Murder On The Links By Agatha Christie

As part of my full read-through of Agatha Christie’s work, MURDER ON THE LINKS demonstrates how quickly her writing is evolving and improving. I enjoyed this one more than either of her previous books, but the book has elements that will bloom as her career develops.

What struck me most was how vividly Hercule Poirot leaps off the page. It’s remarkable that he remains such an iconic figure in detective fiction almost a century later. His quirks, his “little grey cells,” and his confident demeanor are all firmly established here (even though it’s only his second appearance), showcasing why he’s endured as a beloved character for generations and is probably the most definitive detective character in fiction, with the exception of Sherlock Holmes.

I know better books are on the horizon, but this one was interesting, and the character development was fun. And isn’t that something about Christie? Many of these books are just fun to read.

This review is of this very special edition, an exact replica of the original first edition. For those of you in the dark, the actual original in this sort of condition – as if such exits – would set you back five figures – and that’s in Pounds Sterling, not dollars. As a gift for a Christie devotee this is unbeatable! If you’re curious about whether or not this is a good story – it is! Hercule Poirot, murders, Captain Hastings, rich aristocrats, baffling plot twists, family secrets, you know – Agatha Christie. I’m not going to spoil it with a banal plot summary. If you absolutely MUST have such a detailed plot – the review below posts an effortless no-brainer lead to such summary reviews. This review instead focuses on what makes this issue so unique as a work of printing.

An early Poirot and one of his best stories here offered in a charming facsimile edition. If you like Poirot and are unfamiliar with this one you are in for a treat, it’s a top mystery. Further story and plot information can be found in the Amazon reviews of the regular issues. (See Murder on the Links.) This review will simply discuss what makes this edition a superior alternative as book.

This is one of about twenty or so replica editions of Agatha Christie mysteries. Not all the books are first class Christie, but the various replicas – I have nine – are all quite charming, and give an extra touch of nostalgia to the experience of reading these exquisitely crafted tales.

“The Murder on the Links” is a copy of the 1923 first English edition by John Lane – the American edition of the novel came out just before, showcasing a totally different, more sinister abstract cover of a knife blade embedded in a red circle. According to her biographers Christie didn’t care for the original English cover and this one as shown became the final version.

The Harper Collins facisimile nicely captures the sense for quiet understated quality of The Bodley Head publication, dark tan boards with an elegant art deco twenties design for the cover, one of those simple line drawings recalling the third stage of Roman wall paintings in their most fetching and refined linear phase. The dedication to Christie’s then husband, a fellow fan of detective stories, remains: after their divorce in 1928 the dedication was removed from later editions of the novel. There are a few errors, though nothing like the whopper in “The Secret Adversary” The Secret Adversary (Agatha Christie Facsimile Edtn) where the original publisher accidentally repeats repeats a page! But that’s all part of the charm of this series, and thankfully the mistake remains. At the price they are also rather a good deal, and certainly nothing like as expensive as some similar series of replicas. The price of the originals would of course be beyond all but the most extravagant book collectors.

This book was Christie’s third; on the inside jacket is a blurb for her first novel, “The Mysterious Affair at Styles”, also available in this series, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Agatha Christie Facsimile Edtn) All of these editions have an additional jacket along the lower half of the book, duplicating the cover on the front and showcasing other facsimile editions on the back side.

All in all a delightful book, a hardback with nice legible print for not too much more than one of those dreadful tiny paperbacks. It should make a marvelous gift for any Christie fan.

Impeccable plotting and characterization. Catch Agatha in this romantic 2nd of the Poirot series. . .before she plunges into the nittier, grittier, seamy side of life. You’ll find d that, I’ve no doubt, fascinating too. Here we have the traditional happy ending.

This is a review of the book itself and not the story as Agatha Christie is fantastic. This print is a bit off with the margins extending to the edges of the pages, the chapter titles are small and embedded in the body of the main content and the most questionable is there is no publisher or copyright information on this book. The cover also has a waxy feel to it on the paperback version. Everything about this seems like a knock off copyright violation. Looking up the ISBN it appears to be an independent publisher possibly for “on demand print” which seems to be dismissible for lower quality prints. I would have preferred to pay more for a more standardized format that doesn’t feel waxy or compress 200+ pages into 107

Written as only Agatha Christie can, a great mystery full of twists and turns with memorable characters. A murder that only the fine mind of Hercule Poirot can solve. Most enjoyable read.

It still left me with questions…young Jack caught between web of women and a silly Hastings questioning his mentor Poirot? I have developed a fondness for Poirot. Great read.