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sarah_lamper's review against another edition
5.0
I actually like this one more than Style???? Maybe that’s an unpopular opinion or maybe it’s just bc I was now used to her writing for this series and knew what to expect. But it’s GOOD. The writing feels more succinct, easier to understand. She didn’t do the typical “here’s 10 characters and their role in 2 pages” which made it much easier to keep up with them all. Plus Poirot and Hastings are even FUNNIER and more enjoyable in this book. Their interactions are great and I enjoyed them tremendously in this book.
natxha's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars
This one is so complicated that I lost track most of the time. And I'm thinking about rating this book 3 stars and here comes the twists! bam!!...bam!!...BAM!!!
Agatha Christie, this woman, is bloody GENIUS.
This one is so complicated that I lost track most of the time. And I'm thinking about rating this book 3 stars and here comes the twists! bam!!...bam!!...BAM!!!
Agatha Christie, this woman, is bloody GENIUS.
_ellsbooks's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
aido_potato's review against another edition
4.0
This one was really great. Fun mystery and the right level of melodrama
brep23's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
No one can make you go "What the fuck?" out loud like Christie can.
trudyjeanne7's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
mrsbooknerd's review against another edition
2.0
I have started to read the Poirot books in order and thus far made it to book two. 'Murder on the links' was very much of a similar theme and style to 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles' just with different character names and a new setting, yet I didn't enjoy it quite as much.
I preferred the fact that Poirot was more forthcoming in this novel, though there were times when he kept thoughts to himself, there were more instances of him revealing things to us through that dunce Hastings. It meant that I didn't spend the whole novel in the dark and wondering what was happening, I could at least keep getting check points of sanity.
I really dislike Hasting's in this novel. He is really dismissive of Poirot, and doesn’t seem to have much loyalty considering he tells everyone he meets that he knows the man. It bothered me how quickly he writes off Poirot when faced with Giraud as though he doesn't want to be associated with such an 'antique'. Soon changed his mind though!
Aside from this disloyalty, he is also just really stupid. Like, I know that as a reader, I didn't see some of the connections, so perhaps I am on the same level as Hastings. But I also would never have taken a complete stranger on a tour of the murder site. I would definitely, absolutely never have then also left them alone with the body and vital evidence. When Hastings was considering just taking her on the tour, I thought, no… no one could be that stupid. Turns out Hastings could. I was reading all like…
I also found this book to be more confusing than the last because Giraud was involved. At one point, Giraud was speculating, Hastings was speculating and Poirot was speculating. Now, unlike Hastings, I'm going back up my man Poirot every day, so I was trying to read his detection and ignoring, or at least trying to read the other deductions with more of a cynical eye. But it became hard to keep track of the good and bad deductions and soon I was more confused than ever, even though elements were supposedly being revealed.
I do enjoy these 'old-fashioned' detective novels. It’s the thought that I like and the deducing and the clue finding. Compare them to police novels now where most of them are all about these psycho killers or gory kills and shock factor, they are refreshing. I just didn't think that 'Murder on the Links' was quite as enjoyable as other Christie novels that I have read.
I preferred the fact that Poirot was more forthcoming in this novel, though there were times when he kept thoughts to himself, there were more instances of him revealing things to us through that dunce Hastings. It meant that I didn't spend the whole novel in the dark and wondering what was happening, I could at least keep getting check points of sanity.
I really dislike Hasting's in this novel. He is really dismissive of Poirot, and doesn’t seem to have much loyalty considering he tells everyone he meets that he knows the man. It bothered me how quickly he writes off Poirot when faced with Giraud as though he doesn't want to be associated with such an 'antique'. Soon changed his mind though!
Aside from this disloyalty, he is also just really stupid. Like, I know that as a reader, I didn't see some of the connections, so perhaps I am on the same level as Hastings. But I also would never have taken a complete stranger on a tour of the murder site. I would definitely, absolutely never have then also left them alone with the body and vital evidence. When Hastings was considering just taking her on the tour, I thought, no… no one could be that stupid. Turns out Hastings could. I was reading all like…
I also found this book to be more confusing than the last because Giraud was involved. At one point, Giraud was speculating, Hastings was speculating and Poirot was speculating. Now, unlike Hastings, I'm going back up my man Poirot every day, so I was trying to read his detection and ignoring, or at least trying to read the other deductions with more of a cynical eye. But it became hard to keep track of the good and bad deductions and soon I was more confused than ever, even though elements were supposedly being revealed.
I do enjoy these 'old-fashioned' detective novels. It’s the thought that I like and the deducing and the clue finding. Compare them to police novels now where most of them are all about these psycho killers or gory kills and shock factor, they are refreshing. I just didn't think that 'Murder on the Links' was quite as enjoyable as other Christie novels that I have read.
bookishevy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I'm back with my favorite neurodivergent detective. 😝
This story finds Poirot and his associate Arthur Hastings in the French village of Merlinville-sur-Mer. They've been summoned by potential client Paul Renauld, but when they get to his estate they learn that he was found in a freshly-dug grave adjacent to a local golf course, with a letter opener in his back that very morning.
Like Christie's other mysteries, there is a list of suspects. It includes Renauld's wife Eloise, his son Jack, Renauld's immediate neighbor Madame Daubreuil, a mysterious young woman Hastings becomes acquainted with on the train to Merlinville-sur-Mer, and an unknown person who visits the estate the day before the murder.
Red herrings abound 😆
OMG! So many twists, the most important being that the victim has a secret. His past is a mystery in and of itself. All people know is that he had dealings in South America before showing up at Merlinville-sur-Mer. He seemed to be running from something and/or someone when he was killed.
But something about this case is familiar to Poirot. Is there a connection between this murder and one that took place in Paris 22 years earlier?
Hastings narrates, and his inner monologues about Poirot are hilarious, as is their banter. Poirot is always imploring Hastings to use his gray matter. The only thing that annoyed me about Hatings in this book is his thoughts on women. When he meets the young woman on the train, he's instantly attracted to her but is put off because she's not ladylike. If Hastings was a real man in 2024, he would probably be ranting on podcasts about women not being demure. 🤣
As usual, Richard Armitage is a delight as all of the characters, and I thought it was so cute when he apologized in the introduction about his French accents not being specific to the provinces.
I was like, you're forgiven, boo ☺️
This story finds Poirot and his associate Arthur Hastings in the French village of Merlinville-sur-Mer. They've been summoned by potential client Paul Renauld, but when they get to his estate they learn that he was found in a freshly-dug grave adjacent to a local golf course, with a letter opener in his back that very morning.
Like Christie's other mysteries, there is a list of suspects. It includes Renauld's wife Eloise, his son Jack, Renauld's immediate neighbor Madame Daubreuil, a mysterious young woman Hastings becomes acquainted with on the train to Merlinville-sur-Mer, and an unknown person who visits the estate the day before the murder.
Red herrings abound 😆
OMG! So many twists, the most important being that the victim has a secret. His past is a mystery in and of itself. All people know is that he had dealings in South America before showing up at Merlinville-sur-Mer. He seemed to be running from something and/or someone when he was killed.
But something about this case is familiar to Poirot. Is there a connection between this murder and one that took place in Paris 22 years earlier?
Hastings narrates, and his inner monologues about Poirot are hilarious, as is their banter. Poirot is always imploring Hastings to use his gray matter. The only thing that annoyed me about Hatings in this book is his thoughts on women. When he meets the young woman on the train, he's instantly attracted to her but is put off because she's not ladylike. If Hastings was a real man in 2024, he would probably be ranting on podcasts about women not being demure. 🤣
As usual, Richard Armitage is a delight as all of the characters, and I thought it was so cute when he apologized in the introduction about his French accents not being specific to the provinces.
I was like, you're forgiven, boo ☺️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
armstrong029's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0