Agatha Christie's eccentric and hugely popular detective, Hercule Poirot, was introduced to the world in this book, which launched her career as the most famous and best loved of all mystery writers.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Start to a Great Career,
By
This review is from: Agatha Christie's Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) (Paperback)
Many have read Murder on the Orient Express and other classic Agatha Christie books. I probably read my first Christie book 25 years ago.
But I had never heard of her first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, before spotting it in a library. This book is certainly not her best. But it is certainly worth reading. Interestingly, despite introducing her famous detective Hercule Poirot to the reader, she treats him as a person who people should know if they know anything about detectives, as someone with whom we are all acquainted already. The plot has all the hallmarks of Agatha's later works. A person dies. There are small assorted clues, but nothing like a smoking gun. There are people who hate the victim, and people who love them, but Christie manages to draw suspicion upon both sets of characters alike without making the plot seem forced. The intricate plan for the murder that eventually comes out is similarly within the realm of possibility. The only real problem I had was that when Poirot revealed the final clue, it was something none of us could have guessed beforehand. Still, this was a good first effort in a marvelous career for Agatha Christie.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good beginning for Poirot,
By Joseph Boone (Irvine, CA United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Agatha Christie's Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) (Paperback)
The Mysterious Affair at Styles was the first novel to introduce the great Hercule Poirot to the world. It also introduced Arthur Hastings, who appears in a number of other Poirot novels. The story begins with Hastings arriving at Styles Court to visit an old friend and his family. While he is at the estate, the Mistress of the house is killed. By a lucky coincidence, Poirot is in the nearby village and free to investigate the matter. The cast of suspects is largely drawn from the woman's family. Poirot interviews them all in his unique style and his little grey cells are put to the test as he attempts to untangle the mystery as many twists and turns ensue.
Because this is the first Poirot novel, you might expect that it would be lacking compared to the later efforts. It is often the case that characters become better developed in later stories, for example. In this case, you will find a very typical Poirot novel, with no real evidence that Christie hadn't yet found his voice. His little witticisms and eccentricities are present, the upper class suspects, the relatively remote "bottle" location for the murder... all of these are typical elements in a Hercule Poirot novel and all are well executed. Once the story gets going, it moves along very well and the mystery certainly held my attention to the very end. The suspects were all pretty interesting and Poirot himself is pure gold. The only sour note for me was Hastings who is a bit too dense for my taste as well as being too pure of a Dr. Watson clone. Overall, The Mysterious Affair at Styles is well worth reading. If it isn't the best Poirot story, it is still far from the worst. While I might recommend a first time Christie reader to look elsewhere Death on the Nile: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot Mysteries), or Evil Under the Sun: A Hercule Poirot Mystery, this is definitely worth trying for those who have read several Poirot novels and are looking for their latest fix of the little Belgian.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Little Gray Cells Begin,
By
This review is from: Agatha Christie's Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) (Paperback)
Agatha Christie's Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot Mysteries) by Agatha Christie The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Agatha Christie's first mystery novel, introduced Belgian detective Hercules Poirot to what has grown to be legions of readers in the intervening years since its publication in 1920. Poirot springs onto the pages fully formed. The retired Belgian police detective is quirky, not to say eccentric, but brilliant. He is that "odd little man" who uses "the little gray cells" to solve cunningly hidden crimes. Christie's typically complicated plot keeps the reader guessing along with Poirot's friend and narrator Lieutenant Hastings. Clue after clue leads us down one blind alley after another. Reading tip: If Hastings thinks he has figured something out, you can be sure he has it backwards. Christie adheres to this rule without exception - almost. By the way, I highly recommend the TV series in which David Suchet captures Hercules Poirot perfectly For example: (Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Definitive Collection). Albert Finney and Peter Ustinov have also given entertaining portrayals. Christie's Miss Marple, on the other hand, has been tackled by numerous actresses, but none has succeeded like Suchet has with Poirot. My favorite Marple is Margaret Rutherford who played the role in four movies made in the 1960s (The Agatha Christie Miss Marple Movie Collection (Murder at the Gallop / Murder Ahoy / Murder Most Foul / Murder She Said)). The Mysterious Affair at Styles is a delightfully entertaining mystery and a `must read' for any fan of the mystery genre. Christie's books, while they give a peak at sordid doings, are reliably comfortable and satisfying reads and as far from unsettling or noirish as one can imagine.
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