Agatha Christie: The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Agatha Christie: The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Hercule Poirot book 1

I rolled this as part of my mystery rolls. When it finally came in from being on hold, I was able to finish it pretty quickly.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles follows the story of Arthur Hastings as he stays with friends in a village called Styles St. Mary. The friend, John Cavendish, lives with his step-mother Emily Inglethorp, his wife, his brother, his step-mother's new husband, and a host of servants. One night, while staying at the mansion, Hastings and others in the household are awoken to discover that Mrs. Inglethorp is in significant distress. She has been poisoned. Hastings summons his friend, also living at Styles, Hercule Poirot. Poirot is a Belgian detective, and he quickly steps in to help solve the murder. Will they be able to find the murderer?

This book is certainly a product of its time, and the language felt like 1920 when the book was written. It took a little bit to get used to the writing style of the novel, but once I did, the book went quickly. This is partially what I didn't love about the book - the writing style was a little bit (understandably) old fashioned. There was also a lot of telling, not showing, and that made the story less engaging for me.

I did think it was fun to see all of the twists and red herrings throughout. Because Hastings is a first-person narrator, his perception colors what information the readers get. His theories and assumptions become the audience's, and so at times, it's hard to predict what was going to happen. It made the ending a lot more satisfying.

In all, I rated this ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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