Death Under Par

Shedunnit

Caroline Crampton

Arts, Books

4.9 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 19 April 2023

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Golf and murder have been close companions for a whole century. To support the podcast, be part of a superb bookish community, and get two bonus episodes a month, become a member of the Shedunnit Book Club now at shedunnitbookclub.com/join. Mentioned in the episode: — The Murder on the Links (1923) by Agatha Christie — “The Murder on the Golf Links” (1907) by Matthias McDonnell Bodkin, featured in Resorting to Murder: Holiday Mysteries, edited by Martin Edwards — A Lost Leader (1906) by E. Phillips Oppenheim — Hints on the Game of Golf by Horace G Hutchinson — The Book of Golf and Golfers by Horace G Hutchinson — The Lost Golfer (1930) by Horace G Hutchinson — Tish Plays the Game (1921) by Mary Roberts Rinehart — The Viaduct Murder (1925) by Ronald Knox — The Bunker at the 5th (1927) by Marcus Dods — “The Red Golf Ball” by Gerald Verner, featured in Settling Scores: Sporting Mysteries, edited by Martin Edwards — Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (1934) by Agatha Christie — The Murder on the Sixth Hole (aka The Strange Death of Martin Green) by David Frome — Tragedy at the Thirteenth Hole (1933) by Miles Burton — Fer-de-Lance (1934) by Rex Stout — Murder in the Mews (1937) by Agatha Christie — “The Sweet Shot” (1939) by EC Bentley — Trent’s Own Case (1936) by EC Bentley — Trent's Last Case by EC Bentley — Mr. Malcolm Presents (1932) by Gerard Fairlie — The Case of the Green Felt Hat (1937) by Christopher Bush — Unexpected Night (1940) by Elizabeth Daly — The Body in the Bunker by Herbert Adams — Death Off the Fairway by Herbert Adams — Nineteenth Hole Mystery by Herbert Adams — Death on the First Tee by Herbert Adams — The Secret of Bogey House (1924) by Herbert Adams — Unfinished Portrait (1934) by Mary Westmacott — My Late Wives (1946) by Carter Dickson — An Awkward Lie (1952) by Michael Innes — Fair Prey (1956) by William Campbell Gault — The Big Gamble (1958) by George Harmon Coxe — Murder at the Open (1965) by Angus MacVicar — Deadly Putter (1979) by Ted Dexter and Clifford Makins — Death of a Low-Handicap Man (1974) by Brian Ball — A Hole in One (2005) by Catherine Aird — Administration Can Be Murder (2000) by Richard L. Baldwin — Death from the Ladies' Tee (1992) by James Y Bartlett — Murder in the Rough, collection edited by Otto Penzler — Open Season (2005) by Jim Moriarty — Par for the Corpse by Kathleen Kelly Sprissler Other golf-related titles not mentioned: — The Heart of a Goof (1926) by PG Wodehouse Related Shedunnit episodes: — The Death of the Country House — Murder on Holiday — The Many Afterlives of Hercule Poirot NB: Links to Blackwell's are affiliate links, meaning that the podcast receives a small commission when you purchase a book there (the price remains the same for you). Blackwell's is a UK bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge. To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter. The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice. Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/deathunderpartranscript Music by Audioblocks and Blue Dot Sessions. See shedunnitshow.com/musiccredits for more details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	One hundred years ago this year, in 1923, Ag of the Christie's novel The Murder on the
0:09.8	Lynx was published. On the surface, this is not an especially momentous anniversary,
0:16.6	especially when compared with the others that we'll enjoy in future years, as the centenaries
0:21.4	of her most famous works roll around. This book was her third ever novel, and the second
0:27.6	to feature her dual Poirot. It was positively received at the time of publication, but rarely
0:33.2	if ever appears on lists of favourite Christie's today. So why commemorate this book at all?
0:40.6	Well I think it's worth looking more closely at because of its opening scenario. Poirot
0:45.6	and Hastings are summoned to France by a millionaire who fears that his life is at risk.
0:51.8	But by the time they arrive in the northern seaside town of Merlinville, Sumer, the millionaire
0:57.1	is already dead, stabbed and buried in a shallow grave on the golf course by his house.
1:03.2	It turns out that there is a long and proud tradition of golf-based murder mysteries,
1:08.7	in which this Christie effort is just a minor entry. Join me then as we tee off,
1:14.8	drive down the fairway, hit the rough and somehow make a birdie, all while avoiding the corpse in the bunker.
1:27.5	Welcome to She Done It. I'm Caroline Crampton.
1:42.4	Golf has existed for a very long time. The precursor to the modern game emerged in Scotland,
1:48.4	and it had become such a popular activity by the 15th century that in 1457 the Parliament
1:54.4	banded for fear that it was leading young men to neglect their military training.
1:59.0	It surged in popularity again in the 19th century, when the arrival of railways in Britain
2:04.2	made it easy for people to explore areas beyond their immediate surroundings and especially
2:09.2	to access the links courses on the coasts. The closure of country houses, as per Guy's episode
2:15.4	a few weeks ago, assisted providing ready-made club houses and parkland that could be easily converted.
2:22.3	Then as the 20th century dawned, more widespread car ownership and the growth of a class of people
	...

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