Hercule Poirot book 1 · 1920
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Emily Inglethorp, the wealthy owner of Styles Court in Essex, dies of strychnine poisoning. Her house guest Arthur Hastings calls in his old friend Hercule Poirot, a Belgian refugee living in the village. Christie’s first novel and Poirot’s first case.
Spoiler-free summary written for The Recurring Cast.
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Book facts
- Author
- Agatha Christie
- Series
- Hercule Poirot, book 1 of 33
- Published
- 1920
- Setting
- Set in London
- Characters charted
- 3
- Chart confidence
- High
Who is in The Mysterious Affair at Styles
3 recurring or key characters from Agatha Christie’s chart. Introduces Hercule Poirot, Arthur Hastings and Inspector Japp.
Lead 1
- Hercule PoirotFirst appearanceBelgian detective who relies on his “little grey cells”A refugee in EnglandAlso in books by Sophie Hannah
Major 2
- Arthur HastingsFirst appearancePoirot’s friend and narratorNarrates
- Inspector JappFirst appearanceScotland Yard detective
Also featuring these characters
Other Agatha Christie books that share the most characters with The Mysterious Affair at Styles.
- The Big Four1927 · Hercule Poirot · 3 shared charactersBuy on Amazon
- Peril at End House1932 · Hercule Poirot · 3 shared charactersBuy on Amazon
- Lord Edgware Dies1933 · Hercule Poirot · 3 shared charactersBuy on Amazon
- The A.B.C. Murders1936 · Hercule Poirot · 3 shared charactersBuy on Amazon