The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

The Mysterious Affair at Styles was the first of Agatha Christie's published books. It is a good read, but not exactly what I was expecting. Hercule Poirot did not come into the story until about a third of the way in and kept disappearing as he was investigating the case.

The story is told by Arthur Hastings, a wounded veteran of the First World War who runs into his friend, John Cavendish. John invites Arthur to stay at the estate owned by his family. While Arthur is there, John's mother is poisoned. She was a very wealthy and cantankerous woman with a husband who is much younger than she.

Arthur again runs into a friend of his. This time it is Hercule Poirot, whom he first met while he was in France. Poirot is soon involved with the case and along the way, attempts to teach Arthur tricks of the trade for successful detectives.

The book is filled with interesting characters including the Cavendish family and Alfred Inglethorp, the victim's second husband. Emily Inglethorp's money provides a motive for almost every character in the story. There's also a will that has been partially burned, doors that may or may not have been bolted and lots of other clues. The story has plenty of twists and turns and was fun to read.