From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

The Murder on the Links (Hercule Poirot, #2)

Agatha Christie

Start date: March 1, 2025

Finish date: March 31, 2025

Discussion: Group Challenges

Why we're reading this: Next in our Christie's Detectives: Poirot vs Marple challenge…more
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Group Challenges

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) by Agatha Christie
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last updated Sep 12, 2025 08:12PM

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) - SPOILER Thread
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What Members Thought

Dec 03, 2020 Brenda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I enjoyed this. Hastings was so very Hastings! This was an audio narrated by Hugh Fraser which added to the enjoyment. The bit of Hastings romance was a bit awkward and cheesy, but I enjoyed the mystery, some good red herrings. Was definitely at the end before the real murderer was revealed.

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Apr 30, 2018 Teri-K rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-golden-age

I'll admit upfront that if this book had been written by someone I'd never heard of I would have liked it better. I wouldn't have liked it much, but better. lol So I'm giving it 2 stars, though I didn't care for it at all, for several reasons.

First, I admire Christie's books because, whether they're set in Egypt or St. Mary Mead, they tell stories of real people who behave like people truly behave and who are often are trying to do the right thing, though they may not know what that is. This bo I'll admit upfront that if this book had been written by someone I'd never heard of I would have liked it better. I wouldn't have liked it much, but better. lol So I'm giving it 2 stars, though I didn't care for it at all, for several reasons.

First, I admire Christie's books because, whether they're set in Egypt or St. Mary Mead, they tell stories of real people who behave like people truly behave and who are often are trying to do the right thing, though they may not know what that is. This book never felt real to me and I thought pretty much everyone acted like an idiotic character in a melodrama. The dialogue was often awkward and the bad guy was an idiot. Christie's explanation, delivered through Poirot, didn't work for me at all. (view spoiler) It would have been better if Poirot had accused him of having no imagination.

The people in this story are not trying to do the right thing at all, but instead run around breaking the law for flimsy reasons. I couldn't admire Mrs. Renauld at all. And the police were bumbling. I also got tired of Poirot making Hastings tell him his interpretation of the crime and then ridiculing him. It reminded me of my 8 year old grandson who starts every conversation with "Guess what?" We're not going to guess when we have no idea what he's talking about, so we tell him just to get on with it. Poirot made Hastings "Guess what" over and over, knowing he would always be wrong. It seemed cruel to me.

But what I disliked most was Hastings. He always missed the point, suspects the wrong people and believes firmly in the innocence of the guilty party. But in this book he unfortunately fell instantly in love with a girl he calls Cinderella, and because of this he runs around breaking the law. Nobody seems to care, and Poirot just shakes his head and mumbles about "amour". Blech I prefer Christie's lovers to have a couple of conversations, smile at each other a time or two, take a walk in the shrubbery and get engaged at the end of the book. Hastings was just an embarrassment.

NB - I obviously wouldn't recommend this to anyone as one of their first Christie's to read. But especially be careful of the audio book. Hugh Fraser does a good job, but it's hard to distinguish the names Poirot, Renauld, Marchaud, Conneau and Giraud. So it was hard to keep track of who said what. I just stopped caring. :)
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Feb 10, 2017 Nanosynergy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: british, mysteries-thrillers-espionage, series, fiction, 2017read, reviewed, fiction-1920s

Hercule Poirot receives a letter from French tycoon Monsieur Paul Renauld begging him to come to his Villa Genevieve in Merlinville-sur-Mer on the north coast of France as he fears his life is in danger. When Poirot and Hastings arrive at his French Villa, they find Renauld has been murdered - stabbed in the back - and left in an open pit on the golf course adjoining his property. Poirot stays to investigate. However, he has some competition from the arrogant and famous Monsieur Giraud of the Sû ...more

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Nov 24, 2013 Bhavya Mathur rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller, kindle

I don't know why do I even try the guessing games with Agatha Christie when I know that she will topple me over. I loved the red herrings in this book. I kept jumping from character to character as suspect but still could not get it correct till the end.

Really a good mystery on a quite day. Oh yes, and we get to meet Hasting's Cinderella for the first time here!

...more

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Mar 15, 2019 P. rated it it was ok · review of another edition

In the end, this convoluted, cork-screw, overly busy plot with four or five potential murderers in the running for the same homicide just isn't very interesting. ...more

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Dec 03, 2015 Tom rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I listened to the audiobook. So most of the book takes place in France. Poirot is Belgian and speaks French. When he speaks to a French police detective they speak in English, which is the language in which Christie wrote. But the narrator of the audiobook gives their English a thick French accent, which is really silly and annoying because they are probably are speaking in French. Yeah, when Poirot speaks to his English buddy, the narrator of the book, he speaks in his simpering French accent. ...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Ruth rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

Good Heavens the flopping around at the end! This is more twisty than, well, something VERY twisty. A fun and well-paced adventure with what we can only assume are happy endings all around. -- Poirot gets the better of the young hotshot (and gains a stuffed fox named "Giraud"), Hasting meets Cinderella, families are reformed, and the badies go to the gallows. Yes, a very satisfying mystery..... just a little too windy at the end for me. Sheesh. I think I might have gotten whiplash on that last c ...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Ruskoley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

Christie packed in a lot of twists and redirections. It works, but it also seems slightly overdone. Regardless, Poirot & Hastings are charming and fun.

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