the mysterious affair at styles goodreads

But if you need to start at the beginning, go with this one to see what an author’s first book looks like. If you like a Belgian male detective, flip a coin and pick between Murder on the Orient Express or The Mysterious Affair at Styles.

So… if you need a Christie stand-alone book, go to “And Then There Were None.” If you like female investigators, choose a Miss Marple. :}īut it’s really the slow build-up of the clues that will have your mind working overtime. It takes place in the UK… the best place to visit and perhaps live. It’s the ultimate tale – a family with secrets. It’s a prime example of why her stories work. And I’m certain Columbo was based on large part by Christie’s Poirot. Columbo is the best comparison I can come up with. He will make you angry while you are laughing. With this first book, you meet Hercule Poirot, one of her two popular detectives. But at the last minute, you get the unexpected twist.ģ. It’s simple evolution of a timeline, collections of clues, conversations with people… and then you start to see the puzzle come together. She didn’t try to end each chapter with a big WOW and heart-wrenching scare tactic. Christie was all about the calm approach to solving a murder.

And even with modern writers, it’s often in a suspense and thriller type of novel, where it’s all about the chase. Who else can create such a puzzle that you are constantly trying to guess what’s going on? True, tons of writers today, but not 100 years ago. People don’t love Christie for her beautiful language or her great ideas… yeah, she had some of those… but it’s her plots and characters that stand out. And though some of the language is a little different, and it takes place with a different cultural atmosphere, the crux of the story - its plot, is appropriate at any point in time. This was one of her first books, and I believe the first published one, in 1920, which means she was probably writing it exactly 100 years ago. What I’d really try to get across is why you need to read ANY of her works, and then why I’d suggest this one:ġ. There are tons of reviews of all her major works, and I don’t need to be repetitive in my review. (2) Since I was born just about a year later, I’m wondering if maybe a small part of her lives on… as I love her genius and her works of literature… and I can re-read her books over and over again without ever getting bored. Two things come to mind… (1) It’s a good thing I wasn’t alive when she died because I would have been so miserable to be around. Agatha Christie died in 1976, and I was born the following year. If you’ve read my reviews before, you know I love mystery fiction, and in particular, the classics. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

The mysterious affair at styles goodreads