The Mysterious Affair at Styles [Mass Market Paperback]

Agatha Christie (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Bantam; 17th Printing edition (1978)
• ISBN-10: 055311915X
• ISBN-13: 978-0553119152
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #180,064 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Agatha Christie was born in 1890 and created the detective Hercule Poirot in her debut novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920). She achieved wide popularity with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) and produced a total of eighty novels and short-story collections over six decades.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meet Hercule Poirot, April 8, 2001

By 

Antoinette Klein (Hoover, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot) (Paperback)

In 1920 Agatha Christie introduced a quirky little Belgian detective to the world in this book she wrote on a dare from her sister. The time is World War I and Poirot is one of a small group of Belgian refugees who has come to live in a rural English village. With his egg-shaped head and his well-groomed moustache, Poirot enters and soon becomes one of fiction's best-loved detectives. Also in this novel, the reader is introduced to his cohort, Captain Arthur Hastings, recovering from a war injury at the upper-class household known as Styles Court. The mistress of the manor is Emily Inglethorpe, an elderly woman who has just married a much younger man. The family members occupying the house all become suspects when Mrs. Inglethorpe is murdered and it is up to Poirot's little grey cells to sift through all the red herrings and, in the final chapter, reveal all in true detective fashion. High on Poirot's list of suspects are: John Cavendish, the elder stepson; Mary Cavendish, his wife; Lawrence Cavendish, the younger stepson; Evelyn Howard, Mrs. Inglethorpe's companion; Cynthia Murdoch, her protegee; and Dr. Bauerstein, a mysterious stranger who lives in Essex. All have motive and opportunity but only Poirot can discover the truth.

This first novel sets the tone for many Christies to follow. The wealthy family inhabiting a country house, the non-violent method of murder (poisoning) so favored by Mrs. Christie, and the light-hearted but often serious romance all became hallmarks of many of her later works.

Have a cup of hot chocolate with Poirot and enjoy the adventure.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The start of one of the best mystery series ever, May 4, 2011

By 

Jetpack - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Kindle Edition)

"Poirot was an extraordinary looking little man. He was hardly more than five feet, four inches, but carried himself with great dignity. His head was exactly the shape of an egg, and he always perched it a little on one side. His moustache was very stiff and military." I love the description of Poirot. This is the start of one of the best sets of mysteries ever made - the first appearance of the celebrated Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot.

Poirot is interesting for many reasons, one of the first that he was a famous detective as a member of the Belgian police force. Due to WW I, Poirot has to move to England as a refugee, and remains. It's also the first appearance of Capt. Hastings, the sometimes narrator of the stories.

Wonderful characters, great story. Easy 5 stars.

This is the free Kindle version. A must get if you like mysteries.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Poirot's Delightful Debut, January 5, 2000

By 

Scott E Amundsen - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot) (Paperback)

This is Poirot's first case and Christie's debut as a mystery writer. It is an auspicious start to a brilliant career for both the author and her creation. It's a bit over-ambitious; the young Christie was heavy-handed with the clues in this one, and while the ending is a surprise, the last section of the book is just a bit too long for the ending to have quite the impact that Christie would achieve in later works. This is perhaps the only Christie book about which one can say there are "too many clues;" it is nonetheless an astounding achievement for a first-time author. And, of course, any fan of Poirot will want to read the case that "started it all."