The Mysterious Affair at Styles quickly gets you hooked on Christie’s creative process and writing style. It generates anticipation of the dozens of mysteries to come.
High Point: The first-person narrative is from Hasting’s perspective. He is generally as lost as the reader is.
Low Point: There is little about which to complain, but subsequent Poirot mysteries are more engaging as the character continues to develop.
Author: Agatha Christie
Publication Date: 1920
Genre: Mystery
In The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Agatha Christie introduces M. Poirot and his sidekick Hastings. In her first published novel, we get to know Hastings perhaps a bit better than Poirot since the narrative is written in the first person from Hastings’ perspective. His usual confusion and frustration with Poirot are often displayed, but alternate with admiration and affection. It’s fun to watch.
As always, Christie takes us on a meandering path toward a resolution—sometimes going full circle to thwart and confuse any notions we might have regarding the killer’s identity.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles quickly gets you hooked on Christie’s creative process and writing style. It generates anticipation of the dozens of mysteries to come.
Movie/TV Adaptation
Poirot (TV Series) (1990)
Sources For This Book
Free eBook (Project Gutenberg): Mysterious Affair at Styles
Free Audiobook (LibriVox): Not available
Available to Purchase: AbeBooks, Biblio, Thriftbooks
