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1920 Poirot novel by Agatha Christie

The Mysterious Affair at Styles is the first detective novel by British writer Agatha Christie, introducing her fictional detective Hercule Poirot. It was written in the middle of the First World War, in 1916, and first published by John Lane in the United States in October 1920 and in the United Kingdom by The Bodley Head (John Lane's UK company) on 21 January 1921. Styles introduced Poirot, Inspector (later, Chief Inspector) Japp, and Arthur Hastings. Poirot, a Belgian refugee of the Great War, is settling in England near the home of Emily Inglethorp, who helped him to his new life. His friend Hastings arrives as a guest at her home. When Mrs Inglethorp is murdered, Poirot uses his detective skills to solve the mystery. The book includes maps of the house, the murder scene, and a drawing of a fragment of a will. The true first publication of the novel was as a weekly serial in The Times, including the maps of the house and other illustrations included in the book. This novel was one of the first ten books published by Penguin Books when it began in 1935. Styles was well received by reviewers in the UK and the US at initial publication. The Mysterious Affair at Styles launched Christie's writing career. Christie and her husband subsequently named their house "Styles". Hercule Poirot would go on to become one of the most famous characters in fiction. Decades later, when Christie told the story of Poirot's final case in Curtain, she set that novel at Styles.

Agatha Christie began working on The Mysterious Affair at Styles in 1916, writing most of it on Dartmoor. The character of Hercule Poirot was inspired by her experience working as a nurse, ministering to Belgian soldiers during the First World War, and by Belgian refugees who were living in Torquay. (Some modern editions of the published book also include an appendix with the original "unpublished" alternative ending set in the courtroom. It is very similar to the final version in content, with dialogue from other characters replaced by dialogue from the Judge and Sir Ernest Heavywether.) Christie later stated that the contract she signed with Lane was exploitative. The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published by John Lane in the United States in October 1920 On the day of the murder, Emily had been arguing with someone, suspected to be either Alfred or John. She had been distressed after this and apparently made a new will, but no one can find any evidence of the new will. Alfred left the manor early that evening and stayed overnight in the village. Meanwhile, Emily ate little at dinner and retired early to her room, taking her document case with her; when her body was found, the case had been forced open. Nobody can explain how or when the poison was administered to her. Inspector Japp, the investigating officer, considers Alfred to be the prime suspect, as he gains the most from his wife's death. Poirot notes that Alfred's behaviour is suspicious during the investigation. He refuses to provide an alibi and denies purchasing the strychnine in the village, despite evidence to the contrary. Although Japp is keen to arrest him, Poirot intervenes by proving he could not have purchased the poison; the signature for the purchase is not in his handwriting. Suspicion now falls on John, next to gain from Emily's will and without an alibi for the murder. Japp soon arrests him: the signature for the poison is in his handwriting; a phial that contained the poison is found in his room; a false beard and a pair of pince nez identical to Alfred's are found within the manor. Poirot's investigations exonerate John of the crime. He establishes that the murder was committed by Alfred Inglethorp, with aid from his cousin Evelyn Howard. The pair pretended to be enemies but were romantically involved. They added bromide, obtained from her sleeping powder, to Emily's regular evening medicine. This caused the low level of strychnine in the medicine to precipitate to the bottom of the bottle, making the final dose lethal. The pair then left false evidence that would incriminate Alfred, which they knew would be refuted at his trial; once acquitted, he could not be tried for the crime again if genuine evidence against him was found, under the law of double jeopardy. The pair framed John as part of their plan; Evelyn forged his handwriting, and the evidence against him was fabricated. Poirot explains that he prevented Japp from arresting Alfred because Poirot could see that Alfred wanted to be arrested. Thanks to a chance remark by Hastings, Poirot finds a letter in Emily's room that detailed Alfred's intentions for Evelyn. Emily's distress on the afternoon of the murder was because she had found this letter in Alfred's desk while searching for stamps. Emily's document case was forced open by Alfred when he realised she had the letter. He then hid the letter elsewhere in the room to avoid being found with it.

Hercule Poirot – Renowned Belgian private detective. He lives in England after being displaced by the war in Europe. Asked to investigate the case by his old friend Hastings. Hastings – Poirot's friend, and the narrator of the story. He is a guest at Styles Court while on sick leave from the Western Front. Inspector Japp – A Scotland Yard detective, and the investigating officer. He is an acquaintance of Poirot at the time of the novel's setting. Emily Inglethorp – A wealthy old woman, and the wife of Alfred Inglethorp. She inherited her fortune and her home of Styles Court following the death of her first husband, Mr Cavendish. She is the victim of the case. Alfred Inglethorp – Emily's second husband and 20 years younger than she is. Considered by her family to be a spoiled fortune hunter. John Cavendish – Emily's elder stepson, from her first husband's previous marriage, and the brother of Lawrence. John formerly practised as a barrister and has known Hastings for many years. It is he who invites Hastings to Styles near the beginning of the story. He is going through some issues with his marriage to his wife Mary. Mary Cavendish – John's wife, and a friend of Dr Bauerstein. Lawrence Cavendish – Emily's younger stepson, from her first husband's previous marriage, and the brother of John. Known to have studied medicine and qualified as a doctor. Evelyn Howard – Emily's companion, and a second cousin of Alfred Inglethorp, of whom she nevertheless expresses a strong dislike. Cynthia Murdoch – The daughter of a deceased friend of the family, an orphan. She performs war time work at a nearby hospital's dispensary. Dr Bauerstein – A well known toxicologist, living not far from Styles. Dorcas – A maid at Styles. Loyal to Mrs Inglethorp.

The book's dedication reads: "To my Mother". Christie's mother, Clarissa ("Clara") Boehmer Miller (1854–1926), was a strong influence on her life and someone to whom Christie was extremely close, especially after the death of her father in 1901. It was while Christie was ill (circa 1908) that her mother suggested she write a story. The result was The House of Beauty, now a lost work, which hesitantly started her writing career. Christie later revised this story as The House of Dreams, and it was published in issue 74 of The Sovereign Magazine in January 1926 and, many years later, in 1997, in book form in While the Light Lasts and Other Stories. Christie also dedicated her debut novel as Mary Westmacott, Giant's Bread (1930), to her mother who, by that time, had died.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles was adapted as an episode for the series Agatha Christie's Poirot on 16 September 1990; the episode was specially made by ITV to celebrate the centenary of the author's birth. The cast included 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 Gloucestershire, England. The adaptation was generally faithful to Christie's story, although there were a number of deviations from it. The introduction of Poirot is greatly extended, including scenes of Poirot interrupting a military exercise, singing "It's a Long Way to Tipperary" with the Belgian refugees, and advising the post office of a better way to organize their products by country of origin. The adaptation also provided further elaboration on Hastings' first meeting with Poirot – the pair met during an investigation into a shooting, in which Hastings was a suspect.

The novel was adapted as a TV miniseries for Latvijas Televīzija, titled "Slepkavība Stailzā". It was broadcast over 3 nights in 1990. The cast included Arnolds Liniņš [lv] as Puaro (Poirot's name in Latvian) and Romāns Birmanis as Hastingss (Hastings). Being a miniseries, with a total runtime of approximately 198 minutes, it included many details from the novel that were omitted from other shorter adaptations, and was generally faithful to the novel. One difference from the novel is that the inquest hearing is omitted, and instead there are more scenes from Džaps and Samerhejs (Japp and Summerhaye) searching for clues at Styles Court. Also, the ending sequence follows Christie's original unpublished version, where Poirot makes his final revelations in the courtroom.

It was adapted for an episode of Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie, which was broadcast in 2016. The series stars Samuel Labarthe as Swan Laurence, who replaces the character of Poirot in this adaptation. This version has many differences from the novel, but the core story is the same: a wealthy old woman is murdered by her husband together with her top business partner, who appear to hate each other but are secretly lovers. Certain aspects from the novel are retained, such as a disguise used to buy the poison with Eve Constantin (the character equivalent to Evelyn Howard) impersonating Adrien Sauvignac (the equivalent of Alfred Inglethorp), and the latter's deliberate attempt to get himself arrested so that he can produce his alibi. In this adaptation, Styles Court is a beauty spa instead of a country house.

In 2022, experimental Hungarian filmmaker Péter Lichter produced A titokzatos stylesi eset, a 65 minute adaptation. The film consisted of spliced footage from over 100 different silent films, combined with old school computer effects. Pál Mácsai provided narration as Poirot.

The novel was adapted for radio by Michael Bakewell as a five part serial in 2005, as part of the Hercule Poirot radio series for BBC Radio 4. The cast included John Moffatt as Poirot and Simon Williams as Captain Hastings. Inspector Japp was played by Philip Jackson, who had played the same role in the British television adaptation. The serial was broadcast weekly from 5 September to 3 October. All five episodes were recorded on 4 April 2005 at Bush House. This version retained the first person narration by the character of Hastings.

On 14 February 2012, Great Lakes Theater in Cleveland, Ohio debuted a 65 minute stage adaptation as part of their educational programming. Adapted by David Hansen, this production is performed by a cast of five (3 men, 2 women) with most performers playing more than one role. On 17 March 2016, the Hedgerow Theatre company in Media, Pennsylvania, premiered an adaptation by Jared Reed. While largely faithful to the novel, the character of Inspector Japp was omitted.