The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Agatha Christie

Title : The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Author: Agatha Christie

Genre:Crime, mystery

Format: Kindle

Excerpt:

I heard Mrs. Inglethorp call "Cynthia" impatiently, and the girl started and ran back to the house. At the same moment, a man stepped out from the shadow of a tree and walked slowly in the same direction. He looked about forty, very dark with a melancholy clean-shaven face. Some violent emotion seemed to be mastering him. He looked up at my window as he passed, and I recognized him, though he had changed much in the fifteen years that had elapsed since we last met. It was John's younger brother, Lawrence Cavendish. I wondered what it was that had brought that singular expression to his face.

Then I dismissed him from my mind, and returned to the contemplation of my own affairs.

The evening passed pleasantly enough; and I dreamed that night of that enigmatical woman, Mary Cavendish.

The next morning dawned bright and sunny, and I was full of the anticipation of a...

(From Goodreads.com)

My thoughts:

This is the very first Agatha Christie novel. I've seen most of the movies based on AC's books and read most of the books. All books that I've read were translated, this was the first one in original english language. English is not my first language and AC's style was a little bit difficult for me to understand. It took me more time to finish this book, but it was worth. 

Hercules Poirot is my favorite book character. Poison, mystery, murder, my gray cells were working :)) 

The whole story was narrated by Poirot's friend Hastings. Hastings was invited to spend sometime at the house of Styles, and in the same time the belgian detective visits the mistress of Styles, an old lady who helped many Belgians during the war. The old lady recently married a younger man and nobody is happy for that. When the mistress of Styles was found dead in her bed, poisoned, everyone assumed that her younger husband did it, because of her money. And then Poirot steps up on the scene. His gray cell work all the time. Was the old lady poisoned accidentally, or was it on purpose? Was the husband the culprit? Who did it? 

Christie's favorite review of this, her first book, was from the Pharmaceutical Journal, which praised, "this detective story for dealing with poisons in a knowledgeable way, and not with the nonsense about untraceable substances that so often happens. Miss Agatha Christie knows her job." It was adapted for television with David Suchet as Poirot in 1990.

Agatha Christie is my favorite crime writer. I always enjoy reading her books. That's why I recently joined "The Agatha Christie Book Club" co-hosted by book blogs "Books, Biscuits and Tea" and "Kindle and Me". This book is part of the reading for May.

My opinion: 4 /5