The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie
I thoroughly enjoyed this book about “Papa Poirot.” Agatha Christie’s prose style is simple and easy to read while her plot is fascinatingly complicated. No wonder she’s remained popular for just about a hundred years (her first novel was published in 1920). This tale starts with a murder on a golf course (links as it’s called in the title). Poirot and his friend Hastings, the narrator, quickly line up a row of suspects, all of whom have secrets to be revealed. While the mystery at the heart of the novel is compelling, I might’ve enjoyed two of the subplots a little more. The first was Poirot’s rivalry with a fellow investigator, Giraurd, who spends his time comically scouring the ground looking for clues. The second was Hastings romance with a girl he terms “Cinderella.” Based on Hastings romantic sections, I’d wager that Christie could’ve been just as famous a romance writer as a mystery writer if she’d chosen to do so. I started this book because I wanted to read an Agatha Christie novel, and I am very happy I did. While I have no plans to read more mystery novels anytime soon, I will probably pick up another Poirot tale in the future.
