Project Poirot Episode Two: Murder on the Links, Poirot Investigates, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

When I introduced Project Poirot on my blog a couple of weeks ago, I was amazed to see the positive response to this personal project of mine. There is no doubt that Hercule Poirot has always been a well-loved character in the world of crime fiction, but it was great to interact with other die-hard Poirot fans and hear their thoughts. As promised, I will be sharing each of the Instagram Live sessions I have already conducted in this series as separate blog posts. Today, I’m here to discuss books 2-3-4 in the series.

Just a word on these early publications of Agatha Christie’s Poirot novels. After the phenomenal success of her first novel, Christie wrote ‘Murder on the Links’. Simultaneously, she was commissioned to serialise short stories on Poirot’s adventures for weekly / monthly publication in a popular magazine. Hence, the format, and in fact, even the nature of the stories was different from her long and leisurely novels that allowed for better character build-up. It was interesting to see how she approached this different medium as a writer. Another noteworthy aspect of these early books is that Arthur Hastings is still an important character and the narrator of most of them (with the notable exception of ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd).

Having said that, here are my reviews of Poirot’s second, third and fourth book appearances:

THE MURDER ON THE LINKS

Goodreads Book Blurb:

When Hercule Poirot and his associate Arthur Hastings arrive in the French village of Merlinville-sur-Mer to meet their client Paul Renauld, they learn from the police that he has been found that morning stabbed in the back with a letter opener and left in a newly-dug grave adjacent to a local golf course.
Among the plausible suspects are Renauld’s wife Eloise, his son Jack, Renauld’s immediate neighbour Madame Daubreuil, the mysterious “Cinderella” of Hasting’s recent acquaintance, and some unknown visitor of the previous day–all of whom Poirot has reason to suspect. Poirot’s powers of investigation ultimately triumph over the wiles of an assailant whose misdirection and motives are nearly–but not quite–impossible to spot.

My Review (first given in 2018 – not as per the re-reading in 2022): 4/5 stars

The plot is convoluted and not up to Christie’s genius, but my high rating is for the entertainment this book provided, as I lay in bed recuperating from a back spasm.
The story is too far-fetched, with red herrings aplenty, but this can be put down to it being only the second of Poirot’s many mysteries penned by her.
I particularly appreciate Christie’s ability to change her voice and manner of presentation according to which character is narrating the story. Hastings has a simple, almost buffoonish mind, in order to make Poirot shine stronger.
Put in perspective, it’s a very enjoyable read.

I have an original facsimile edition of this book as well as that of ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’ which certainly adds to the pleasure of reading them.

LINK TO BUY: https://amzn.eu/d/jgqC8fh

POIROT INVESTIGATES

Goodreads Book Blurb:

First there was the mystery of the film star and the diamond… then came the “suicide” that was murder… the mystery of the absurdly cheap flat…a suspicious death in a locked gun room… a million dollar bond robbery… the curse of a pharaoh’s tomb… a jewel robbery by the sea… the abduction of a prime minister… the disappearance of a banker… a phone call from a dying man… and, finally, the mystery of the missing will.
What links these fascinating cases? Only the brilliant deductive powers of Hercule Poirot!

My Review: 5/5

One of the rare Poirot’s I had never read before. I’m glad I did, especially in keeping with my project goals of re-reading all the Poirot’s in the order they were published, because this collection of short stories was fabulous. They kept me guessing throughout and really shed light on Poirot’s fascinating personality in new ways.

LINK TO BUY: https://amzn.eu/d/544RzOI

THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD

Goodreads Book Blurb:

Considered to be one of Agatha Christie’s greatest, and also most controversial mysteries, ‘The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd’ breaks the rules of traditional mystery.
The peaceful English village of King’s Abbot is stunned. The widow Ferrars dies from an overdose of Veronal. Not twenty-four hours later, Roger Ackroyd—the man she had planned to marry—is murdered. It is a baffling case involving blackmail and death that taxes Hercule Poirot’s “little grey cells” before he reaches one of the most startling conclusions of his career.

My Review (First reviewed in 2016): 5/5

I’m so glad I’ve finished this year’s book reading challenge on a high note. Absolutely brilliant work by Christie. I have read this one before and knew the killer, yet it was a pleasure to pick up on all the hints and red herrings she lays down for her reader to discover the identity of the killer. She’s a wonderful writer!

This book was perhaps one of the first that upended recognised mystery tropes and showed the true genius of Christie to the world. Of the first five Poirots, this is most certainly the best one and I highly recommend you pick this if you are just starting or re-starting your Hercule Poirot journey.

LINK TO BUY: https://amzn.eu/d/1ydU53K

Here’s a link to the Instagram Live discussion of these three books. Stay tuned for the next post in this series!

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This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Monidipa Dutta.  

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