Monday, June 16, 2014

The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie

14Jun. Kindle.

More early Agatha. Hercule Poiret again with the dim Captain Hastings at his side. We have a typically convoluted plot with interesting characters. The most entertaining line however is the antagonism between Poiret and the Paris detective - a competition between Poiret's reliance on his understanding of human nature and his little grey cells and the Paris detective's faith in "modern" forensic methods. Guess who wins. Poiret actually makes a 500 franc wager with the man (I have no idea what the equivalent would be in 2014 dollars). Poiret uses his winnings to buy a statue of a foxhound, which he used as a derogatory simile to the man and his methods all the way through. Poor Hastings, of course, while sentimentally favoring his friend in the affair, is a great believer in the other man's scientific approach. Will he never learn?

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