The Mysterious Affair at Styles was Agatha Christie’s first book.   She wrote in on a dare in 1916 and tried to get it published, unsuccessfully until 1919.   It was then releases in serial format with 18 parts.   It was not published as a full book until 1920.   In the book we are first introduced to Hastings, the narrator of the story and to the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.   Agatha Christie went on to write 33 Poirot books, and many other mystery books for a total of 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections.     She became the best-selling author of all time.

Although her writing and her plots improved over time, the first story reads as if it was written by a well-established author.    Over time, the Poirot character becomes more nuanced,  and in time the many movie and TV adaptations have added a character who is well-known to us, even after 100 years.   Agatha Christie has been the most influential writer for the novelists to follow in the mystery genre.   Her first book set a high standard and established its own sub-genre – the cozy mystery.     Poirot attempts to solve a murder in a country manner where the number of suspects is small, and the clues are elusive.   As readers we try to guess the murderer and how it was done.    I confess that I guessed right this time, but I had the advantage of having read quite a few Poirot novels over the years.    I enjoyed this one too and recommend it.  4.3 out of 5.0 stars4.3