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steviwondr's review
1.0
DNF'd on page 144/208 (69%)
⭐/5.
This is one of the only books in recent memory that made reading feel like such a chore.
I want to firstly say that this book is not awful and I've heard that the Poirot series gets better by the next book, but this one certainly was not for me. I'd also like to mention that I read crime novels incredibly rarely and could likely count the number I've read of them on one hand. It's not my preferred genre, so I feel like I'm already at a disadvantage of enjoying this as much as a crime-reader might.
I found The Mysterious Affair at Styles, the book prior to this one, to be a fun introduction to Christie's character Poirot, but I did have a couple of things I found to be a bit annoying in the book. This book takes all of the things I found to be obnoxious and finds a way to include it on nearly every page.
Poirot is undoubtedly a likable and fun character to read about, but sadly, we have to have this story told from the perspective of his significantly less-intelligent partner-in-crime, Hastings. He is constantly on the lookout for attractive women to court and...not much else. This is much to the detriment of the crime he is trying to assist in solving...even to the point where he will allow a woman he does not even know the name of to go into unauthorized areas of the crime, where only the police should be allowed.
If that wasn't enough, Hastings, as always, finds ways to ridicule, become annoyed with, or just generally doubt Poirot...the only person that we know, as the audience, is going to do anything useful. In this book in particular, there is an additional detective to Poirot, and Hastings always sides with this new detective's observations or conclusions, far before Poirot, which he is the partner of.
If I could summarize the amount of this book that I read, it is simply Hastings being an idiot. I just couldn't stand to read any more of it and it has put me off reading entirely at the moment.
Suffice it to say...this book made me really frustrated 😅
I in no way think that this is the worst book in the world, and I truly think that Agatha Christie is overall a very clever writer. I also think that I might have enjoyed hearing the end of this mystery, but I just couldn't stand this foolish character she created to narrate this particular novel.
If you are a big crime or Agatha Christie fan, I think you might still enjoy this, but I'd still proceed with caution 😆. I'm not sure of my future of reading her books, but I think its very clear that if Hastings is narrating...I'm out.
⭐/5.
This is one of the only books in recent memory that made reading feel like such a chore.
I want to firstly say that this book is not awful and I've heard that the Poirot series gets better by the next book, but this one certainly was not for me. I'd also like to mention that I read crime novels incredibly rarely and could likely count the number I've read of them on one hand. It's not my preferred genre, so I feel like I'm already at a disadvantage of enjoying this as much as a crime-reader might.
I found The Mysterious Affair at Styles, the book prior to this one, to be a fun introduction to Christie's character Poirot, but I did have a couple of things I found to be a bit annoying in the book. This book takes all of the things I found to be obnoxious and finds a way to include it on nearly every page.
Poirot is undoubtedly a likable and fun character to read about, but sadly, we have to have this story told from the perspective of his significantly less-intelligent partner-in-crime, Hastings. He is constantly on the lookout for attractive women to court and...not much else. This is much to the detriment of the crime he is trying to assist in solving...even to the point where he will allow a woman he does not even know the name of to go into unauthorized areas of the crime, where only the police should be allowed.
If that wasn't enough, Hastings, as always, finds ways to ridicule, become annoyed with, or just generally doubt Poirot...the only person that we know, as the audience, is going to do anything useful. In this book in particular, there is an additional detective to Poirot, and Hastings always sides with this new detective's observations or conclusions, far before Poirot, which he is the partner of.
If I could summarize the amount of this book that I read, it is simply Hastings being an idiot. I just couldn't stand to read any more of it and it has put me off reading entirely at the moment.
Suffice it to say...this book made me really frustrated 😅
I in no way think that this is the worst book in the world, and I truly think that Agatha Christie is overall a very clever writer. I also think that I might have enjoyed hearing the end of this mystery, but I just couldn't stand this foolish character she created to narrate this particular novel.
If you are a big crime or Agatha Christie fan, I think you might still enjoy this, but I'd still proceed with caution 😆. I'm not sure of my future of reading her books, but I think its very clear that if Hastings is narrating...I'm out.
curiousreader's review
This was such a fun, entertaining reading experience! Listening to Murder on the Links as an audiobook really worked, the narrator (Hugh Fraser) did a splendid job! Especially with the french accent voices. There were twists and turns in this murder mystery right up until the very end, I was certainly kept on my toes. Only downside to me where the many names I sometimes mixed up, making things slightly confusing at times but I soon found my way back to the story. Really recommend this to those who have yet to read it, and especially I would like to recommend the audiobooks with Hugh Fraser - such a relaxing and fun experience.
pgchuis's review
3.0
This was just too complex, with plots within plots and complicated historical crimes. Most of the characters were morally compromised in some way, and I'm deducting an extra star for Hastings being willing to commit perjury for the 'love' of a woman he had had three short conversations with.
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