The Mysterious Affair at Styles: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Warbler Classics)
Agatha Christie's debut novel was the first to feature Hercule Poirot, her famously eccentric Belgian detective. A refugee of the Great War, Poirot is settling in England near Styles Court, the country estate of his wealthy benefactress, the elderly Emily Inglethorp. When Emily is poisoned and the authorities are baffled, Poirot puts his prodigious sleuthing skills to work. Suspects are plentiful, including the victim's much younger husband, her resentful stepsons, her longtime hired companion, a young family friend working as a nurse, and a London specialist on poisons who just happens to be visiting the nearby village. All of them have secrets they are desperate to keep, but none can outwit Poirot as he navigates the ingenious red herrings and plot twists that earned Agatha Christie her well-deserved reputation as the queen of mystery.
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Community Reviews
This was pretty good for a debut mystery novel! You can follow the resolution well enough but I don't think it's constructed in a guessable way, as I read it a second time knowing who the murderer is and it still wasn't apparent.
This was my first Hercule Poirot book. I purchased the first nine on a binge book buying sort of night and have decided to go in order. Having only read one other Agatha Christie book, [b: And Then There Were None|16299|And Then There Were None|Agatha Christie|https:images.gr-assets.com/books/1391120695s/16299.jpg|3038872], previously, I wasn't sure what to expect.
Poirot, I like you. I even like how you come out with all your conclusions in the last chapter so that even someone like me who doesn't work to solve anything can understand what the hell was going on.
Hastings, you are both darling and daft. I don't know if you make an appearance in the other books, but I wouldn't be too sad if you didn't because you didn't add anything for me.
I haven't had tea in quite some time, but I had three cups while reading this. It's that kind of mystery. I better buy more tea.
3 Stars because I liked it but am confident there will be better ones to come.
Poirot, I like you. I even like how you come out with all your conclusions in the last chapter so that even someone like me who doesn't work to solve anything can understand what the hell was going on.
Hastings, you are both darling and daft. I don't know if you make an appearance in the other books, but I wouldn't be too sad if you didn't because you didn't add anything for me.
I haven't had tea in quite some time, but I had three cups while reading this. It's that kind of mystery. I better buy more tea.
3 Stars because I liked it but am confident there will be better ones to come.
Solid 3 stars. Was entertaining but not as fun or engaging as the last Christie I read. Lots of red herrings
in this one.
in this one.
As a self-professed Sherlock maniac, I've read many pastiches in many anthologies, but I had never read an entire novel (except the four in the original canon). I was engulfed in this romp that almost bordered on comedy in some scenes. Having Sherlock meet another "real" famous person who's responsible for helping Holmes quit cocaine was ingenious and fun. The voice of Watson also rings true; Meyer definitely wrote with Watson's complete voice in mind, and to me, it worked. Having Meyer be the "editor" is another genius touch--similar to Doyle being the publisher of the "real" adventures of Holmes as chronicled by Watson. I found this to be more of a character study than a true puzzle that needed solving. The last third of the book was an intense chase scene on trains. We didn't even need Holmes to explain everything to us at the end like he usually does in the canon stories. The fun is in the history and the thoughts/actions of the characters themselves.
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