Before You Begin

Before you begin.

First published in 1920, The Mysterious Affair at Styles introduces Hercule Poirot. Captain Hastings, recovering from the war, accepts an invitation to stay with his old friend John Cavendish at Styles Court, an Essex country house whose daily routines are beginning to fray.

When Emily Inglethorp dies suddenly, Poirot is drawn into a case shaped by household habits, family tensions, and the details different witnesses notice. Christie lets the reader follow those details as they emerge; each one earns its meaning in turn.

This edition preserves the novel’s thirteen chapters. The illustrations introduce its cast, places, relationships, and recurring objects. Each recap unlocks after its chapter, while the story medallions pause at selected moments in the reading. Begin at Styles, and let the evidence arrive in order.