Mystery Review: The Mysterious Affair at Styles was the first book by Agatha Christie (1890-1976) and also the debut novel of Hercule Poirot, perhaps literature's second most famous detective. In this origin story the often obtuse and overly sensitive Arthur Hastings fills the Watson role to Poirot's Holmes, and is both admirable and annoying. The mystery and concluding wrap-up are over-complicated, but well done especially for a first novel. Christie had the magic right from the start: baffling red herrings, suspension of disbelief, and vivid characters. Her characters are not deep or especially well-rounded, but they're engaging because they are believable and recognizable as drawn from life, even if not complex. The recent Great War is pervasive in The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Poirot is a Belgian refugee quartered in the English countryside), as it should be. What shouldn't be is the periodic casual bigotry and antisemitism. A quick and generally enjoyable read, this was my first Poirot so I don't know how it will rank among his 33 full-length appearances, but The Mysterious Affair at Styles is an excellent and worthy beginning. [3½★]
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