearing an overcoat that is too big for him? And who was the impassioned love-letter in the pocket for? Before Poirot can answer these questions, the case is turned upside down by the discovery of a second, identically murdered corpse...
220 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1923
3 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Agatha Christie
5,794 books76.1k followersAgatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 15, 2025
Poirot's Hole in One
A review of the Pan Books paperback (1970) of the original Dodd, Mead & Company (US) (March 1923) & The Bodley Head (UK) (May 1923) hardcovers.
This continues my mini-Hercule Poiroit re-read binge based on my discovery of a huge pile of Agatha Christie paperbacks from my archives. I originally read most of these in the 1970s based on the publishing dates of most of the editions.
Despite its title and my lede, The Murder on the Links does not actually have anything to do with golf except that the victim is discovered in a hastily dug grave on the site of a future sand-trap on a golf course nearby to his home in France. Poirot and Hastings have answered a letter from the victim which requested assistance only to arrive too late to save him.
The case becomes a battle of wits between Poirot and the detective from the French Sûreté who is dismissive of Poirot's skills. Meanwhile it seems that Hastings is having his head turned by every attractive woman who crosses their path, even to the point of apparently hampering Poirot's investigation.
A photograph of my archival Agatha Christie paperbacks, not in any order except for the first 3 of the Poirots in the top left. Image from own photo.
The fumbling by Hastings is completely cringeworthy throughout, but Poirot is remarkably forgiving as they still ally to set a trap for the killer. Overall this was still a delightful read with Poirot's deductions leading to a satisfying close.
Soundtrack
You can listen to an extended version of the opening theme music of the long-running TV series Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989-2013) with many screenshots of actor David Suchet as the title character on a YouTube clip here.
Trivia and Links
The Murder on the Links is in the public domain and can be read at various online sources such as Wikisource and Project Gutenberg.
Front cover for the home video edition of "Murder on the Links." Image sourced from IMDb.
The Murder on the Links was adapted as a feature length episode for the TV series Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989-2013). Despite being the second Hercule Poirot novel, it was not adapted until Season 6's Episode Three in 1996. I rewatched the episode as well and found that it was reasonably faithful to the novel's plot, although some characters were dropped and the reveal was somewhat altered.
A review of the Pan Books paperback (1970) of the original Dodd, Mead & Company (US) (March 1923) & The Bodley Head (UK) (May 1923) hardcovers.
‘Why did you measure that overcoat?’ I asked, with some curiosity, as we walked down the hot white road at a leisurely pace.
‘Parbleu! to see how long it was,’ replied my friend imperturbably.
I was vexed. Poirot’s incurable habit of making a mystery out of nothing never failed to irritate me.
This continues my mini-Hercule Poiroit re-read binge based on my discovery of a huge pile of Agatha Christie paperbacks from my archives. I originally read most of these in the 1970s based on the publishing dates of most of the editions.
Despite its title and my lede, The Murder on the Links does not actually have anything to do with golf except that the victim is discovered in a hastily dug grave on the site of a future sand-trap on a golf course nearby to his home in France. Poirot and Hastings have answered a letter from the victim which requested assistance only to arrive too late to save him.
The case becomes a battle of wits between Poirot and the detective from the French Sûreté who is dismissive of Poirot's skills. Meanwhile it seems that Hastings is having his head turned by every attractive woman who crosses their path, even to the point of apparently hampering Poirot's investigation.
A photograph of my archival Agatha Christie paperbacks, not in any order except for the first 3 of the Poirots in the top left. Image from own photo.
The fumbling by Hastings is completely cringeworthy throughout, but Poirot is remarkably forgiving as they still ally to set a trap for the killer. Overall this was still a delightful read with Poirot's deductions leading to a satisfying close.
Soundtrack
You can listen to an extended version of the opening theme music of the long-running TV series Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989-2013) with many screenshots of actor David Suchet as the title character on a YouTube clip here.
Trivia and Links
The Murder on the Links is in the public domain and can be read at various online sources such as Wikisource and Project Gutenberg.
Front cover for the home video edition of "Murder on the Links." Image sourced from IMDb.
The Murder on the Links was adapted as a feature length episode for the TV series Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989-2013). Despite being the second Hercule Poirot novel, it was not adapted until Season 6's Episode Three in 1996. I rewatched the episode as well and found that it was reasonably faithful to the novel's plot, although some characters were dropped and the reveal was somewhat altered.
January 30, 2022
The plot is as outlandish and reliant on coincidence as anything else of the time, but Poirot remains a delight. Where Holmes is all about deduction based on clues and evidence, Poirot shows greater understanding of the human heart. He is less officious than Holmes and more inclined to consider motive than mere facts.
Hastings is a bit of a ninny here and he very nearly causes more damage than he prevents, but this rattles along and wraps itself up with panache. Delightful
Hastings is a bit of a ninny here and he very nearly causes more damage than he prevents, but this rattles along and wraps itself up with panache. Delightful
February 6, 2018
Another terrific book by Agatha Christie! Not as good as “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” but, nevertheless, a tremendously fun novel to read. I honestly never know where it’s going to lead and the mystery behind it is thrilling! These may be called cosy-crime novels but, I find them every bit as nail-biting as hard-boiled fiction! . Yet another set of likeable characters has been created for this tale, as well as a stunning setting. Really enjoying my Hercule Poirot books!
March 10, 2024
Beware of golf-adjacent crimes, the narrators are idiots. The protagonist in ‘Why didn’t they ask Evans?’ Is an idiot. The protagonist in the short ‘Mystery of the Blue Jar’ is the biggest idiot ever.
And in Links: we’re subjected to Hastings. Why didn’t Hastings get arrested for tampering with evidence or obstruction of justice or some such? The French police are very efficient but also far too tolerant of English twits in the company of mildly famous private detectives.
Does Poirot even like Hastings? He claims in later books to miss Hastings, but Poirot is a very good liar. Look, possibly Poirot doesn’t really like anyone unless they have nice legs and witty bants. He’d have done very well with a violent debutante off-sider who went about braining people with tennis racquets and seducing crooks in jazz clubs.
I do not like Hastings and I’m not particularly reading the Poirots in order and I’m glad Christie mostly dispenses with him. I am not indifferent to his romantic adventures; they infuriate me. And who is paying for Hastings’s first class international travel and stays at charming hotels?
Actually I don’t quite know how Poirot gets paid in this outing, and I vaguely think Hastings is sort of a Watson and is publishing accounts of the cases, which might be his source of income. I would sort of just like to know that Poirot gets a cheque for 10,000 pounds at the end, so he can keep paying rent on his London flat with its shared breakfast room. I did really love this detail, where you could have an apartment building that had shared common spaces that aren’t bathrooms.
Links is satisfyingly twisty but has a boring mid-section before the suspense and drama really amp up. When they do, though, and when I could calm my outrage over how dreadful the romantic young men were, it was a fun read.
Loved the femmes fatales though. Nice to see a bunch of shady women around, all capable of carrying off a range of dark deeds.
Not really one of my favourites, but it gets 4 stars for picking up the pace at the end. And it’s shocking to notice that two books in Christie is already giving her great detective the wind-up.
And in Links: we’re subjected to Hastings. Why didn’t Hastings get arrested for tampering with evidence or obstruction of justice or some such? The French police are very efficient but also far too tolerant of English twits in the company of mildly famous private detectives.
Does Poirot even like Hastings? He claims in later books to miss Hastings, but Poirot is a very good liar. Look, possibly Poirot doesn’t really like anyone unless they have nice legs and witty bants. He’d have done very well with a violent debutante off-sider who went about braining people with tennis racquets and seducing crooks in jazz clubs.
I do not like Hastings and I’m not particularly reading the Poirots in order and I’m glad Christie mostly dispenses with him. I am not indifferent to his romantic adventures; they infuriate me. And who is paying for Hastings’s first class international travel and stays at charming hotels?
Actually I don’t quite know how Poirot gets paid in this outing, and I vaguely think Hastings is sort of a Watson and is publishing accounts of the cases, which might be his source of income. I would sort of just like to know that Poirot gets a cheque for 10,000 pounds at the end, so he can keep paying rent on his London flat with its shared breakfast room. I did really love this detail, where you could have an apartment building that had shared common spaces that aren’t bathrooms.
Links is satisfyingly twisty but has a boring mid-section before the suspense and drama really amp up. When they do, though, and when I could calm my outrage over how dreadful the romantic young men were, it was a fun read.
Loved the femmes fatales though. Nice to see a bunch of shady women around, all capable of carrying off a range of dark deeds.
Not really one of my favourites, but it gets 4 stars for picking up the pace at the end. And it’s shocking to notice that two books in Christie is already giving her great detective the wind-up.
October 5, 2017
see review on other edition
October 24, 2025
I actually enjoyed this better than the mysterious affair styles, but this may be for the simple fact that I was already familiar and attached to Poirot and Hastings. Christie writes with such a fun energy, I am ready to start book three!
September 5, 2014
Christie is definitely easy reading, and i'm going on record to say there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Well plotted, well written, interesting and believable characters that i was constantly second- and third-guessing. And all the time, a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience. Nothing too taxing, but not at all dull.
I picked up on enough clues to guess the overall plot, but the finer details were nice to discover at the end.
Really, there isn't much else i can say. I adore Poirot, and Christie is a delight to read. Yep, that about sums it up.
Well plotted, well written, interesting and believable characters that i was constantly second- and third-guessing. And all the time, a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience. Nothing too taxing, but not at all dull.
I picked up on enough clues to guess the overall plot, but the finer details were nice to discover at the end.
Really, there isn't much else i can say. I adore Poirot, and Christie is a delight to read. Yep, that about sums it up.
September 14, 2025
Overall I did enjoy this although I found it a little slow in a couple parts. However the last few chapters really gripped me, great dramatic culmination of events!
August 10, 2024
This is Christies third book and the second outing of the Poirot/Hastings pairing. It is interesting to see the stylistic differences between this and The Secret Adversary, her previous book. Although Christie was definitely not one of the great stylists among the world of mystery writing one can see clear differences of writing style and plotting between the two “more serious” Poirot books and the romp she published in between.
The greater part of this book is set in France and though Christie does indulge herself in presenting stereotypical French figures they are not the cartoon depictions put forward in her previous outing. In TSA Christie seems to have been playing a double game--presenting a rather farcical story on the one hand and winking at the audience about the farcical presentation on the other. Similarly in this story Christie seems aware of the fact that she is using stereotypes in order to justify Hastings responses and in order to lead the reader down dead ends when they think they are detecting.
Poirot, while still not a fully rounded character is far more three dimensional than in his first outing and while Hastings emotional involvement is rather far-fetched his responses to various encounters are what one would expect from the man we met in The Mysterious Affair at Styles.
In some ways this book is reminiscent of the end of The Return of the King with multiple “endings”, with the solution to one of the deaths coming well before the end of the book and having more than one solution to other death presented to the reader. And while Christie never loses focus on the murders the real “problems” the require solution, the emotional resolutions of the major dilemmas faced by various characters, feel like the true end of the book.
While not one of her more famous books one can see, on reading Murder on the Links why Christie’s was beginning to become a readers favourite early in her writing career.
The greater part of this book is set in France and though Christie does indulge herself in presenting stereotypical French figures they are not the cartoon depictions put forward in her previous outing. In TSA Christie seems to have been playing a double game--presenting a rather farcical story on the one hand and winking at the audience about the farcical presentation on the other. Similarly in this story Christie seems aware of the fact that she is using stereotypes in order to justify Hastings responses and in order to lead the reader down dead ends when they think they are detecting.
Poirot, while still not a fully rounded character is far more three dimensional than in his first outing and while Hastings emotional involvement is rather far-fetched his responses to various encounters are what one would expect from the man we met in The Mysterious Affair at Styles.
In some ways this book is reminiscent of the end of The Return of the King with multiple “endings”, with the solution to one of the deaths coming well before the end of the book and having more than one solution to other death presented to the reader. And while Christie never loses focus on the murders the real “problems” the require solution, the emotional resolutions of the major dilemmas faced by various characters, feel like the true end of the book.
While not one of her more famous books one can see, on reading Murder on the Links why Christie’s was beginning to become a readers favourite early in her writing career.
January 16, 2019
I’m tempted to give this book 5 stars, but I know I’ll change it down the road to 4. 5 stars for an ending I did not see coming, but the writing was kind of just “meh” for me. I mean, I really didn’t see that ending coming. Maybe I’m off my game.
January 6, 2026
This book is so short, yet so much is happening 😅
The story is set in a French town in the 1920s, where Poirot—a famous detective, gets a last-minute call for help. But when he arrives, he finds the man already dead near a golf course. What follows is a twisty, mystery-filled plot that kept me guessing. Just when I thought I had it figured out, it suddenly took a completely different turn!
I’ll admit, it was a bit hard to get into at first, the slow-burn pace and classic writing style took some getting used to. But I ended up fascinated by how beautifully the words were crafted and how cleverly the plot was built. It made me realize I should definitely read more classic novels.
I definitely enjoyed it and of course, hats off to the Queen of Crime 👑
The story is set in a French town in the 1920s, where Poirot—a famous detective, gets a last-minute call for help. But when he arrives, he finds the man already dead near a golf course. What follows is a twisty, mystery-filled plot that kept me guessing. Just when I thought I had it figured out, it suddenly took a completely different turn!
I’ll admit, it was a bit hard to get into at first, the slow-burn pace and classic writing style took some getting used to. But I ended up fascinated by how beautifully the words were crafted and how cleverly the plot was built. It made me realize I should definitely read more classic novels.
I definitely enjoyed it and of course, hats off to the Queen of Crime 👑
March 1, 2017
It seems to be a consistent trait of the early Christie novels that there is simply too much in them. If The Mysterious Affair at Styles had a sudden switch of the suspect, building up to a certain argument and then triumphantly abandoning it, and The Secret Adversary dazzled the reader with all the spectrum of Hollywood tricks: amnesia, car chases, espionage, Prime Minister commenting on the Very Important Business and so on – while not any less ambitious, The Murder on the Links is certainly less successful with its plot.
The motives and the connections are a salad. Hastings is at his most annoying, old-fashioned and sexist, which makes little sense given his genuine affection for fast cars and 'wild women'. Poirot is comically dramatic and there is also too little of him. I am genuinely sorry that we do not get to see more of Cinderella, as she certainly provides the most interesting dialogue (and Hastings is so not worthy).
Despite the lengthy elucidations, the final reveal is baffling. The previous conclusion seemed so thoroughly satisfying, that the finale reads like an add-on: there is no craving for justice to be restored at that point. It is all rather like a Scooby Doo episode, and under the villain's mask there is another mask, ad nauseam.
That said, still an easy, fast read. It was also curious to have a novel almost entirely set in France; Christie went on to give the French servants the same prejudices and opinions towards foreigners as are normally exhibited by her British housekeepers, only in reverse. Cannot say it worked very well: accusing the British of being frivolous and romantic does not follow the stereotype.
The motives and the connections are a salad. Hastings is at his most annoying, old-fashioned and sexist, which makes little sense given his genuine affection for fast cars and 'wild women'. Poirot is comically dramatic and there is also too little of him. I am genuinely sorry that we do not get to see more of Cinderella, as she certainly provides the most interesting dialogue (and Hastings is so not worthy).
Despite the lengthy elucidations, the final reveal is baffling. The previous conclusion seemed so thoroughly satisfying, that the finale reads like an add-on: there is no craving for justice to be restored at that point. It is all rather like a Scooby Doo episode, and under the villain's mask there is another mask, ad nauseam.
That said, still an easy, fast read. It was also curious to have a novel almost entirely set in France; Christie went on to give the French servants the same prejudices and opinions towards foreigners as are normally exhibited by her British housekeepers, only in reverse. Cannot say it worked very well: accusing the British of being frivolous and romantic does not follow the stereotype.
February 25, 2021
Not a bad twist at all!
This is the second Poirot book in the series, and it showcases Hastings as a sort of Watson to Poirot - the book is in the first person, Hastings comes up to many wrong conclusions which guide his actions and occasionally confound Poirot, and at the end there is a happy ending for all.
The reason I'm giving the book four stars is that it belongs to a specific Christie type of book, which ends with some sort of love scene that never feels quite right to me. There is a certain flatness to the women, and an aggressiveness to the men that was perhaps even desired in the writing of the time, but it is the only thing that puts me off Agatha Christie novels.
That scene apart, the rest of the book is a fantastic tangle of murder, plotting, scheming and thwarted love, all progressing at breakneck speed towards a series of denouements.
This is the second Poirot book in the series, and it showcases Hastings as a sort of Watson to Poirot - the book is in the first person, Hastings comes up to many wrong conclusions which guide his actions and occasionally confound Poirot, and at the end there is a happy ending for all.
The reason I'm giving the book four stars is that it belongs to a specific Christie type of book, which ends with some sort of love scene that never feels quite right to me. There is a certain flatness to the women, and an aggressiveness to the men that was perhaps even desired in the writing of the time, but it is the only thing that puts me off Agatha Christie novels.
That scene apart, the rest of the book is a fantastic tangle of murder, plotting, scheming and thwarted love, all progressing at breakneck speed towards a series of denouements.
January 15, 2016
Another entry into my trip down memory lane. I've been hauling around a stack of Agatha Christies for years and finally decided to read one. Murder On The Links is not quite the classical Christie set in an English manor with a host of characters. It is in fact set in France and the list of suspects is quite restricted. I've never been good at solving crime novels and this proved no different. The difference was that This one went where most other Christies haven't, weaving the investigators into the tale to make for a most surprising ending. Very satisfying.
March 4, 2017
told by Hastings, acrobat girl who H falls in love with. Man writes letter to Poirot as he feels in danger wife retrained door open arguments body in grave on the golf course. Son supposed to be on way to Beunos Aires. Dead person previously staged his disappearance in a similar way to start a new life moved back to France next door to woman that knows him from previous life and blackmails him. His son falls for her daughter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2024
While I had read this one before, I had completely forgotten until right near the end.
Poirot receives a letter begging him to visit a man in France but without much detail.
Naturally, a murder occurs and the wrong person is in the frame for it.
In this one we meet Giraud - a detective from the Sûreté - he & Poirot do not get on at all.
Also, Hastings meets his wife to be.
Poirot receives a letter begging him to visit a man in France but without much detail.
Naturally, a murder occurs and the wrong person is in the frame for it.
In this one we meet Giraud - a detective from the Sûreté - he & Poirot do not get on at all.
Also, Hastings meets his wife to be.
March 30, 2020
Still so many stereotypes in these books (a woman’s crime, only a man could have done the digging, etc.) but the plot with its twists and intrigue is superb. Hastings is a bit ridiculous regarding his amorous behavior. But it is nothing to Poirot, of course.
April 23, 2023
(3,5 stars)
Omg I didn’t expect it but I don’t understand it a 100% it’s a bit confusing but a lovely Agatha Christie- hercule Poirot read! Didn’t get the George and mr. Renault thing probs cus English isn’t my first language
Omg I didn’t expect it but I don’t understand it a 100% it’s a bit confusing but a lovely Agatha Christie- hercule Poirot read! Didn’t get the George and mr. Renault thing probs cus English isn’t my first language
February 7, 2019
As the second book in the series, I think she has already found her footing and running with Poirot. She clearly has a gift of unfolding a mystery and I can’t wait to read more.
July 27, 2019
Ah, the plot twists!
January 25, 2021
Poirot #2: Poirot bullies Hastings, who is stupid.
February 12, 2021
worst-developed romance ever to exist
June 30, 2022
Clever, and much more entertaining than some of her other mysteries.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews