From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

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

Agatha Christie

Start date: January 1, 2018

Finish date: January 31, 2018

Discussion: Buddy reads

Why we're reading this: A buddy read of the first Poirot book
[close] A buddy read of the first Poirot book

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What Members Thought

Aug 10, 2019 John rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: agatha-christie

Poiret’s introduction and first case. Hasting at the end of WW1 goes to his friends stepmothers house called Styles. This first novel launched Christie with 67 Poiret novels to follow.

The stepmother Mrs Inglewood is poisoned and who did it. One of her Stepsons John or Lawerence Cavendish, her husband Alfred 20 years younger and loathed by everyone except his wife, Cynthia a charity relative case who works in a dispensary with poisons, Evelyn Howard a companion friend, John’s wife Mary or the my ...more

18 likes · Like · see review

Oct 05, 2020 Tania rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, agatha-christie

Beginning at the beginning. Not as polished as later books, but pretty fantastic as a debut.

6 likes · Like · see review

Oct 13, 2020 Ruth rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: golden-age-and-vintage

At the beginning of a major re-read of Agatha Christie's books, where better to start than with her first book which was published 100 years ago this month in America. For a book written over a hundred years ago it is still remarkably fresh, and yet it lets you into a world that has vanished and gives you a picture of what life was like in an English village during the First World War. Their day-to-day lives are untouched by it in many ways but there are subtle references and glimpses of how soc ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 11, 2016 Abrar Nasser rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I always feel stupid when i read Poirot's books
At first nothing makes sense but then everything makes perfect sense.

This book was enjoyable and it was fun to read it. However, I got the feeling that Poirot is kind of different. His personality is slightly different in his other books. ...more

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Apr 09, 2020 Vijay Kerji rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is one of the best Poirot story with complex plot and N number of clues planted in it. It is surprising that this book is the first one in Poirot series because it is written with utmost care and highly engaging plot.

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Apr 27, 2018 Frank rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

here is where it all began with Poirot, a quick and interesting little locked room mystery. If you follow the clues, you can figure it out.
A young Christie here, not as complex at this point.

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