The Mysterious Affair at Styles: A Detective Story - Hardcover

Christie, Agatha

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007265131 ISBN 13: 9780007265138

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2007

Synopsis

With impeccable timing Hercule Poirot, the renowned Belgian detective, makes his dramatic entrance on to the English crime stage. Recently, there had been some strange goings on at Styles St Mary. Evelyn, constant companion to old Mrs Inglethorp, had stormed out of the house muttering something about 'a lot of sharks'. And with her, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere. Her presence had spelt security; now the air seemed rife with suspicion and impending evil.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Here is the famous first case that launched the legendary career of Hercule Poirot and his ingenious creator Agatha Christie, now the most popular mystery writer of all time, as well as the world's best-selling author (over two billion copies of her books are in print). With The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Agatha Christie's cerebral and eccentric Belgian detective steps out of retirement and into the limelight of a classic mystery.

Styles Court is a magnificent English manor house owned by a rich, strong-willed matron who, to the dismay of her stepson, has recently married a fortune hunter. The scene is set for death by violence. The murder of the mistress of Styles Court is so baffling, so cleverly-plotted, that it challenges even the skill of Hercule Poirot, notwithstanding the legions of tiny gray cells that take residence in his ever-so-fertile mind.

From the Inside Flap:

Who poisoned the wealthy Emily Inglethorpe, and how did the murderer penetrate and escape from her locked bedroom? Sus-pects abound in the quaint village of Styles St. Mary--from the heiress's fawning new husband to her two stepsons, her volatile housekeeper, and a pretty nurse who works in a hospital dispensary. Making his unforgettable debut, the brilliant Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is on the case.
"The key to the success of this style of detective novel," writes Elizabeth George in her Introduction, "lies in how the author deals with both the clues and the red herrings, and it has to be said that no one bettered Agatha Christie at this game."

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0007265131
• ISBN 13: 9780007265138
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 296