Jessica-sim’s Comments (group member since Jan 01, 2016)

Jessica-sim’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

Well, Tara, I do not think you have to be a purist to frown at the many changes! Most obviously, and most strangely... the opening sequence. Giving away the whole plot and making it completely improbable at the same time! I wonder how that ever made it in there. (also really, why merging the two very important and very different women into one? but more appropriate to discuss that in the spoiler section...)

Besides the occasional frowning. I actually rather enjoyed it. I could see why they chose to put so much more of the golfing into the plot. I loved the way the episode looked and felt. Perhaps if one hadn't read the book very attentively just before watching, the changes wouldn't stand out so much.

I'm sorry to hear that, Tara! Especially as I have the TV-adaptation planned for tonight ... I have seen only a few Poirot adaptions. I can remember only Murder on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express, but I'm now duly committed to Poirot and will also "visit" him on screen! I will let you know how it went tomorrow.

Tara wrote: "I would think that people would have been able to make that association almost right away. For a crime that is supposed to be so well planned, it isnt very well thought out, is it?..."

Perhaps though, since he escaped cleanly last time he considered his method to be foolproof. Though these crimes were few and far between, there was no such thing as Interpol or the internet... If Poirot wasn't there to make the association, would anyone have found out?

Also Susan, thanks for the link! It was interesting to read, and now we are all enriched by this little piece of trivia: According to the game show Jeopardy!, The Murder on the Links contains the first known usage of the phrase "the scene of the crime." haha

I'm interested to know if any of you shared my suspicion of Jack's mother at first?

Yes, that's a bit annoying isn't? May be he is just very happy to have some french speaking people around...

Robin wrote: ". Hastings is able to try (and that needs to be heavily italicised!!) to thwart Poirot.."

Indeed, can you believe that? Would you dare to mislead Poirot? I do not think I would try, and if I did... I would certainly be more suspicious about Poirot's whereabouts!

Susan wrote: "It is possible that she just didn't want to get tied down to certain characters too soon, perhaps. She may have still been experimenting and wasn't sure she wanted to go for the Holmes/Watson scena..."

Indeed, also perhaps she was not planning to be writing so many more of them ...

So as, Leslie posted:

It always surprises me when I reread this how early Christie [marries Hastings off! After all, anyone who has read much of the Poirot series associates Poirot with Hastings despite this early disposal of his character. Was she was afraid of being stuck with a Dr. Watson type character (which of course Hastings is), do you think?

hmm that's interesting! I also was a bit disappointed (and surprised) that Hastings was married off so quickly ... though how often would it be fun to have him off on a whim of love?

Leslie wrote: "It always surprises me when I reread this how early Christie [spoilers removed]"

yes! though let's move this discussion over to the spoiler thread... :-)

Adrian wrote: "@Jessica - Somehow I seem to be way behind the curve on this. I think it was you that contacted me back in late December about reading the Poirot books in 2018. And I've only just noticed you have ..."

Oh please, don't worry Adrian! I am glad I followed through and it is so much fun to have this group as company on this quest. Though I never read the books, I was negatively biased towards Poirot but am I am coming round now. I enjoyed the first book and the second one is even better! I think I might miss Hastings though once he leaves us...

(ps I also need to catch up with Marsh, but will do so soon).

This book was published in 1923 and takes us to place in northern France. Poirot's long memory for past or similar crimes proves useful in resolving the mystery. We have Hastings properly losing his heart this time. And a lot of unexpected characters propping up, enjoy!

This book takes us to France, where we meet a whole array of interesting people... I can tell you, the story was not what I expected at all. A lot less actual golfing than I expected ;-)

Welcome to the Spoiler Thread for Murder on the Links.

We're reading the books in order as suggested by www.agathachristie.com, one book each month. There will be a separate spoiler and non-spoiler thread for each month. So for this year, we will read:

The Mysterious Affair at Styles 1920 --> Done!
Feb - Murder on the Links 1923
March - Christmas Adventure (short story) 1923 (well it's been placed here chronologically, you can ship it and save it for December...)
March - Poirot Investigates (short stories) 1924 (because we can certainly handle more than 1 short story this month!)
April - Poirot's Early Cases (short stories) 1974
May - The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 1926 (my favourite)
June - The Big Four 1927
July - The Mystery of the Blue Train 1928
August - Black Coffee (play novelisation by Charles Osborne) 1997
September - Peril at End House 1932
October - The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest (short story) 1932
November - Second Gong (short story) 1932
December - Lord Edgware Dies 1933

Welcome to the next Poirot!

We're reading the books in order as suggested by www.agathachristie.com, one book each month. There will be a separate spoiler thread for each month. So for this year, we will read: (updated 8-4-18)

The Mysterious Affair at Styles 1920 --> Done!
Feb - Murder on the Links 1923
March - Christmas Adventure (short story) 1923 (well it's been placed here chronologically, you can ship it and save it for December...)
March - Poirot Investigates (short stories) 1924 (because we can certainly handle more than 1 short story this month!)
April - Poirot's Early Cases (short stories) 1974
May - The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 1926 (my favourite)
June - The Big Four 1927
July - The Mystery of the Blue Train 1928
August - Black Coffee (play novelisation by Charles Osborne) 1997
September - Peril at End House 1932
October - The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest (short story) 1932 and Second Gong (short story) 1932
November - Lord Edgware Dies 1933
December - Murder on the Orient Express 1934 and optional reading of Christmas Adventure (short story) 1923

Roman Clodia wrote: "This is a re-read for me, only on p.21 but I remember it quite vividly.

I giggled at the tongue-in-cheek way Hastings introduces Poirot before he knows that he's actually here in the village: 'My..."

Following up with the observation by Roman Clodia about all the man hanging about whilst the war is going on! I think it adds a bit rightful shadiness, what are they all doing there? It is not explained in the book, I think. Are they unqualified to fight? Or have they shirked responsibility? Only Hasting's is officially on leave. I think it makes the men purposefully suspicious.

Actually I announced the plan of following the abovementioned list in my first post for this thread but could have included the books written out to give a better overview. So will do that, when opening the threads for the next month!

Hi all, well you know I am not an experienced discussion and I am happy that you all went merrily along (a very good instinct). I have some demanding work projects behind me now and hopefully more time and energy for keeping up with my GoodRead-intentions.

Okay, so order wise. I am happy that we can all agree on murder on the links next! And then I was just going for the writing order, I think I posted my planned schedule somewhere, but it is not set in stone if you would like something else.

I was going for the reading order as suggested by Agathachristie.com, http://s3.amazonaws.com/agatha-christ...

First couple of books:

The Mysterious Affair at Styles 1920
 Murder on the Links 1923
 Christmas Adventure (short story) 1923
 Poirot Investigates (short stories) 1924
 Poirot's Early Cases (short stories) 1974
 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 1926
 The Big Four 1927
 The Mystery of the Blue Train 1928
 Black Coffee (play novelisation by Charles Osborne) 1997

As a Dutch person, I feel that we also feel a very distinct need to distinguish ourselves from the Dutch-speaking Belgians (and vice versa). Perhaps it is a touch of nationalism at play here, where the French-speaking Belgians just want to make sure they are not mistaken to be French.

Some Christie / Styles facts just to throw into the mix ;-)

Did you know:

The Mysterious Affair at Styles earned her the princely sum of £25... this obviously did not deter her as she named her own house Styles in 1924 after the success of her first novel.

It's almost like a "bromance" between the two of them! ;-)

At least in this book Hastings is a very comical, yet totally unreliable narrator! You get his impressions and you know they are incorrect. He desires Mary, and is obsessed with how much better he is than John. Cynthia gets a proposal out of the blue, and Poirot... has obviously lost his wits! Hilarious! (As I'm a Poirot Rookie I am unaware how Hasting's role might be in other books.)

This is such fun! I have opened a spoiler thread too, really looking forward to the new reading year with you all :-)