The Mysterious Affair at Styles facts for kids
Dustjacket illustration of the first edition in both the UK and the US
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| Author | Agatha Christie |
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| Cover artist | Alfred James Dewey |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Crime novel |
| Publisher | John Lane |
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Publication date
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October 1920 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 296 (first edition, hardback) |
| Followed by | The Secret Adversary |
| Text | The Mysterious Affair at Styles at Wikisource |
The Mysterious Affair at Styles is the very first detective novel written by the famous British author Agatha Christie. This book also introduces her most well-known detective, Hercule Poirot. Christie wrote the story in 1916, during the First World War. It was first released in the United States in October 1920 and then in the United Kingdom in January 1921.
The story brings us three important characters: Hercule Poirot, Inspector Japp, and Arthur Hastings. Poirot is a Belgian refugee from the war who has settled in England. He lives near the home of Emily Inglethorp, who helped him start his new life. His friend, Hastings, comes to stay as a guest at Mrs. Inglethorp's house. When Mrs. Inglethorp is mysteriously murdered, Poirot uses his amazing detective skills to solve the crime.
The book includes helpful maps of the house and the murder scene. It also has a drawing of a piece of a will. The story first appeared as a weekly series in The Times newspaper. It was one of the first ten books published by Penguin Books when they started in 1935.
Styles was very popular with reviewers when it first came out. People liked the clever plot and how the story felt real. It was seen as a story that marked the end of an era. The plot was tricky, with many clues that sometimes seemed to cancel each other out. However, this was a challenge that Agatha Christie would later master in her writing.
This novel set the stage for many things that became famous in detective stories. It takes place in a large, isolated country house. There are several suspects, and most of them are hiding secrets. The plot is full of red herrings, which are clues meant to mislead, and surprising twists.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles started Agatha Christie's amazing writing career. Christie and her husband even named their own house "Styles" after the book. Hercule Poirot became one of the most famous characters in all of fiction. Many years later, Christie wrote Poirot's final case, Curtain, and set it right back at Styles.
How the Story Was Written
Agatha Christie started writing The Mysterious Affair at Styles in 1916. She wrote most of it while staying in Dartmoor. The idea for Hercule Poirot came from her time working as a nurse during the First World War. She met many Belgian soldiers and refugees who were living in Torquay, and they inspired her character.
Christie first sent her story to a few publishers, but they said no. Then, she sent it to The Bodley Head. After several months, the founder, John Lane, agreed to publish it. He asked Christie to make a small change to the ending. She changed the scene where Poirot reveals the killer from a courtroom to the Styles library. Some newer versions of the book even include the original courtroom ending as an extra part. Christie later said that the contract she signed with Lane was not very fair to her.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published in the United States in October 1920. It was then published in the United Kingdom in January 1921.
The Mystery Unfolds
During the First World War, Arthur Hastings is on leave from the war because he is sick. His old friend, John Cavendish, invites him to stay at Styles Court in Essex.
On the morning of July 18, everyone at Styles Court wakes up to a shocking discovery. Emily Inglethorp, the rich and elderly owner of the house, has died. She was poisoned with strychnine. Hastings quickly goes to the nearby village to get help from his friend, Hercule Poirot.
Emily's household includes her new husband, Alfred Inglethorp, who is much younger than her. There are also her stepsons, John and Lawrence Cavendish, from her first husband's previous marriage. John's wife, Mary Cavendish, is also there. Cynthia Murdoch, a young orphan and daughter of a family friend, lives with them. Finally, Evelyn Howard, Emily's companion, is also part of the household.
Poirot learns that John is supposed to inherit the Styles Court property when Emily dies. This is according to his father's will. However, Emily's money will be given out based on her own will. She changes her will almost every year. Her most recent will gives all her money to Alfred, her new husband.
On the day of the murder, Emily had a big argument with someone. People think it was either Alfred or John. After the argument, she seemed very upset. She supposedly made a new will, but no one can find it. Alfred left the house early that evening and stayed in the village. Emily ate very little dinner and went to her room early. She took her document case with her. When her body was found, the case had been forced open. No one can figure out how or when the poison was given to her.
Inspector Japp, the police officer in charge, thinks Alfred is the main suspect. Alfred gains the most money from his wife's death. Poirot notices that Alfred acts suspiciously during the investigation. He refuses to say where he was at the time of the murder. He also denies buying the poison in the village, even though there is proof he did. Japp wants to arrest Alfred, but Poirot steps in. He proves that Alfred could not have bought the poison because the signature for the purchase is not his.
Now, suspicion falls on John, who would be next to gain from Emily's will. He also doesn't have an alibi. Japp soon arrests him. The signature for the poison is in John's handwriting. A small bottle that held the poison is found in his room. A fake beard and glasses, just like Alfred's, are also found in the house.
Poirot's investigations show that John is innocent. He discovers that Alfred Inglethorp committed the murder, with help from his cousin, Evelyn Howard. The two pretended to dislike each other, but they were secretly in love. They put a chemical called bromide into Emily's regular evening medicine. They got this from her sleeping powder. This made the final dose of her medicine deadly.
The pair then left fake evidence to make Alfred look guilty. They knew this evidence would be proven false at his trial. Once he was found not guilty, he could not be tried for the same crime again. This is because of a law called double jeopardy. The pair framed John as part of their plan. Evelyn copied John's handwriting, and the evidence against him was made up.
Poirot explains that he stopped Japp from arresting Alfred because Alfred actually wanted to be arrested. Thanks to a small comment from Hastings, Poirot finds a letter in Emily's room. This letter explained Alfred's plans for Evelyn. Emily was upset on the day of the murder because she found this letter in Alfred's desk while looking for stamps. Alfred forced open Emily's document case when he realized she had the letter. He then hid the letter somewhere else in the room so it wouldn't be found with him.
Meet the Characters
- Hercule Poirot – A famous Belgian private detective. He lives in England after being forced to leave his home country during the war. His old friend Hastings asks him to investigate the murder.
- Hastings – Poirot's friend and the person telling the story. He is staying at Styles Court while recovering from an illness he got during the war.
- Inspector Japp – A detective from Scotland Yard. He is the police officer investigating the case. He knows Poirot from before the story begins.
- Emily Inglethorp – A very rich old woman. She is married to Alfred Inglethorp. She inherited her money and Styles Court from her first husband. She is the victim in the story.
- Alfred Inglethorp – Emily's second husband. He is 20 years younger than her. Her family thinks he only married her for her money.
- John Cavendish – Emily's older stepson. He is Lawrence's brother. John used to be a lawyer and has known Hastings for many years. He is the one who invites Hastings to Styles. He is having some problems in his marriage to Mary.
- Mary Cavendish – John's wife. She is also a friend of Dr. Bauerstein.
- Lawrence Cavendish – Emily's younger stepson and John's brother. He studied medicine and became a doctor.
- Evelyn Howard – Emily's companion. She is also a distant cousin of Alfred Inglethorp, but she seems to dislike him very much.
- Cynthia Murdoch – The daughter of a friend of the family who has passed away. She is an orphan. She works at a hospital nearby during the war.
- Dr Bauerstein – A well-known expert on poisons. He lives close to Styles.
- Dorcas – A maid who works at Styles. She is very loyal to Mrs. Inglethorp.
A Special Dedication
The book is dedicated "To my Mother".
Agatha Christie's mother, Clarissa Miller, was a very important person in her life. Christie was very close to her, especially after her father died in 1901. Around 1908, when Christie was sick, her mother suggested she try writing a story. This led to her first attempt at writing, called The House of Beauty. Christie later rewrote this story as The House of Dreams.
Christie also dedicated her first novel written under the name Mary Westmacott, Giant's Bread (1930), to her mother.
Bringing the Story to Life
Television Shows
British TV Version
The Mysterious Affair at Styles was made into an episode for the TV series Agatha Christie's Poirot. This episode aired on September 16, 1990. It was made by ITV to celebrate 100 years since Agatha Christie's birth. The show starred David Suchet as Hercule Poirot, Hugh Fraser as Lieutenant Arthur Hastings, and Philip Jackson as Inspector James Japp. It was filmed at Chavenage House in England. This TV version was mostly true to Christie's book. However, it added more scenes about how Poirot was introduced. For example, it showed Poirot interrupting a military exercise.
Latvian TV Series
The novel was also made into a TV mini-series in Latvia, called "Slepkavība Stailzā" (Murder at Styles). It was shown over three nights in 1990. This longer series included many details from the book that other shorter versions left out. It was very faithful to the original story. One small difference was that the police hearing was left out. Instead, there were more scenes of Japp and Summerhaye searching for clues at Styles Court. Also, the ending followed Christie's original, unpublished version, where Poirot reveals the killer in a courtroom.
French TV Episode
The story was adapted for an episode of Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie in 2016. In this version, Samuel Labarthe plays Swan Laurence, who takes the place of Poirot. This version has many differences from the book. However, the main story is the same: a rich old woman is murdered by her husband and his business partner. These two people pretend to hate each other but are secretly lovers. Some parts from the book are kept, like a disguise used to buy the poison. Also, the husband tries to get himself arrested on purpose so he can prove he was somewhere else. In this adaptation, Styles Court is a beauty spa instead of a country house.
Radio Play
The novel was adapted for radio by Michael Bakewell in 2005. It was a five-part series for BBC Radio 4 as part of the Hercule Poirot radio series. John Moffatt played Poirot, and Simon Williams played Captain Hastings. Inspector Japp was played by Philip Jackson, who also played him in the British TV show. This radio version kept Hastings as the narrator.
Stage Plays
On February 14, 2012, the Great Lakes Theater in Cleveland, Ohio, put on a 65-minute stage version. This play was adapted by David Hansen. It was performed by five actors, with most of them playing more than one role.
On March 17, 2016, the Hedgerow Theatre company in Media, Pennsylvania, showed a new adaptation by Jared Reed. This play was mostly true to the novel, but the character of Inspector Japp was not included.
Book Release History
The Mysterious Affair at Styles was first published as a weekly series in The Times newspaper's Weekly Edition. This happened from February to June 1920. This version of the story was the same as the published book. It included the maps and handwriting examples that were in the novel. After the series finished, an advertisement in the newspaper announced that the book would be published soon.
The book was first published by John Lane in the United States in October 1920. It was then published in the UK by The Bodley Head the next year.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles also made publishing history. It was one of the first ten books published by Penguin Books when they started on July 30, 1935. It was Penguin Number 6.
The description on the dust jacket of the first edition said that Agatha Christie wrote this novel because of a bet. The bet was that she, having never written a book before, could write a detective novel where the reader couldn't guess the murderer. This was supposed to happen even if the reader had all the same clues as the detective. The description said that Christie definitely won her bet. It also mentioned that she introduced a new type of detective, a Belgian one.
Images for kids
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Dustjacket illustration of the first edition in both the UK and the US
