Skip to Main Content (Press Enter) Toggle side nav

The Mysterious Affair at Styles

The First Hercule Poirot Mystery

A Detective Story

The First Hercule Poirot Mystery

A Detective Story

By Agatha Christie

By Agatha Christie

By Agatha Christie

By Agatha Christie

By Agatha Christie

By Agatha Christie

By Agatha Christie
Introduction by Elizabeth George

By Agatha Christie
Introduction by Elizabeth George

Best Seller

Part of Hercule Poirot Mystery

Part of Hercule Poirot Mystery

Part of Modern Library Classics

Paperback $10.00

Apr 30, 2019 | ISBN 9780525565109

Paperback $16.00

Feb 13, 2007 | ISBN 9780812977202

Ebook $7.99

May 07, 2019 | ISBN 9781984899828

Ebook $2.99

Dec 09, 2003 | ISBN 9781588363947

All Formats
+
    The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
    Paperback $10.00
    Apr 30, 2019 | ISBN 9780525565109

    Buy from Other Retailers:

    See All Formats (3) +

    Paperback (2)
    –

    • Paperback $10.00

      Apr 30, 2019 | ISBN 9780525565109

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Paperback $16.00

      Feb 13, 2007 | ISBN 9780812977202

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Ebook (2)
    +

    • Ebook

      May 07, 2019 | ISBN 9781984899828

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    • Ebook

      Dec 09, 2003 | ISBN 9781588363947

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Buy the Ebook:

    About The Mysterious Affair at Styles

    Agatha Christie’s debut novel was the first to feature Hercule Poirot, her famously eccentric Belgian detective.

    A refugee of the Great War, Poirot is settling in England near Styles Court, the country estate of his wealthy benefactress, the elderly Emily Inglethorp. When Emily is poisoned and the authorities are baffled, Poirot puts his prodigious sleuthing skills to work.

    Suspects are plentiful, including the victim’s much younger husband, her resentful stepsons, her longtime hired companion, a young family friend working as a nurse, and a London specialist on poisons who just happens to be visiting the nearby village. All of them have secrets they are desperate to keep, but none can outwit Poirot as he navigates the ingenious red herrings and plot twists that earned Agatha Christie her well-deserved reputation as the queen of mystery.

    About The Mysterious Affair at Styles

    In this mesmerizing classic of detective fiction by world-renowned mystery author Agatha Christie, the brilliant Belgian detective Hercule Poirot makes his unforgettable–and legendary–debut.

    Who poisoned the wealthy Emily Inglethorpe, and how did the murderer penetrate and escape from her locked bedroom? Suspects abound in the quaint village of Styles St. Mary, just outside Essex. Among those basking in the shadow of doubt are the heiress’s fawning new husband, her two aimless stepsons, her volatile housekeeper, and a pretty nurse who works in a hospital dispensary. And though the identity of the culprit will prove as shocking as the crime, nothing gets past the calm logic and cool head of Hercule Poirot.

    “The key to the success of this style of detective novel 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.”
    –Elizabeth George

    “Future scholars of the simon-pure detective novel will hold that its greatest practitioner . . . has been Agatha Christie.”
    –The New York Times Book Review

    About The Mysterious Affair at Styles

    Agatha Christie’s debut novel was the first to feature Hercule Poirot, her famously eccentric Belgian detective.

    A refugee of the Great War, Poirot is settling in England near Styles Court, the country estate of his wealthy benefactress, the elderly Emily Inglethorp. When Emily is poisoned and the authorities are baffled, Poirot puts his prodigious sleuthing skills to work.

    Suspects are plentiful, including the victim’s much younger husband, her resentful stepsons, her longtime hired companion, a young family friend working as a nurse, and a London specialist on poisons who just happens to be visiting the nearby village. All of them have secrets they are desperate to keep, but none can outwit Poirot as he navigates the ingenious red herrings and plot twists that earned Agatha Christie her well-deserved reputation as the queen of mystery.

    About The Mysterious Affair at Styles

    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.”

    Read An Excerpt

    Reading Guide

    Read An Excerpt

    Reading Guide

    Read An Excerpt

    Reading Guide

    Read An Excerpt

    Reading Guide

    Also by Agatha Christie

    The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
    The Man in the Brown Suit
    The Secret Adversary
    The Murder on the Links
    See all books by Agatha Christie

    Also by Agatha Christie

    The Big Four
    The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
    Poirot Investigates
    The Man in the Brown Suit
    The Secret Adversary
    See all books by Agatha Christie

    Also by Agatha Christie

    The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
    The Man in the Brown Suit
    The Secret Adversary
    The Murder on the Links
    See all books by Agatha Christie

    Also by Agatha Christie

    The Big Four
    The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
    Poirot Investigates
    The Man in the Brown Suit
    The Secret Adversary
    See all books by Agatha Christie

    About Agatha Christie

    Agatha Christie is the world’s best-known mystery writer. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language, and another billion in 44 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time in any language,… More about Agatha Christie

    About Agatha Christie

    Agatha Christie is the world’s best-known mystery writer. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language, and another billion in 44 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time in any language,… More about Agatha Christie

    About Agatha Christie

    Agatha Christie is the world’s best-known mystery writer. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language, and another billion in 44 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time in any language,… More about Agatha Christie

    About Agatha Christie

    Agatha Christie is the world’s best-known mystery writer. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language, and another billion in 44 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time in any language,… More about Agatha Christie

    Product Details

    Category: Mystery & Suspense

    Paperback | $10.00
    Published by Vintage
    Apr 30, 2019 | 224 Pages | 5-3/16 x 8 | ISBN 9780525565109

    Category: Crime Mysteries | Suspense & Thriller

    Paperback | $16.00
    Published by Random House Trade Paperbacks
    Feb 13, 2007 | 224 Pages | 5-3/16 x 8 | ISBN 9780812977202

    Category: Mystery & Suspense

    Ebook | $7.99
    Published by Vintage
    May 07, 2019 | 224 Pages | ISBN 9781984899828

    Category: Fiction Classics | Crime Mysteries | Suspense & Thriller

    Ebook | $2.99
    Published by Modern Library
    Dec 09, 2003 | 240 Pages | ISBN 9781588363947

    Praise

    “Christie’s books are so much more than great puzzles. Each of her novels demonstrates a profound understanding of people–how they think, feel and behave–all delivered in her crisp, elegant, addictively readable style.” —The Guardian  

    “Agatha Christie created the modern murder mystery.” —The New Yorker

    “Christie wrote brilliantly compact, stylized and efficient mysteries. . . . The genre in its lean classic English form fit her like a cat burglar’s thin black glove.” —John Updike

    Looking for More Great Reads?
    21 Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read
    Get the latest updates from Agatha Christie
    And go from well-read to best read with book recs, deals and more in your inbox every week.
    And go from well-read to best read with book recs, deals and more in your inbox every week.
    By clicking SIGN UP, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
    Dismiss
    Thanks!
    Something awesome is on its way.
    Back to Top

    Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network

    Raise kids who love to read

    Brightly

    Raise kids who love to read
    Today's Top Books

    Today's Top Books

    Want to know what people are actually reading right now?
    An online magazine for today’s home cook

    TASTE

    An online magazine for today’s home cook