The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Dover Mystery Classics) - Softcover

Christie, Agatha

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486296954 ISBN 13: 9780486296951

Publisher: Dover Publications, 1997

Synopsis

When an aging heiress is found fatally poisoned, the amazing Hercule Poirot, brilliant Belgian criminal investigator, is brought out of retirement to solve the case.
In this classic tale of murder, jealousy, and greed, Agatha Christie introduced the famed sleuth, who is immediately confronted by mysteries within a mystery: a door bolted from the inside of the victim’s room; the disappearance of a coffee cup believed to have held the poison; the charred remains of a will, a strange fragment of fabric, and a curious rug stain found near the body.
All are puzzling pieces of evidence in a crime for which there is no shortage of suspects, not the least of which are the victim’s philandering husband, an assortment of unhappy relatives, and an extremely outspoken hired companion.
A perennial favorite with mystery fans since it was first published in 1921, this entertaining and tautly constructed murder mystery easily placed its author among the most accomplished and entertaining writers in the genre.

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: Dover Publications
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0486296954
• ISBN 13: 9780486296951
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160