Here we again enjoy the almost absurd success of various elaborate disguises: an imposter posing as the Prime Minister; a woman doubling as her own maid; a man living a double life as businessman and petty thief, his own wife seemingly unaware of the false beard he is sporting.

The Murder on the Links contains a number of features that were to become Christie tropes – the watch with the broken face; the use of disguises; and the desire of a murderer to repeat their crime.

Awash with red herrings and a cornucopia of clues, this book acts as a form of ‘preface’ to the stories that were to follow, introducing the reader to those elements that would become quintessentially Christie.