The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot, #1) in WACKY READING CHALLENGES

Aug 08, 2017 Dóri rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

What could I say about this book? It was amazing, that's about it without spoilers. I've always loved crime stories, TV-shows with homicide investigations, those are my favourites. However, I've never read a book about it or not that I remember, and I have no idea why. This is my jam! Keep in mind, I never find out the plot twists in advance when it comes to books, I have a natural talent at being ignorant. But, I think it's good. Being surprised is wonderful, why would you want to read a book w ...more

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Apr 06, 2022 Olivermagnus rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, 2022, zapr-2022, detective

The Mysterious Affair at Styles was Agatha Christie’s first novel,
Written in 1916 and published in 1920, it became Hercule Poirot’s first appearance. He eventually becomes the star of 32 later books.

Emily Inglethorp, a recently remarried, very rich elderly woman turns up dead. It is discovered that she’s been poisoned. Hercule Poirot, a Belgian refugee of the Great War, has settled near Styles, Mrs. Inglethorpe home. She was instrumental in helping him settle into his new life. Poirot decides t ...more

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Feb 24, 2022 Irene rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: better-than-expected, read-in-2022, b-n, readathon, 5-stars, set-in-summer, own-physical, aty-2022, plot-twist, rounded-up

This is my 5th Agatha Christie overall and 3rd Poirot, and right off the bat, it was already a better read for me compared to my previous reads because:
(A) It wasn't spoiled for me beforehand, unlike Murder on the Orient Express, which pretty much hinges on the twist/whodunit.
(B) I didn't guess the twist and culprit before the reveal (The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, which again pretty much fully relies on its twist)
and (C) it did not have such an improbable and unlikely solution that it didn't fe This is my 5th Agatha Christie overall and 3rd Poirot, and right off the bat, it was already a better read for me compared to my previous reads because:
(A) It wasn't spoiled for me beforehand, unlike Murder on the Orient Express, which pretty much hinges on the twist/whodunit.
(B) I didn't guess the twist and culprit before the reveal (The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, which again pretty much fully relies on its twist)
and (C) it did not have such an improbable and unlikely solution that it didn't feel satisfying to read it (And Then There Were None, which I'll still protest is basically impossible).

Yes, the solution was definitely still complicated, but it was a lot less focused on who specifically did it and more on how every step of the the crime was committed and how all the pieces fit together. As Poirot says, "Everything must be taken into account. If the fact will not it the theory - let the theory go." (90)

There also isn't a large cast of suspects to begin with, so it wouldn't have been outrageous no matter who the culprit was (as a reader, you automatically go through all of them in your head). That said, I was still taken aback by it and was pleasantly surprised by the multi-layered solution and explanations for everything that happened in the book. Don't go in expecting to be able to guess it - it's not a "simple" solution, like in the aforementioned Orient Express and Roger Ackroyd, which can be summed up in a few words: (view spoiler). Instead, though the motives are predictable enough, it involved complicated misunderstandings and actions both intentional and accidental. If you want to know the details, I've hidden the spoilers below. Essentially, this book is difficult to completely spoil because knowing who the culprit is simply isn't enough to make sense of all the clues, and you still have to read the full explanation to answer every question.

(view spoiler)

4.5 stars for keeping me guessing and having a satisfying (and humorous) ending despite being so complicated I had to reread it several times. I also appreciated the restored original chapter in the appendix.

TL;DR: Highly recommended as a clever mystery novel, but don't expect to find a crime you can guess and solve yourself since it's just not one of those types of books. ...more

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Jan 26, 2017 Joi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

I enjoyed this book immensely. I can't believe how much I liked it. When you think you've solved it, and find out you were wrong all along. The main character was interesting to me and made me keep wanting to read. ...more

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Oct 25, 2021 Tari rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I can't say anything that hasn't already been said about Agatha Christie, the great lady of mysteries, but it was definitely cool to meet Hercule Poirot in his first series adventure. I was hoping for a little grey cells mention and wasn't disappointed! He really cracked me up at different times and astonished me at others--I had no idea he was such a character both figuratively and literally. Looking forward to reading another of his adventures soon! ...more

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Oct 26, 2018 Debra Barstad rated it liked it · review of another edition

While I am not a big fan of Agatha Christie this was an ok book for me. It just felt dated but that may be because of when it was published and the overall writing style of the author. If you like mystery with some twists and turns than this book maybe be a book for you.

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