Book info

• Title The Mysterious Affair at Styles
• Author Agatha Christie
• Year 1920
• Genre Mystery

With impeccable timing Hercule Poirot, the renowned Belgian detective, makes his dramatic entrance on to the English crime stage. Recently, there had been some strange goings on at Styles St Mary. Evelyn, constant companion to old Mrs Inglethorp, had stormed out of the house muttering something about ‘a lot of sharks’. And with her, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere. Her presence had spelt security; now the air seemed rife with suspicion and impending evil. A shattered coffee cup, a splash of candle grease, a bed of begonias… all Poirot required to display his now legendary powers of detection.

Thoughts

True to my word, after reading the biography of Agatha Christie by Lucy Worsley, I dipped straight into the author’s back catalogue, starting with this first book featuring everyone’s favourite Belgian detective, Poirot. I really enjoyed the mystery, the cast of characters are set up with all of them being slightly suspicious, and the clues and twists are thrown at us until the answer is revealed. Very good.

Rating: 4 / 5