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    The Mysterious Affair at the Styles
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    The Mysterious Affair at the Styles
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    The Mysterious Affair at the Styles
    Audiobook5 hours

    The Mysterious Affair at the Styles

    Written by Agatha Christie

    Narrated by Ralph Cosham

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Agatha Christie launches the legendary career of Hercule Poirot with this classic tale of intrigue. Did one of the Cavendish brothers poison their stepmother, Mrs. Iglethorp, or was it her new husband? Nadia May reads with such a delightful English accent, intonation, and careful pacing that the suspense and drama build gradually. Each character is easily distinguishable and a treat to listen to, especially Poirot. This baffling tale with many characters is well worth this listening experience. The compulsion to discover the truth is motive enough for all.

    Narrator Ralph Cosham, has recorded more InAudio titles by far than any other narrator, and he has received numerous awards including several Audio Best of the Year & Earphone Awards. He is originally from Britain.

    Narrator Adams Morgan, plays music, acts and narrates in New York City.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherInAudio
    Release dateJan 1, 2003
    ISBN9781467610445
    Author

    Agatha Christie

    Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in a hundred foreign languages. She died in 1976, after a prolific career spanning six decades.

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    Reviews for The Mysterious Affair at the Styles

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    • 4/5
      Agatha Christie's first Poirot mystery. What else is there to say?
    • 4/5
      Apparently, Agatha Christie - who had never written a book before - wrote this book in response to a complaint that there were no crime novels where all the facts were known to the reader, as well as the detective, before the denouement which weren't solvable in the first few chapters. This is the book, narrated by Hastings, that introduces us to Hercule Poirot.Hastings has been invalided out of the war, and while convalescing, is invited back to Styles, the country home of an old acquaintance, John Cavendish. While there, a crime occurs, and on wishing out loud that a great detective he met in Europe was here to help them, Hastings discovers that Poirot is, in fact, living in the nearby village, as a Belgian refugee from the war. And so Poirot gets involved in the case, and finally brings the criminal to justice.I've read many books by Christie in the past, but I can't remember if I've read this one before. So earnest was I (previously) in reading the clues to solve the crime (which I never did) that I hadn't realised before that Christie is quite funny; written at the same period as P.G. Wodehouse was writing, while not being as uproariously funny, it has a similar sense of humour.Poirot (speaking of the criminal) : "... We must be so intelligent that he does not suspect us of being intelligent at all."I acquiesced."There, mon ami, you will be of great assistance to me."I was pleased with the compliment. There had been times when I hardly thought that Poirot appreciated me at my true worth."Yes," he continued, staring at me thoughtfully, "you will be invaluable."This was naturally gratifying, ...Poor old Hastings would like to think of himself as the romantic lead, or at least the great detective (since he often thinks that Poirot is no longer on his game), but is usually seen by the other cast members as a sympathetic shoulder to lean on.Christie (and occasionally Poirot) misdirects us gaily until the last moment, when Poirot explains all. There are, of course, the odd coincidence, and a few instances of great good luck. I might have docked stars for my not being able to solve the crime (*sour grapes*), but I'll give them back for the unexpected humour. And the hint of romance doesn't hurt; there's nothing so sweet as requited love.I must say that, while reading Poirot's dialogue, I kept thinking of David Suchet playing the part (though admittedly his eyes aren't green). Kudos to him for getting the part down.
    • 4/5
      A poisoning at Styles brings in the clueless Cpt. Hastings and HP to solve the murder.
    • 4/5
      The Mysterious Mr. Quin (1930) (Harley Quin) by Agatha Christie. This character, Harley Quin, is reported to have been Dame Agatha’s favorite as she only had to write about him when she wished to. Quin, along with his puppet, the good Mr. Satterthwaite, set out to right wrongs, solve vexing problems of the heart, and occasionally solve a murder.Satterthwaite is in his sixties, an English gentleman who has no wish for sport or romance or business. He is from that class of people Christie liked to populate her books with, the idle rich who know everyone of importance and in hand, are known to all, and beloved by them in return. He has an interest in people and they seem to trust and open up to this benign older gent. But it is Mr. Quin who is the driving force here. He appears and disappears like a spector, arriving in a time of need, appearing to Mr. Satterthwaite when there is a problem, merely talking with the kind gentleman, asking questions that Mr. Satterthwaite is surprised to find he knows the answers to, and helping the latter solve the puzzle.This book contains an even dozen tales of the pair, each a tie plum of deliciousness ready to be devoted. Help yourself.
    • 4/5
      Although this novel is a Hurcule Poirot, it is told through the viewpoint of a friend of Poirot, Mr. Hastings. The viewpoint character is effective, since he basically has no detective instincts whatsoever, therefore not giving away what Poirot is thinking, which would ruin the mystery. The novel starts off with the death of Emily Cavendish. There are a handful of characters who are in the house at the time, and like with most good mysteries, there are various clues lying about. Half the time, I felt like Hastings, not being able to figure out who did what and always playing catch up with Poirot. About two thirds of the way through, I had a guess as to who committed the murder, and it turns out I was half right.I like Christie’s story telling style, but there were some problematic elements of the way the story unfolded, and a couple of elements that defied logic. Poirot comes off as enigmatic and charming. Because of the gap in time from when the story was written until now, some of the aspects of the plot were a bit hard to grasp, but for the most part the plot was strong, and the reveal was logical. This was a strong mystery novel that I would recommend.Carl Alves – author of Conjesero
    • 4/5
      Very enjoyable debut of both Christie and Poirot.
    • 3/5
      In which a lieutenant, an inspector and a Belgian emigré solve murder during the War.

      Let the flaying begin. Well, actually, don’t. Coming 39th on the Agatha Christie rankings isn’t that bad. "Styles" is a seminal novel in 20th century detective fiction: Christie’s first published work, and Hercule Poirot’s first appearance in literature, as well as the introduction of then-Lieutenant Arthur Hastings, and Inspector Japp. Poirot’s methodology is relayed to us by Hastings in a manner very similar to Watson’s introduction of Sherlock Holmes in "A Study in Scarlet". This novel, I rush to point out, is a damn sight better than Holmes’ introductory one, with Poirot emerging almost fully formed, and the country house of Styles a suitably atmospheric host for murder.

      The David Suchet adaptation – coming very early on before the series had established a darker visual style – is satisfactory, largely due to Suchet’s ability to create a younger, more ‘foreign’ Poirot. But it doesn’t have the raw power of the later adaptations in the series.

      I do have to be honest, though, and confess this is not one of my favourite Poirots. Christie hadn’t yet ironed out her style yet (she had another sixty years of writing to go, so I’ll cut her some slack), and – aside from Poirot – none of the characters really jump off the page. Still, this is an impressively easy read, and all fans should check out where Poirot began his British career (in the same place he would end it sixty years later). If you’re new to the series, keep in mind that Christie will – with experience – challenge her own style in the years to come.

      Poirot ranking: 24th out of 38
    • 5/5
      I was curious to read Agatha Christie’s first Poirot novel, which was published in 1920. And I was not disappointed. Midway through the book I was surprised to remember that this was one of her first novels… I think Mrs. Christie was born a writer: there is nothing in this book that betrays the novice. She worked as a dispenser in a hospital during WWI, hence, I believe, her knowledge of poisons and the presence of the young nurse’s character in the book. Here you will find the first description of Hercule Poirot, the “little man” with a gigantic intellect and an even larger (if possible!) ego. Inspector James Japp is also first presented to the reader, “a little sharp, dark, ferret-faced man”—physically different from Philip Jackson of the Agatha Christie’s Poirot series, Japp also does not present any of the irritating and almost unintelligible cockney accent the Jackson of the movies sported. Most definitely this is a must read for any Agatha Christie fan.
    • 5/5
      Timeless. First in Christie's series of Hercule Poirot and loved it.
    • 4/5
      I have loved Agatha Christie's mysteries for as long as I can remember. It's good to know that her books were excellent from the beginning. The Mysterious Affair at Styles was her first published work.

      If you use the Wake County public library, you can borrow this recording from the Download library - I've just returned it :) The narration was excellent, the story and the characters delightful.
    • 4/5
      This is the first time I have picked up an Agatha Christie novel and I'm wondering what took me so long?!This was her debut novel introducing Hercule Poirot and it was a great read. It had all the characteristics of a good murder mystery and I especially enjoyed that Hercule gave the reader all the same clues that he had and left it up to the reader to figure out, if they can. I thought I had it figured out and then they threw me for a loop! I will check out more from this series!
    • 3/5
      First outing for Hercule Poirot narrated by Hastings, his side-kick. This has all the classic Christie characters with taut plotting but the unpalatable nature of class and race relations did not leave me wanting to pick up another Agatha Christie in a hurry.
    • 5/5
      Unsurpassed!
    • 5/5
      I actually had to buy this book twice. The Kindle Chios/Perennial Press edition was missing the illustrations. The Kindle "Fully Restored Edition" included them and helped the mystery make sense. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery. I thought it played fair with the reader. I loved Hercule Poirot. I cannot believe I hadn't read this before and have missed out on this classic series. I'm going to work others into my reading schedule (already overloaded!) for next year. If you enjoy classic mysteries, try this. If you've read it long ago, I think you might enjoy revisiting it.
    • 4/5
      While I am not a huge fan of the character Poirot this is still an excellent little crime caper and more impressive that it was Christie's First published book. While I did think the plot was overly clever / complicated that is what you want in a who-dun-it, isn't it?
    • 4/5
      This is the very first Agatha Christie novel, written and set during the First World War, though not published until 1921. It is also the first Hercule Poirot novel, with the famous Belgian detective being a refugee in England having fled the invasion and subjugation of his country by the Kaiser's army. He is first described as follows:"Poirot was an extraordinary-looking little man. He was hardly more than five feet four inches, but carried himself with great dignity. His head was exactly the shape of an egg, and he always perched it a little on one side. His moustache was very stiff and military. The neatness of his attire was almost incredible; I believe a speck of dust would have caused him more pain than a bullet wound."Even on his first appearance, he is regarded by several characters as an old eccentric who is already past his prime). Nevertheless, he of course sees through a tortuous set of clues to solve a murder, the final resolution of which seemed even more than usually convoluted and, frankly, absurdly risky from the murderer's point of view. The narrative did not feel particularly dated to me, unlike the last Christie novel I read, the Tommy and Tuppence novel The Secret Adversary, set in the 1920s. One interesting touch in this edition is the inclusion as an appendix of an alternative penultimate chapter where the plot threads are resolved, discovered in one of Christie's notebooks decades later; though the essential difference rests only in its taking place in a courtroom where Poirot is being cross-examined, rather than in the Styles House with the detective doing his standard presentation in the drawing room in front of all the principal actors.
    • 4/5
      I know I said I was going to expand my reading horizons but when I find myself in times of trouble, Agatha Christie comforts me. I also owe the Gutenberg Project for putting it online.The Mysterious Affair At Styles is a solid book, and a good introduction to Poirot. What I find most interesting about it however is how much you can see Christie developing from it. It's got all the building blocks of your average Poirot, the country house, the summation in the drawing room, but it's lacking some of the small character bits that the later Christies have.
    • 4/5
      I liked this a little bit less than Murder on the Orient Express but it was still amazing. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed first-person narration so much and Hastings was a lovely narrator. The ending was once again unexpected and Poirot has successfully become one of my favourite characters of all time <3
    • 3/5
      This Poirot guy just might have a future in literature...
    • 4/5
      When a family matriarch is poisoned, Hercule Poirot must discover who committed the crime.Again, a reread for me (I think I've read Christie's entire bibliography, but I may have missed one or two, as I was not scientific about keeping track of my reading at the time). This is the first Poirot novel, told from the point of view of Hastings. I was struck, on this reread, with just how stupid Hastings is. This never bothered me originally, so I'm not sure if it's because I'm older than I was on my initial readings, or if it's because of the audiobook narration, or if that aspect of Hastings' character was softened in later books (I always liked Hastings, so I was surprised to be so impatient with him during this reading). This was read by a different narrator than my last two Christie books, and I did not like him at all -- partly because he gave Poirot such a strong accent that I had a hard time understanding what he was saying at times. Also, the denouement of this story seemed to take forever. All in all, though I love Christie, and Poirot particularly, I don't think I'd recommend this as a starting point.
    • 4/5
      This is the first book in the Poirot series, written on a bet with Christie's sister Madge. It introduces the characters of Poirot, Arthur Hastings and Inspector Japp. Christie tries the elements that will become the foundation of her enormous success; a wealthy family, a mystery set at a country house, a non-violent murder, and a bit of romance. The mystery begins during WWI. Emily Inglethorpe has made a second marriage to a younger man. Her first husband left her a country house, money and two grown stepsons who also live at the estate, called Styles. Arthur Hastings is friends with one of them, John, and has gone to the country home to recover from a war injury. During Hastings' visit Emily Inglethorpe dies in a mysterious manner. Poirot happens to be a Belgian refugee staying in the nearby village, is known to Hastings and is brought to the country house to help solve the mystery.Of course this is not the best of the Poirots, characters will be furthered developed in subsequent novels. I liked it because it was the first, not because it was the best. The Styles estate will also become the setting for the last in the Poirot series.
    • 4/5
      In this book, Christie introduces us to who is her arguably most memorable character - Hercule Poirot. Those familiar with Christie's books and their television and movie adaptations should be interested in reading the establishment of Poirot, Hastings, and Japp and discovering how their relationships evolved from their beginnings in this book to the much warmer friendships, especially between Poirot and Hastings, depicted in later books. The mystery itself is typical Christie, complete with red herrings and twists and turns.
    • 4/5
      The Mysterious Affair at Styles - (FREE Audiobook Included!)-Included TOC for Reader.-Included biography the author.-Free Audiobook link for download.The Mysterious Affair at Styles is a detective novel by Agatha Christie. It was written in 1916 and was 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. The U.S. edition retailed at US$2.00 and the UK edition at seven shillings and sixpence (7/6).[citation needed]Styles was Christie's first published novel, introducing Hercule Poirot, Inspector (later, Chief Inspector) Japp, and Arthur Hastings (Lieutenant and later, Captain).[2] Poirot is described as "a dear little man", "an extraordinary looking little man" and a "quaint dandyfied little man".The story is told in first person by Hastings and features many of the elements that have become icons of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, largely due to Christie's influence. It is set in a large, isolated country manor. There are a half-dozen suspects, most of whom are hiding facts about themselves. The book includes maps of the house, the murder scene, and a drawing of a fragment of a will, as well as a number of red herrings
    • 4/5
      Hastings is visiting some old friends when suddenly the mother of his friend dies (very dramatically). An inquest begins and Hastings calls on his Belgian friend Poirot who happens to be in town to come and investigate. Poirot looks into every possibility (even though her children and the other members in the household all point their fingers at her new husband, which nobody seems to like.) Poirot flies from one thing to the next and Hastings has trouble keeping up with him. In true murder mystery fashion the murderer was found out at the very end of the book (although there were points where I though the killer had been caught).I loved this book from beginning to end and found it delightfully entertaining. Not only that but I didn’t even try to guess the outcome. (Most of the time I can usually see how a book is going to end and this time I was right on some accounts, but there were some surprises.)Now that I have finished the first in Christie’s series involving Hercule Poirot I need to find the next one. It was too engaging not to find what other mysteries Poirot will uncover next.
    • 2/5
      I liked the book, but I made a serious mistake when I first approached it: I underestimated Agatha Christie. The last time I read Agatha Christie was in high school (The ABC Murders and Murder on the Orient Express) and now I had thought her dated and perhaps even less-than- sophisticated! I was struck by the density of the cast list, the plot, the motives and the subterfuges. I anticipate returning to this book again and being able to appreciate it more with each re-reading or re-telling.

      As much as I love Nadia May, she was miscast for this book. The narrator is a 45 year-old male Captain coming in from the Front. Despite Nadia May's versatility, there was no way to ignore that she wasn't a 45 year-old male Captain coming in from the Front! There is a scene early on wherein Captain Hastings looks out the window to see Lawrence Cavendish walking with Cynthia Murdoch. In my mind's eye, I saw Miss Marple peering out the window! Later, as Captain Hastings expresses his crush on Mary Cavendish or even later, proposes to Cynthia Murdoch, it took me aback.

      Redacted from the original blog review at dog eared copy, Hercule Poirot Mysteries (1-4): Mini Op-Ed Reviews, 10/10/2011 and; The Msyterious Affair at Styles, 10/14/2011
    • 3/5
      This is the first of the famed Agatha Christie's book written in 1920. It takes place during The Great War and Hastings the narrator has just been invalided out as he called it. He goes to stay with a friend at a old estate known as Styles. It is here that Hastings first takes on his role as the famed ex- Belgian policeman Hercule Poirot's Watson.

      After Hastings spent a few weeks the estate the matriarch of the Cavendish family succumbs to poisoning. Fortunately Poirot is living near the estate as part of an exiled group of Belgians that had been aided by the murder victim and he begins to become the caricature he later exemplifies. A mustache twirling, little grey cell using Sherlock.

      The tale twists and flips with Poirot putting the small puzzle pieces together all the while a Perry Mason style court case has already begun. It is an illustrious beginning to a long career until his final adventure written in 1975 named CURTAIN
    • 3/5
      I was occasionally impatient with the silliness of the narrator, but it kept me awake on a long drive home without a lot of boredom.
    • 5/5
      After finishing all the Nancy Drew books at my library, I moved up to Agatha Christie, and I loved them. I hadn't read one since I was a preteen, but I'm glad I did. It was a nice, quick read that made me want to keep going. As others said, Agatha Christie continually leads you astray, and you're never quite sure who's guilty. It certainly keeps you interested.
    • 4/5
      This is the first Agatha Christie book I've read and what better place to start than her first published book and the first Hercule Poirot book.

      I never knew what to expect from her books but I've been pleasantly surprised. Many would say that the writing style is very old fashioned but what is one to expect from a novel that is almost 100 years old.

      This is an easy read, told in the first person from the point of view of Hastings and is a nice introduction to the author and characters.
    • 3/5
      After hearing so much about how great Agatha Christie's mysteries were, I decided to read a recommended book, "The Mysterious Affair at Styles".This story is told in first person narrative by Mr. Hastings, who is visiting an old friend at the estate of Styles, Mr. John Cavendish. John's step-mother, Mistress Emily Cavendish, has recently married a man who seems to only want her for her money. Early on in the story, Mrs. Cavendish dies of apparent strychnine poisoning, and the entire family is suspect.I suppose if I'd read this as my first ever mystery, without running into the "family in the drawing room as the murderer is exposed" cliche, I would have enjoyed it more. It was mildly diverting and amusing, but I doubt I'll reread it.