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The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Paperback)

by Agatha Christie (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; Masterpiece Ed edition (3 Jan 1998)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0006174744
  • ISBN-13: 978-0006174745
  • Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 11.1 x 1.3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 511,695 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Synopsis

There had been some strange goings on at Styles St Mary. Evelyn had stormed out of the house and something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere. Her presence had spelled security; now the air seemed rife with impending evil. With impeccable timing Poirot makes his dramatic entrance.


About the Author

Agatha Christie was born in Torquay in 1890 and became, quite simply, the best-selling novelist in history. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, written towards the end of the First World War, introduced us to Hercule Poirot, who was to become the most popular detective in crime fiction since Sherlock Holmes. She is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and another billion in over 100 foreign countries. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 19 plays, and six novels under the name of Mary Westmacott. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews

17 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Opens the Golden Age of Detective Fiction., 25 Sep 2003
By John Austin "austinjr@bigpond.net.au" (Kangaroo Ground, Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
This review is from: The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot) (Paperback)
Thirty-year old Mrs Agatha Christie turned a nice little profit with this, her first book, in 1920. It introduced Hercule Poirot. Wisely, she gave him many flamboyant, eccentric characteristics to leaven the depiction of detection work, but unwisely she created a character of advanced age that she subsequently needed to preserve for a further fifty years.

What became the regular Christie recipe for a whodunit is found here. Perhaps there is a tad more reliance on the dispensing of medicines, reflecting the author's occupation during World War One. A formula that she later discarded was the use of a narrator - Hastings - who presents one of the "cases" on his friend Poirot. 1920 and the publication of this book marked the opening of the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction". Expect that there are plenty of servants, plenty of drinks at bedtime, much making and re-making of wills, and characters - including Poirot - who walk everywhere.

This rates highly in the Christie collection for classic charm, readability and ingenuity. Few of her books from the 1920s excel it.

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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars SIMPLY THE BEST, 16 Dec 2002
This review is from: The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot) (Paperback)
After reading many of Agatha's books before, i was expecting this to be just as enthralling. But as the first book she ever wrote, i found it to be the best i have ever read. Meticulous Hercule Poirot is at his finest along with sidekick Hastings and the plots and twists of the book are simply brilliant; Christie is a genius. The only downside to the book is the slightly slow beginning but after the first few chapters i guarantee you won't be able to put it down! I gave it to my mum to read and she's been hooked on Agatha Christie ever since! A good read for young and old fans alike.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars "I had a premonition of approaching evil", 22 Jun 2005
By Sebastian Fernandez (Tampa, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 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!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent debut...
How did I go for so long without reading an Agatha Christie?! I wish I'd picked one up sooner! I figured my first read should be the first book published (I have an OCDish need to... Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars A great start for Poirot
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5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best Christies ever!
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3.0 out of 5 stars An above average debut
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3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat Clunky Beginning for the Belgian Sleuth
The first "grownup" novels I recall reading were those of Agatha Christie and P.G. Wodehouse, and while I periodically return to Wodehouse with great enjoyment, I haven't... Read more
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4.0 out of 5 stars The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Never having read an Agatha Christie novel before I thought I had best start with her debut, and 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles' turned out to be a good choice... Read more
Published 18 months ago by dogbarkssome

4.0 out of 5 stars A compelling start to the series
Absolutely wonderful. "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" does not fail to live up to the hype.

I have to admit that part of the way through I became convinced of a... Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2007 by Ms. MacNeill

5.0 out of 5 stars kept me guessing
this is the first poirot novel i have read and what a good one to start with. although i did get a bit confused about who all the female characters were!!! Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Brilliance.
This is my first Agatha Christie novel and it is fantastic. I have seen lots of the TV series of Poirot and Miss Marple but have never seen The mysterious affair at styles and so... Read more
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