I’ve read two books in Finnish so far this year, something I rarely do these days, but I’m very pleased I did! Reading Christie in Finnish takes me back to my childhood- it’s something I would do after visits to the local library. Christie and Georges Simenon’s Inspector Maigret were some of my favourites to read…
This Christie book is a classic. Styles is the first time we meet Hercule Poirot and it lays the groundwork for his dynamic with Hastings and Inspector Japp. Written in 1916, published in 1920, it is an early Christie, but already has a lot her hallmarks. I love the fact that she apparently wrote most of it on Dartmoor.
Styles is a real mystery novel with maps, evidence fragments, and a convoluted and layered plot. There’s not a lot of sympathy for the characters, not a whole lot of psychology either, though it’s a good analysis of a cold family and struggling marriages. The twist at the end is satisfying!
The murder at Styles is one that revolves around money, inheritance, and infidelity. Lots of people would benefit from the death of the old matriarch, but did anybody actually have the opportunity to do so? It’s a very classic murder set-up with a late-night rush to the bedroom and the usual business of locked connecting doors, potentially poisoned hot beverages, and household items and members in strange places.
There are some deliciously fiendish clues to do with tables falling over, wet carpets, bits of wax – Poirot teases Hastings and the reader by drawing attention to seemingly small details that are hard to understand as clues at first.
It’s a great introduction to Poirot and the humorous way in which Hastings has to eat his words when it comes to trusting Poirot is very funny!
One word: masterful.
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