The Mysterious Affair At Styles And The Secret Adversary (Complete Mystery Novel Collection Of Agatha Christie Vol. 1) (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
This is an old favorite that never disappoints. I have found that Agatha Christie's plots are so complicated and the clues so complex that I have a hard time remembering who actually was guilty. I can read most of her books every 10 years or so and enjoy them all over again. Of course, there are a few that are so perfect that I could never forget the criminal. This includes The Murder of Roger Ackroyd , Murder on the Orient Express , and And Then There Were None. This book introduces Hercule Poirot to her readers. His character is so carefully delineated that it is hard to believe that he doesn't actually exist. This is especially true once David Suchet was cast to portray the little Belgian. While many of her characters are not as well drawn, her stars certainly are. To me Christie sets a standard in mystery writing by which others are judged. Her plots are complex, but all the clues are there to figure out who the murderer is if you can weed out the red herrings. She also explains all the clues which point to someone else. I've read too many mysteries where the reader is faced with red herrings which are never explained. I want to know that I could have solved the mystery if I had paid attention (or was smart enough!) If you have a person standing over the sleeping and now dead victim with a knife in his hand dripping blood and he doesn't turn out to be the murderer, you need to explain what he was doing there.
This collection was close to perfect. Christie was one of the inventors of the genre, and she does not disappoint. Her plots are always clever and I love her use of language, although no one speaks that well anymore. The stories were really enjoyable. She creates mental puzzles for the reader to solve by using their "little grey cells" - an Hercule Poirot quote. The fun was in trying to figure out what Poirot already knew and the teller, Captain Hastings, was trying to figure out. Most were short stories, so they were easy to finish if you didn't have much time available. The only caveat is that she reflects the easy, casual, unconscious racism of the time, showing up in this collection in one story in regard to Asians. I enjoyed meeting Tommy and Tuppance in their first appearance, and enjoyed the Poirot stories. If you're a fan of mystery novels, then you need to read Christie as she was the one who taught all the others how to do it.
What do You think about The Mysterious Affair At Styles And The Secret Adversary (Complete Mystery Novel Collection Of Agatha Christie Vol. 1) (2011)?
1920 《斯泰尔斯庄园奇案》 The Mysterious Affair at Styles 1923《高尔夫球场命案》 Murder on the Links1926《罗杰疑案》 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd1927《四魔头》The Big Four1928《蓝色列车之谜》/《蓝色特快上的秘密》The Mystery of the Blue Train1932《悬崖山庄奇案》 Peril at End House1933《人性记录》/《埃奇威尔爵士之死》/《不祥的宴会》 Lord Edgware Dies / Thirteen at Dinner （1934《东方快车谋杀案》Murder on the Orient Express / Murder in the Calais Coach1935 《三幕悲剧》 Three-Act Tragedy / Murder in Three Acts1935《云中命案》/《云中奇案》 Death in the Clouds / Death in the Air 1936《ABC谋杀案》 The ABC Murder
—Tenderthebone
Just received a Nook Tablet for Christmas and this was the first book I purchased! I read all the Agatha Christie books my teesy local library had when I was in high school, so I am definitely a fan of her work. This volume contains 25 of Christies early stories. The first 2 are novel length--our introductions to Hercule Poirot and Tommy & Tuppence--and the remaining titles are a collection of short stories. It was a delightful group of little mysteries...I can't wait for the other volumes to come out!
—Kacey Kendrick Wagner
