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The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Updated: Jul 6, 2024

BY AGATHA CHRISTIE

I enjoyed the Mysterious Affair at Styles. The only other Agatha Christie book I had read before this was Murder on the Orient Express. I’m inspired by Agatha’s skills to mislead the reader. You always think you know who did it until the end, and you’re once again blown away. This first edition of the Poirot series was a beautiful introduction. The author’s writing from Captain Hastings’ point of view gives us a great window through which to see our friend Poirot from the outside. I enjoy sharing confused thoughts of Hastings when Poirot is being vague and won’t share his leads. Then, when Poirot finally gives his big speech, it’s exhilarating!


I happened to write this review and the next (Murder on the Links) a few weeks after reading the books because it just worked out, so I began my blog shortly after I began my stroll with Poirot. Right now, I’m reading the Murder of Roger Ackroyd (which will have its own review, so I won’t write about it here). I only mention it because, yet again, I’m pulled into the false lull that I can think like Poirot and am collecting all the little signs that could put the puzzle together, yet at the same time, I know better than that … Agatha would never make it that easy! I love her writing because it ALWAYS always always, without fail, without exaggeration, surprises you.


The Mysterious Affair at Styles is a great book. I liked how the author clearly showed us who the murderer was from the beginning - Alfred Inglethorp. Yet the evidence against him proved that it couldn’t have been him, so the investigator was led elsewhere to look for clues. But Poirot wasn’t fooled by this! He noted how good of a job someone did to try to frame Alfred … which turned out to be Alfred trying to frame himself! Why? Because of one detail, one magnificent detail that was miraculous but earned this book four stars instead of five in my personal journal - British law. Specifically, one law (that I assume is no longer active) stated that if someone is accused and found innocent, they cannot be tried again for the same crime. Therefore, Alfred and his companion, whom I’ll talk about later, fabricated the clues that someone was trying to frame Alfred! To get him accused on trial - but he had a solid (manufactured) alibi! So they would let him go, and even if they found out it was him later, he couldn’t be tried again for that same crime! Genius, honestly. The only thing I disliked about it was that the entire murder rested on that alone. It was a great plan on Alfred and Evie’s part, and I loved everything else about the story, but for some reason, that small fact that ways so heavily on the whole plan bugs me. Not in the way that I wouldn’t reread it; I would! I don’t know how to explain my feelings about that one fact any better … do you have any feelings about it?


Finding out about Evie was WILD. I didn’t even remember that she had mentioned that Alfred was her distant cousin early on! Then, they discovered that they were lovers (which probably wasn’t that weird back then) and concocted this intricate plan to get their hands on Mrs. Inglethorp’s fortune for themselves. Wow. Evie played her part so well, perhaps even a little too well. Pretending to despise Alfred, hate him, walking out on her job at the Styles Court because she loathed that Mrs. Ingelthorp married such a scamming liar (how did that work? Didn’t she warn Mrs. Inglethorp about him constantly? Was it reverse psychology?). Evie even refused to be in the same room as him. What a mystery when the author wrote that Mrs. Inglethorp shouted out “Alfred!” as her last words in panic, and no one knew whether it was damming or loving …


I’m so inspired by Agatha Christie’s writings in a different way than my favourite authors of Greek myth adaptations—I could never see myself writing murder mysteries. The relationship she perfected with the reader and her ability to mislead them are among the best skills I’ve ever seen. No wonder she’s the Queen of Mystery.




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