The Mysterious Affair at Styles isn’t just Agatha Christie’s first Poirot novel, it’s currently the only Poirot novel in the public domain. It was written on a bet that Christie couldn’t write a detective novel in which the reader couldn’t deduce the criminal. Her attempt laid the foundation for one of literature’s most famous detectives. In this novel we’re introduced to Poirot as he’s settling in to a new life in England. After a woman is murdered at the country estate he’s visiting, he has to use his detective skills to catch the criminal. The Mysterious Affair at Styles sets the stage for the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, and has everything you’d expect from a story rich in those classic detective fiction tropes.
Первое дело Пуаро, любопытно читать с точки зрения того, как всё начиналось для всеми любимого маленького бельгийца. Написано лёгким и приятным языком, Кристи очень хорошо владела словом, так что можно смело браться и на среднем уровне.
Потребовало намного большего языка, чем я ожидала, так что польза буквально академическая. Не считая того, что лезешь в словарь буквально в каждом предложении, читать легко и интересно.
Nevertheless, in view of the world-wide notoriety which attended it, I have been asked, both by my friend Poirot and the family themselves, to write an account of the whole story. This, we trust, will effectually silence the sensational rumours which still persist. I will therefore briefly set down the circumstances which led to my being connected with the affair.