The Murder on the Links is a work of detective ficti­on by Agatha Christie. The story takes place in northern France, giving Poirot a hostile competitor from the Paris Sûreté. Poirot’s long me­mory for past or similar crimes proves useful in resolving the crimes. The book is notable for a subplot in which Hastings falls in love, a development “greatly desired on Agatha’s part... parcelling off Hastings to wedded bliss in the Argentine.”A Fellow TravellerI believe that a well-known anecdote exists to the effect that a young writer, determined to make the commencement of his story forcible and original enough to catch and rivet the attention of the most blasé of editors, penned the following sentence:“ ‘Hell!’ said the Duchess.”Strangely enough, this tale of mine opens in much the same fashion. Only the lady who gave utterance to the exclamation was not a Duchess!