Title : Murder on The Link (1923) Hercule Poirot 2
Author : Agatha Christie
Genre: Mystery
Rating : 4/5 stars
"For God's sake, come!" But by the time Hercule Poirot can respond to Monsieur Renauld's plea, the millionaire is already dead -- stabbed in the back, and lying in a freshly dug grave on the golf course adjoining his estate. There is no lack of suspects: his wife, whose dagger did the deed; his embittered son; Renauld's mistress -- and each feels deserving of the man's fortune. The police thinks they've found the culprit. Poirot has his doubts. And the discovery of a second ,identically murdered corpse complicates matters considerably.
My thought
A quick recount of the story if you're interested in this book. It's the second Poirot book written by Christie, and although she indirectly compares the lovely Poirot to the genius that is Sherlock Holmes (no-one compares to Holmes), she does indeed prove that Poirot belongs up there with Holmes, maybe not at the top of the pedestal, but definitely adorning the sides.
From the title, I thought this mystery would involve a good game of golf. Apparently not, it’s just that a sand trap is a good place to dispose of a body. This is a complex story that includes false identities, former crimes, blackmail, and for Hastings, a romance. It’s an early story so Christie is still showing off her detective. Officials of the French police are in place to provide Poirot the opportunity to prove his superiority.
The plot line is not dramatically mysterious. Though there are many suspects in the story, the criminal can be deduced or at least successfully narrowed down by the “mere matter of methods” just after three quarters through the book.
What is more interesting is the way how Christie has drawn attention to the fact that the famous Poirot but for his extraordinary mystery solving capability and orderliness is like any other human being filled with likes, dislikes, envy, revenge, flaunt.
Plot wise, it is about the murder a wealthy man who gets kidnapped from his own bedroom and is found dead on the golf links near his house. His wife, son, mistress, mystery belle(a), foreigners with beards and numerous more are suspects and they all have strong motives.
What is more interesting is the way how Christie has drawn attention to the fact that the famous Poirot but for his extraordinary mystery solving capability and orderliness is like any other human being filled with likes, dislikes, envy, revenge, flaunt.
Plot wise, it is about the murder a wealthy man who gets kidnapped from his own bedroom and is found dead on the golf links near his house. His wife, son, mistress, mystery belle(a), foreigners with beards and numerous more are suspects and they all have strong motives.
Mme Renauld was definitely my favorite female character. She was a remarkable woman indeed and only at the very end of the book do we see the full extent of it. The rest weren't very straightforward either. We have devotion, self-sacrifice, strength, deceit and calculation all present and as carefully as I watched for clues I couldn't always tell who was looking out for whose interests. Hope you have better luck, both here and with the identity of the killer
