The Murder on the Links

Christie's second Poirot novel drops the Belgian detective into a French coastal murder — a millionaire summoned him by letter to protect his life, and arrived too late. The plot is energetic and stacked with red herrings, and the rivalry between Poirot and a contemptuous Paris detective gives the book a liveliness missing from some early Christie. A subplot involving Hastings falling in love adds color. The honest assessment, which Christie herself shared, is that the book is a little over-written and the solution, once revealed, strains credulity rather than satisfying it — cleverness outpacing common sense. Violence is non-graphic in Christie's tradition, and the content is appropriate for age twelve and up. A worthy stop for Poirot completists, with realistic expectations.