Hercule Poirot receives a letter from Paul Renauld, requesting his urgent assistance in France; however, on Poirot and Hastings' arrival they are informed that their client was murdered early that morning. With M. Giraud from the Paris Sûreté also investigating, Poirot must use his little grey cells to arrive at the solution before the inspector.

This is an early Christie (only the third novel overall, and her second featuring Hercule Poirot), and not one of her best – clearly she was still experimenting with different types of mystery. While the killer is very hard to spot, despite/because of an abundance of (mostly contradictory) clues, unfortunately several question marks remain (How did Marthe Daubreuil gain access to the Renauld house? The front door would have been locked. Where did the second body come from? Renauld's body was kept in the shed and his wife wouldn't have been able to carry the tramp's body there herself. And can someone enlighten me as to the significance of the piece of lead piping Poirot found on the golf course, and insists is a clue in conversation with M. Giraud?).

Elsewhere, the novel clearly shows its age (published in 1923): a couple of the women are rather highly strung and melodramatic, verging on the hysterical, and no one would take a diagnosis of 'brain fever' seriously these days. ( )

Murder on the Links (like most Christie) is smart and satisfying! You can tell this is very early Christie but it is still a very enjoyable story. Murder on the Links was as different from its predecessor as that had been from Styles. It is very French; not just in setting but in tone, Agatha admitted that she had written it in a "high-flown, fanciful" manner. She had also based the book too closely upon a real-life French murder case, which gives the story a kind of non-artistic complexity. Ultimately, this story is about the dark secrets of the French aristocracy and how individuals confuse love and money. Poirot is, as usual, a bit pompous and it is fun to see him go up against Monsieur Giraud of the Sûreté (who leads the police investigation and resents Poirot's involvement). This gives this serious mystery a little air of humor that is much needed.

It is a quite enjoyable Poirot story ( )

Murder on the Links (like most Christie) is smart and satisfying! You can tell this is very early Christie but it is still a very enjoyable story. Murder on the Links was as different from its predecessor as that had been from Styles. It is very French; not just in setting but in tone, Agatha admitted that she had written it in a "high-flown, fanciful" manner. She had also based the book too closely upon a real-life French murder case, which gives the story a kind of non-artistic complexity. Ultimately, this story is about the dark secrets of the French aristocracy and how individuals confuse love and money. Poirot is, as usual, a bit pompous and it is fun to see him go up against Monsieur Giraud of the Sûreté (who leads the police investigation and resents Poirot's involvement). This gives this serious mystery a little air of humor that is much needed.

It is a quite enjoyable Poirot story. ( )

I enjoyed this short novel in which Poirot, accompanied by his friend Hastings, travels to France in response to a letter from a man who appeals for his help, saying he is in danger - only to find that the letter writer has been murdered. The detective then embarks upon his own investigation against the background of the official one, which includes a Parisian detective who is dismissive of Poirot's methods and downright rude in general.

I actually enjoyed this book more than the David Suchet version which I saw quite recently and which took quite a few liberties with the story. The only thing I found quite incredible is a particular athletic feat which Poirot performs towards the end of the story. But overall it was an enjoyable read and I can award it 4 stars. ( )

Perhaps because this was written and released early in Agatha Christie’s Poirot canon — 1923 — it seems more freewheeling than some later Poirot mysteries; and in many ways more charming. All the books with Hastings as narrator have an element of charm, the interactions between Hastings and Poirot giving readers an indelible impression of both men that remains steadfast and comforting all these years later. Murder on the Links in particular abounds with little nuances in their relationship, which intrudes into the mystery when Hastings falls in love, and actually goes against Poirot to protect the object of his affections.

The mystery is as freewheeling and enjoyable as the interaction between Hastings and Poirot. There are daggers, a murder, then a second murder, family secrets, a trial from the past which may have bearing on the present crimes, young love, unrequited love, false confessions, confession by silence, and a pompous detective that our favorite Belgian has to outwit to uncover the true murderer; whom few readers will actually guess. At one point, a murder is prevented as Poirot himself shimmies up the side of a house! I can’t recall much physical derring-do by Poirot in other stories; the little grey cells do all the work. It’s grand.

As many have noted, there is a great deal of clue-discovering and clue-explaining, but it’s handled within the charming narration of Hastings. For his part, Hasting observes Poirot mucking about with seemingly insignificant clues while the detective in charge appears to be solving the case quite nicely; all is not as it seems, however — perhaps nothing! Of all the Poirot entries, Murder on the Links feels more firmly set in the 1920s, capturing the romantic charm of a more innocent time — even when it comes to murder. There is some dark doings here, of course, but it’s all so romantic in a fashion that Murder on the Links is the epitome of a murder cozy.

If the reader is willing to go along with a more relaxed and freewheeling story and style of narrative — something you don’t often get in the rigidly defined cozy — they’ll have a great time reading this one, and more often than not find themselves smiling as they root as much for Hastings to find love as they do for Poirot to figure it all out and show up the pompous detective working the case. A wonderful read for fans. ( )