Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - The Mysterious Affair at Styles

I'm only a casual fan of mysteries, but I like some of them, especially the vintage ones, like Nero Wolfe, so I decided it was about time I gave Poirot a chance. This was a bit disappointing, honestly. Neither Poirot nor Hastings is much of a character. Everyone else in the novel is even more of a sketch. (I don't really read for the puzzle aspect of mysteries, so I don't care whether I could have/should have solved it ahead of Poirot.) I blew through it quickly, so I might give Poirot another chance and see if this was just first-book issues.

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saliwali's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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mgbellm's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

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kers_tin's review against another edition

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mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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risemini's review against another edition

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funny mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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fraise's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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jhbandcats's review against another edition

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dark informative mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is Agatha Christie’s debut of M Hercule Poirot, the detective beloved by all her fans. As in all Poirot books, he sees things no one else does and puts together clues that are invisible or mean nothing to others. As with all Christie books, I’m always surprised at the revelation of the murderer(s).

I just finished a good book about poisons (A Taste for Poison) and Christie’s knowledge was mentioned several times. She trained in a dispensary during WWI and knew a great deal about poisons; she was especially gratified when a pharmacy journal cited her knowledge. That book mentioned her excellent description of death by strychnine in this mystery so I thought it’d be a good followup.

Christie introduces so many characters and creates such complex plots that I will always be in awe of her storytelling ability. I enjoyed reading this clever tale - Christie is always a good read.

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lqne's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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