The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
(Hercule Poirot, #1)
Genre: Mystery (Classic)
Format: ebook
Read: 8/11/2012 — 8/14/2012
In Six Words: Certainly not my last Christie book.
Links
Agatha Christie — Website
Amazon — Paperback | Kindle (free version)
Add it to Goodreads
Series Order on Goodreads
Synopsis
The famous case that launched the career of Hercule Poirot. When a wealthy heiress is murdered, Poirot steps out of retirement to find the killer. As the master detective makes his way through the list of suspects, he finds the solution in an elaborately planned scheme almost impossible to believe.
-from Goodreads
Why I Started Reading This Book and Final Verdict
I will admit: I am not on the up and up with classic mysteries. I don’t have anything against classic mysteries, mind you, I just have never sought them out. So when I saw The Mysterious Affair at Styles as a free Kindle download, I said, “Heck yes, let’s do this!” and downloaded it (on 8/6/2012). I’m relatively an easy sell on Kindle freebies. As for the book itself, while I don’t know that I will continue this series, I will definitely be seeking out another Agatha Christie mystery in the future.
My Thoughts
I think my main issue with this book–and a big reason why it was easy to put down–was that the detective in the case, Hercule Poirot, is not the narrator. In fact, we see him through Mr. Hastings’ eyes, and it’s not always a flattering light. I never mind not knowing everything the detective knows (so that the perpetrator is a surprise at the end of the book), but something about being so “distant” from the detective left me feeling quite disconnected from the entire mystery.
The way that Agatha Christie weaves her murder mystery, though, is fabulous. With more suspects than you can shake a stick at (sorry; that was terribly cliche of me, wasn’t it?), the suspect pool is ever changing with each new piece of information. I loved this aspect of the mystery. Just when you think you’ve got everything figured out, something happens that dashes all of your original assumptions and you’re left with wondering who could possibly have committed the murder. It’s not necessarily twisty and turny, but I think it’s more that Christie plays on your assumptions and manipulates them pretty thoroughly.
Overall, while I felt a slight disconnect from the book and characters, the mystery was good enough that I will seek out more Agatha Christie books in the future.
Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal August 20, 2012 at 1:09 am
I recommend Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple series. I love that old lady. She’s so sharp and everyone always underestimates her.
I’m glad you enjoyed the book. I know that Poirot can be a difficult guy to like but the mysteries are always top notch!
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 20, 2012 at 10:55 am
Yes, definitely. And with a lot of mysteries, the mystery is actually far more important than the characters. And any author that can make you enjoy the book (or mystery) despite the characters is a good one.
Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal August 20, 2012 at 4:45 pm
I can’t believe I said “top notch”. That makes me sound like I’m 105 and I’m asking the butler for some tea. *headdesk*
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 21, 2012 at 9:38 am
You’re just a top notch sort of gal.
Felicia August 20, 2012 at 7:02 am
She does have more suspects than any other author I have read but it doesn’t seem like overkill in her stories. I really ended up like the first in the Miss Marple series even though it started slow. She was a total hoot!
(I just wanted to say what a rocking job that you/Kelly did with BoutofBooks! I know you guys never get enough credit but you really do an amazing job!)
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 20, 2012 at 10:57 am
I feel like it’s a “suspect anyone and everyone” kind of thing, and I really did like it. It never seemed like overkill.
And thanks, Felicia!
Kristin @myparahangover August 20, 2012 at 7:21 am
I love cliches (nope, not hunting down my special keys, sorry!!!) – I’m going to use that “shaking stick” one sometime today!!
I think the book would have been ho-hum for me, too, b/c I always prefer first person. And after reading Felicia’s review of Miss Marple, she sounds like the way to go. You’ll just want to hunt down library downloads for the freebie aspect :D
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 20, 2012 at 11:01 am
This book was in 1st person, it was just narrated by someone other than the detective. Which was… odd for me.
Tea Time with Marce August 20, 2012 at 11:14 am
I have only read And Then There were None but it was amazing. My favourite classic is Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
I look forward to you guys week.
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 20, 2012 at 12:01 pm
Thanks for the recommendation, Marce!
Jenny August 20, 2012 at 1:17 pm
I’ve never read anything by Agatha Christie, I feel like she’s one of those authors I must read though, just to say I’ve read something of theirs:) I like that she makes it difficult to pinpoint the murderer though, and that she tosses up on suspect after another to keep you on your toes:)
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 20, 2012 at 1:20 pm
Yes, she kinda is. Especially if you’re a big mystery fan.
This one totally reminded me of the typical “everyone travels to an old, big house and someone gets murdered and everyone is a suspect” murder mysteries. Like Clue! It was fun.
Kristilyn (Reading in Winter) August 20, 2012 at 2:31 pm
I know I’m going to get things thrown at me for saying this, but I haven’t read ANY Agatha Christie. Ever. I do remember being vaguely interested in Ten Little Indians (is that one of hers?), but never did read it. I like mysteries, somewhat, but sometimes they’re a little too mysterious for me.
As for your narrator, I really don’t like books where the story is told about one character by another character — you never know if they’re reliable.
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 21, 2012 at 9:39 am
I won’t throw anything at you. This was my first Agatha Christie.
Ashley Montgomery August 20, 2012 at 2:52 pm
I read an Agatha Christie book as a kid one time. I didn’t really like it and was very confused. Now that I’m older, I’d probably attribute it to the fact that I was to young to understand.
Ashley @ Dr. Pepper Diva
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 21, 2012 at 9:39 am
That could certainly be it. There are a lot of things going on in these books.
SaraO@TheLibrarianReads August 20, 2012 at 3:00 pm
I’ve done And Then There Were None, and a bunch of the Hercule Poirot stories…but my absolute favorite is The Murder of Rodger Ackroid. Got to the end of the book – Saw who did it – Actually swore out-loud – Flipped to the beginning of the book and did a reread. By far the best.
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 21, 2012 at 9:40 am
Ha! I love those books that make you swear out loud when you learn who did it!
Brie @ Eat Books August 20, 2012 at 4:19 pm
I’ve only ever read And Then There Were None by Christie, and it’s so good! It’s one of the few books I’ve actually re-read and because she has so many suspects in it, I can never remember who the murderer actually is! (Or I just have a really bad memory!)
This review reminds me that I should definitely make an effort to read more of her stuff! :D
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 21, 2012 at 9:44 am
Meh. I have a tendency to forget who the murderer is, too, especially when I’ve read a lot of books in between.
Mary @ Book Swarm August 20, 2012 at 6:26 pm
I really like Agatha Christie’s mysteries but I like Miss Marple so much better than Poirot. She’s adorable and wicked smart.
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 21, 2012 at 9:44 am
That’s what I keep hearing! Miss Marple will definitely be next.
Ruby August 20, 2012 at 6:27 pm
The Mysterious Affair at Styles isn’t my favorite Agatha Christie, but if I remember correctly, a lot of the Hercule Poirot books are told from Hastings’ perspective. Later, I think she told some in the third person and some from the perspective of other characters. I listened to all the Agatha Christies on audio. They were awesome. Except for the ones narrated by David Suchet. I could kick that man.
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 21, 2012 at 9:45 am
Huh. Okay.
Amy @ bookgoonie August 20, 2012 at 6:28 pm
Agatha Christie for everyone. If it’s a book I can out down, it’s not going to standup. But yea for a freebie.
Amanda @ On a Book Bender August 21, 2012 at 9:45 am
Yes! Agatha Christie for EVERYONE! lol.