I Am Not Alone

One reason I avoid book groups is because everyone has a different interpretation of what he or she reads. I'm okay with that. In fact, I view that as a plus. That's why I joined book clubs in the past, to hear all those different opinions. Unfortunately, so many readers believe that their interpretation is the only interpretation. Often, they back their opinion up with research in order to fortify their opinion, until it becomes indistinguishable to them from the truth. So when I put my spin on things, ostensibly for their benefit (as I already know my own opinion), they launched into me with their claws, or if you will, their daggers, with a seeming delight in slashing my inferior, if not flat-out-wrong opinion, to shreds.

I freely admit that my speculation regarding Arthurian influences in The Murder on the Links is just that: mere speculation. I'm by no means an expert with regard to Agatha Christie. Yet King Arthur is regarded an important mythological, and perhaps even a historical figure, in England. I imagine, in Agatha Christie's day, he was even more so than today. And closely associated with Arthur was his sword, given to him by the Lady of the Lake, or pulled by him from a stone. It's name, as you might recall, was Excaliber.

Perhaps I'm wrong about Agatha Christie's intentions on weaving Arthurian symbolism into the novel. But if I am, I suspect I am not alone in my speculations. Agatha Christie specified a very different looking knife to that which the production team used in filming the story for Agatha Christie's Poirot. They obviously made that change for a carefully considered reason. Is it possible that they also noticed the little clues I noticed, and thus transformed a plain looking, black-handled knife for this miniature sword with an elegant, dare-I-say kingly handle?

Believe what you will. By no means does their decision validate my suspicions as to Agatha Christie's intentions. But their decision on how to depict the murder weapon, or the murder weapons, leads me to one comfortable conclusion. Perhaps, just perhaps, in this matter, I am not alone.

That's a good feeling.

Dragon Dave

One Mysterious Knife?

Finally, the knife ends up in police custody!

In her novel The Murder on the Links, Agatha Christie describes the murder weapon as having a plain black handle. In the Agatha Christie's Poirot adaptation, it sports an elegant golden handle. In her novel, it's referred to as a knife, a letter opener, or a dagger. Jack Renauld had it made to commemorate his military service in World War I. He was a pilot, and although it's never stated, we wonder if some of the metal came from the wreckage of his crashed plane.

The knife in Agatha Christie's novel may not be as pretty as its TV cousin, but it's more mysterious. Finally, we learn the reason for its amazing mobility. Jack Renauld commissioned not just one knife, but three. He gave one to his mother, one to Ms. Duveen, and one to Marthe Daubreil. So which knife committed which murder? 

I wonder how many former soldiers like Jack Renauld commissioned weapons to commemorate their World War I service.

Dragon Dave

Another Stabbing?

Another stabbing victim in The Murder on the Links?

Hey! What's that knife gotten up to now? There it is: stuck in the chest of a man found in the garden shed on Paul Renault's property. So the knife has killed again! 

Or has it? The coroner's not so sure. After he assesses the body, he finds insufficient blood outside the wound. So that means someone stuck the knife into the man after he died. Why would someone hide the body? And why would someone stage another stabbing?

It's just one more question for Hercule Poirot. But that's why we love Agatha Christie: She keeps us guessing.

Dragon Dave

Deadly Beauty

In the Agatha Christie's Poirot production of The Murder on the Links, we find the beautiful knife has gone walkabout. Now it's no longer in lounge singer Bella Duveen's dressing room. Instead, it's in the back of Paul Renault, handsome Jack's father. He's been found on the golf course adjacent to his house. 

Is it beautiful weapon? The Coroner's not sure.

Dragon Dave

One Beautiful Knife

In the Agatha Christie's Poirot adaptation of The Murder on the Links, we see elegant lounge singer Bella Duveen in her dressing room. On her table sits a photograph of handsome Jack Renault. As she stares at the photograph, she picks up an elegant knife. Pain infuses her expression, and her gaze turns inward. We can't help but wonder what she's thinking. And what's her fascination with the knife all about?

It is a beautiful knife, isn't it? Why do we see beauty in such weapons?

Dragon Dave