Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - The Mysterious Affair at Styles

The first book to feature Hercule Poirot is told from the point of view of Arthur Hastings, a soldier on leave from the Front in WWI. Hastings visits an old friend, John Cavendish who lives at Styles Court owned by his stepmother, Emily Inglethorp. John's wife, his younger brother, Lawrence, & a family friend, Cynthia Murdoch also live there, along with Emily's new husband, younger man, Alfred Inglethorp.

When Emily suddenly dies & the local doctor is certain that it is murder, Hastings is relieved to run into Hercule Poirot, a former detective in the Belgian police force who is now a refugee living near Styles Court & whose benefactor was the same Emily Inglethorp. Poirot agrees to investigate Emily's murder & uncovers a family full of secrets, resentment, & greed.

I've seen the TV adaptations of the books starring David Suchet but I really couldn't remember this one. It's incredibly well thought out & kept me guessing - I only hope the rest of the books follow suit.

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dontwantausername's review against another edition

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4.0

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ellanarose's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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raiinreads's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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rebeccainspace's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This is my first Agatha Christie book and after seeing the knives out films, it was so cool to read what they were heavily influenced by. I could see the influence immediately. I love the tone, and this subgenre of murder mystery in a mansion. I loved the reveal, especially because even though I felt good about my guess I was pretty far off! There were many little questions I thought wouldn't be able to be answered or would be forgotten but everything came back at the conclusion!

I described the novel as funny because some character interactions that made me laugh. The main detective is quite a character which results in some numerous reacts of other characters. The main character can also be an idiot sometimes, especially with women, and I enjoyed joining other characters in laughing at him.

I did knock down the review a bit because while a great story, the result of being an old novel means that there are some things that make it unenjoyable to read. For instance there is some racism and the n-word is used once. For reference, it is minimal in comparison to other classic novels I've read, but it still affected by reading experience when it happened.

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oceanwriter's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I’m pretty sure this was my first Agatha Christie book (how bad is it that I don’t remember…) and my expectations were high after a lifetime of hearing about her and her mysteries. It’s easy to see how she became an original master of the genre, but as someone who’s read so many other mysteries and prefers more thrill to the plot, I ended up feeling underwhelmed.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles is the book that started it all — Agatha Christie’s debut as well as the first introduction to Hercule Poirot. When a wealthy and elderly woman is poisoned, there are a number of suspects in the household. It’s up to Hercule Poirot to deduce who the killer is.

The book was good. I love the fine details of everything and it was a great setting. I just struggled to get excited or really into the plot. The problem when you read a lot of mysteries is that the formulas become ingrained. I was more in the mood for a short audiobook at the time rather than a mystery itself, so I’m sure that was part of the problem. I will definitely be returning to Agatha Christie though, particularly Murder on the Orient Express.

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bookshelfhannah's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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brianreadsbooks's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

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