Mysterious Affair At Styles

The intense interest aroused in the public by what was known at the time as "The Styles Case" has now somewhat subsided. Nevertheless, in view of the world-wide notoriety which attended it, I have been asked, both by my friend Poirot and the family themselves, to write an account of the whole story. This, we trust, will effectually silence the sensational rumours which still persist.

Thoughts

I got this from the Gutenberg Project, and thought it would be a good idea to read it before I watched the Doctor Who episode which featured Agatha Christie, just to get myself into the Mystery mode. I think I may have read or watched too many mysteries; many of the red herrings seemed pretty obvious; except I must admit, the actual identity of the murderer took me by surprise.

I kept on thinking how alike the Doctor and Poirot were in some ways; especially at the times when Poirot was being less than forthcoming.

Considering when it was written and set, it's no surprise that the style comes across as old-fashioned and stilted. Ah, but Hastings is so amusing when he gets things wrong. Particularly when he doesn't realize his intelligence is being insulted. He sort of reminds me of Harry Sullivan.