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Mrs. Packington felt alone, helpless, and utterly forlorn. But her life changed when she stumbled upon an advertisement in the Times that read: "Are you happy? If not, consult Mr. Parker Pyne." Equally adept at putting together the fragments of a murder mystery or the pieces of a broken marriage, Mr. Parker Pyne is possibly the world's most unconventional private investigator. Armed with just his intuitive knowledge of human nature, he is an Englishman abroad, traveling the globe to solve and undo crime and misdemeanor.
Emily Inglethorp has been poisoned. And it seems everyone at Styles Court, from the hired help to family members, had a motive - and the means. But with Detective Hercule Poirot out of retirement and on the case, no one's getting away with murder. The Mysterious Affair at Styles was not only Agatha Christie's debut; it also introduced her illustrious detective character to the world.
Every seven years, on the seventh day of the seventh month, strange things happen. It began when three young boys - Caleb, Fox, and Gage - went on a camping trip to the Pagan Stone. And 21 years later, it will end in a showdown between evil and the boys who have become men - and the women who love them.
Pretty, young Anne came to London looking for adventure. In fact, adventure comes looking for her - and finds her immediately at Hyde Park Corner tube station. Anne is present on the platform when a thin man, reeking of mothballs, loses his balance and is electrocuted on the rails. The Scotland Yard verdict is accidental death. But Anne is not satisfied. After all, who was the man in the brown suit who examined the body? And why did he race off, leaving a cryptic message behind?
The Leonides are one big happy family living in a sprawling, ramshackle mansion. That is until the head of the household, Aristide, is murdered with a fatal barbiturate injection. Suspicion naturally falls on the old man's young widow, fifty years his junior. But the murderer has reckoned without the tenacity of Charles Hayward, fiancé of the late millionaire's granddaughter.
In a remote house in the middle of Dartmoor, six shadowy figures huddle around a table for a seance. Tension rises as the spirits spell out a chilling message: "Captain Trevelyan...dead...murder." Is this black magic or simply a macabre joke? The only way to be certain is to locate Captain Trevelyan. Unfortunately, his home is six miles away and, with snowdrifts blocking the roads, someone will have to make the journey on foot....
Mrs. Packington felt alone, helpless, and utterly forlorn. But her life changed when she stumbled upon an advertisement in the Times that read: "Are you happy? If not, consult Mr. Parker Pyne." Equally adept at putting together the fragments of a murder mystery or the pieces of a broken marriage, Mr. Parker Pyne is possibly the world's most unconventional private investigator. Armed with just his intuitive knowledge of human nature, he is an Englishman abroad, traveling the globe to solve and undo crime and misdemeanor.
Emily Inglethorp has been poisoned. And it seems everyone at Styles Court, from the hired help to family members, had a motive - and the means. But with Detective Hercule Poirot out of retirement and on the case, no one's getting away with murder. The Mysterious Affair at Styles was not only Agatha Christie's debut; it also introduced her illustrious detective character to the world.
Every seven years, on the seventh day of the seventh month, strange things happen. It began when three young boys - Caleb, Fox, and Gage - went on a camping trip to the Pagan Stone. And 21 years later, it will end in a showdown between evil and the boys who have become men - and the women who love them.
Pretty, young Anne came to London looking for adventure. In fact, adventure comes looking for her - and finds her immediately at Hyde Park Corner tube station. Anne is present on the platform when a thin man, reeking of mothballs, loses his balance and is electrocuted on the rails. The Scotland Yard verdict is accidental death. But Anne is not satisfied. After all, who was the man in the brown suit who examined the body? And why did he race off, leaving a cryptic message behind?
The Leonides are one big happy family living in a sprawling, ramshackle mansion. That is until the head of the household, Aristide, is murdered with a fatal barbiturate injection. Suspicion naturally falls on the old man's young widow, fifty years his junior. But the murderer has reckoned without the tenacity of Charles Hayward, fiancé of the late millionaire's granddaughter.
In a remote house in the middle of Dartmoor, six shadowy figures huddle around a table for a seance. Tension rises as the spirits spell out a chilling message: "Captain Trevelyan...dead...murder." Is this black magic or simply a macabre joke? The only way to be certain is to locate Captain Trevelyan. Unfortunately, his home is six miles away and, with snowdrifts blocking the roads, someone will have to make the journey on foot....
The list made absolutely no sense at all. But, reasoned Poirot, if this was merely a petty thief at work, why was everyone at the hostel so frightened?
"Poirot's return to the happy hunting grounds of detective fiction is something of an event...The thumbnail sketches of the characters are as good as ever and in spite of the over-elaborate nature of the puzzle there is plenty of entertainment." (Times Lite)
What did you like best about this story?
I love that the indefectible Miss Lemon (Poirot's secretary) not only gets a backstory but finally makes a mistake. Of all the minor characters Agatha Christie weaves into her narratives (she's in most Poirot novels) Miss Lemon and her filing system has always appealed to me as the perfect match for Poirot's meticulous nature. Agatha Christie clearly had a ball destroying Poirot's calm and he sets out to solve a clever case of theft just to get his well-ordered domain back. But before long there's murder thrown into the mix...
What does Hugh Fraser bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Many Poirot fans will recognise Hugh Fraser's voice from some of the TV adaptations as Captain Hastings.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Any additional comments?
Agatha Christie was always an excellent writer and this book is good a story, and it is well read by "Captain Hastings", although his French-Belgian accent could be improved. However for me as a long standing Christie fan, these more recent books are definitely not as good as those set in earlier periods. I would think that as she got older and times and morés changed, Christie was less in touch with the era, and her characters and story don't have quite the same power as those set in the pre war period.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
The ever rffient miss Lemming makes 3 simple errors! Poitiers finds some sterling facts about her she has a sister who is having problem's the at a youth hostel she works at can Poirot help
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
As usual, great narration by Hugh Fraser. Poirot in his later years, a nice little plot with plenty of twists.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful