Customer Reviews

Agatha Christie's Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot Mysteries)

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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.

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.

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.

It's exciting to read the first published novel of the world's best selling author of all time. After reading The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, I decided to read all of the Hercule Poirot mysteries, and this is a natural beginning. We meet the detective Poirot, a Belgian refugee in England, and his future traveling companion, Arthur Hastings.

The powerful matron of a wealthy family is poisoned in her sleep! Whodunnit?

I felt the book started a wee bit slow (as always with the first in a series, no?), but once the poisoning happened, it was difficult to put down. Perfect reading for a long flight to Brazil.

Highly recommended as travel reading (or whenever else you may need a diversion). For the rest of my trip, I've brought Murder on the Orient Express and Hallowe'en Party. Poirot to the rescue!

[Note on content: No objectionable content, unless you count poisoning an elderly woman or the general idea of murder as entertainment.]

I'm embarrassed to admit that, prior to reading this book, I had never read anything by Agatha Christie. Last week, PBS featured one of her books on their Masterpiece Mystery show, and I thought it was very well done. My interest was piqued as to whether the books were as good as the show. I decided to start with her very first book published, rather than start with a later book and run the risk of encountering spoilers. So, I requested The Mysterious Affair at Styles from my library, and hoped for the best.

I was not disappointed! One big plus to The Mysterious Affair at Styles is that the culprit is not obvious. At the end of the book, I was just as surprised as the characters to learn who the murderer was, and what had happened. It was refreshing not to have it be predictable. I also like that the reader is given lots of clues along the way, to try and piece things together. The book moves quick enough that you don't get bored, yet provides plenty of details and complex characters. I definitely plan on reading more by Christie, if this book is any indication to what the rest of her mysteries are like.

Dear Barry R. L. Went "Spooky Epileptic":

Why would you write a review of a mystery where you give away who-done-it? Who will be reading your review? Answer: People thinking of buying the book, some of whom, like me, HAVE NEVER READ IT! Why should I buy it now?

I know my review is inappropriate (not being about the book, which I haven't read) and will be removed. But I really hope Amazon.com removes your review or at least the part where you describe who the killer is. What were you thinking?

He reveals the murderer in the second line, spoiling the plot with no warning. Like the previous reviewer, i have not read this book and will skip it for now in the hopes i forget this review in the future. Amazon please remove his review!

The Mysterious Affair at Styles
By: Agatha Christie
A. Guittard
Book Review


The story, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, is based in World War I. The story introduces Hercule Poirot, a famous Belgian detective. In the beginning of the book, the main character, Mr. Arthur Hastings, goes to visit an old friend and his family. Whiles he stays there, the housemistress, Mrs. Cavendish, dies. It is a fortunate coincidence that Poirot is in a nearby village. The assemblage of suspects are mostly from Mrs. Cavendish's family. Poirot is given many clues and racks his brains to find out who is the murderer.

Since this is the first Poirot novel, I expected it to be inferior to other novels Agatha Christie has written. I found myself perplexed at some points in the story because of Poirot, his witty comments and how he finds clues. It seemed that some clues were not really relative at the time, but then turn out to get more related to the story. I loved how Poirot was meticulous about everything, and also how he was so immaculate. So, in conclusion, this is a book I would recommend. Although it is not one of Christie's best, it is still a very humorous, motivating and intriguing book!

The plucky little Belgian is in fine form in this old-fashioned whodunit, gleaning clues where there seem to be none. Unlike other Agatha Christie mysteries, I'm not sure the reader is really given all of the information to be able to deduce the solution themselves. You could guess, true, (though I did not) but there weren't the concrete clues left lying about for the reader to grasp and assemble into a coherent scenario. Still, it was an enjoyable old-fashioned mystery, and I would recommend the Poirot stories to all mystery fans (Miss Marple, on the other hand, grates on my nerves).

I have not read this book. It contains drawings of floor plans, will fragments, etc that are relevant to the story. This version does NOT include these. So I'm sort of lost a few chapters into the book. You would be better off getting the paperback rather than the electronic version. I have asked for my money back or an exchange for a version that does have the drawings. I'm not optimistic about either happening. I really kind of surprised that Amazon would overlook this sort of thing. Very disappointed with my purchase at the moment.