The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Dover Mystery Classics) (Paperback)

by Agatha Christie (Author)
Key Phrases: despatch case, candle grease, The Mysterious, Miss Howard, John Cavendish (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
'Almost too ingenious ... very clearly and brightly told.' Times Literary Supplement 'Deals with poisons in a knowledgeable way... Miss Agatha Christie knows her job.' Pharmaceutical Journal --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
“Future scholars of the simon-pure detective novel will hold
that its greatest practitioner . . . has been Agatha Christie.”
—The New York Times Book Review --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (July 22, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486296954
• ISBN-13: 978-0486296951
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #881,878 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 1 in The Hercule Poirot Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Scott E Amundsen (Somerville, New Jersey) - 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."

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "I had a premonition of approaching evil", June 16, 2005

By	Sebastian Fernandez (Tampa, Florida United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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

Readers everywhere are grateful to the sister of Agatha Christie for placing a bet with her, claiming that the woman that nowadays is known as the Queen of Mystery would not be able to write a good detective story. That is actually how this novel and the character of Hercule Poirot came into existence. In this first effort we can see the basic traits that later established Christie as one of the best mystery writers ever, though some of her technique is not yet completely polished. For example we get only a brief description of each of the characters, except for Poirot, so it is hard to picture some of them clearly. Nevertheless, the story deserves high praise, and I am pretty sure Agatha won the bet!

The story is narrated by Hasting, who gets an invitation to spend some time in the country place of John Cavendish at Styles Court. Upon his arrival, Hasting notices that there is a certain level of tension in the family, since John's mother, Emily, has recently married a younger man, who the family considers to be a fortune hunter. Meanwhile, John and his brother Lawrance are having financial trouble, and a set of interesting characters surround Emily and have all kinds of suggesting exchanges with her. When the lady of the house is murdered it comes as no surprise. There is a main suspect, but also a myriad of possible candidates for the role of the killer.

Luckily, Hasting runs into Poirot at the time of these events, and the small man with the peculiar moustache, who has retired from the Belgian police, is more than happy to help solve the baffling case. Those that have read other novels by Christie know that the author has an outstanding ability to mislead us into believing we have discovered the culprit, only to turn the tables on us and leave us dumbstruck. This case is no different...Ahhh, those little grey cells!