The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot, #1)

Title: The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot, #1)

Author: Agatha Christie

Published in: 1920

Date read: 14th October 2022

Score: 4/5

Genre: Crime, Detective, Classic, Mystery

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"The Mysterious Affair at Styles," published in 1920, holds a significant place in literary history as Agatha Christie's debut novel and the very first appearance of her iconic Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. It established many of the conventions that would define the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.

The story is narrated by Captain Arthur Hastings, a British officer recuperating from war wounds. He accepts an invitation to stay at Styles Court, a grand country estate in Essex, home to his old friend John Cavendish and his stepmother, the wealthy Emily Inglethorp. Emily has recently remarried, much to the chagrin of her stepsons, John and Lawrence Cavendish, and her new husband is the much younger and somewhat opportunistic Alfred Inglethorp.

The tranquility of Styles is shattered when Emily Inglethorp is found dead in her locked bedroom. The cause of death is quickly determined to be strychnine poisoning, and suspicion immediately falls upon Alfred Inglethorp, who stands to inherit her fortune.

Fortuitously, Captain Hastings encounters his old acquaintance, Hercule Poirot, a Belgian refugee from the Great War, now living in the nearby village. With his meticulous nature, reliance on "little grey cells" (his intellect), and keen observation skills, Poirot is enlisted by Hastings to investigate the complex murder.

Poirot sets about examining every detail: the locked room, a shattered coffee cup, a will made just before death, and the strained relationships within the Inglethorp household. The suspects are numerous and include:

• Alfred Inglethorp: The suspicious new husband.
• John Cavendish: Emily's stepson, resentful of his stepmother's remarriage.
• Lawrence Cavendish: John's younger brother, also disgruntled.
• Mary Cavendish: John's wife, a quiet but insightful woman.
• Evelyn Howard: Emily's former companion, who intensely disliked Alfred.
• Cynthia Murdoch: An orphan whom Emily had taken in.

As Poirot delves into the case, he uncovers a tangled web of family jealousies, secret pasts, and financial motives. He scrutinizes alibis, analyzes handwriting, and meticulously reconstructs the events of the fatal night, often frustrating Hastings with his cryptic pronouncements.

The novel is a classic "whodunit," full of red herrings and clever misdirection. The climax sees Poirot gathering all the suspects for a dramatic revelation, logically piecing together the seemingly impossible crime and exposing the murderer through a brilliant application of psychology and deduction. "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" effectively launched the career of both Agatha Christie and her enduring detective.

Comments:
Great story but not as good as The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, reading that book first might work against me so nothing else will be as good. I still enjoyed it.

Books that we've read by Agatha Christie (8):
The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot, #1) (1920), The Secret Adversary (Tommy and Tuppence Mysteries, #1) (1922), The Murder on the Links (Hercule Poirot #2) (1923), The Man in the Brown Suit (Colonel Race, #1) (1924), The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot, #4) (1926), The Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple #1) (1930), The Thirteen Problems (Miss Marple, #1) (1932), And Then There Were None (1939)