The Mysterious Affair at Styles

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Agatha Christie: The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920, John Lane)

English language

Published Aug. 1, 1920 by John Lane.

OCLC Number:
4917883420

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5 stars (1 review)

The Mysterious Affair at Styles is a detective novel by British writer Agatha Christie. It was written in the middle of the First World War, in 1916, and first published by John Lane in the United States in October 1920 and in the United Kingdom by The Bodley Head (John Lane's UK company) on 21 January 1921.Styles was Christie's first published novel. It introduced Hercule Poirot, Inspector (later, Chief Inspector) Japp, and Arthur Hastings. Poirot, a Belgian refugee of the Great War, is settling in England near the home of Emily Inglethorp, who helped him to his new life. His friend Hastings arrives as a guest at her home. When the woman is killed, Poirot uses his detective skills to solve the mystery. The book includes maps of the house, the murder scene, and a drawing of a fragment of a will. The true first publication of the novel was …

8 editions

Always a joy to read Agatha Christie

5 stars

I had read this one before but it had been a while so I decided to try again—especially because a couple of friends reading Agatha Christie reminded me of how much I used to love her books. It was as thrilling as it was the first time. I had my suspicions, but in the end, I feel just like Hastings—an utter fool. I picked up quite a few of the clues and came to the right conclusions but in the end, had not properly sorted all the clues in my little grey cells. Eager to re-read all her works now!

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