agathachristieclubR3

The Mysterious Affair at Styles | Agatha Christie

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Catching up with first few books ... (re)Reading with Christie‘s Capers Group on #Litsy (Reading Agatha Christie's books in publication order) Hosted by @Librarybelle
#AgathaChristieClubR3

4 Stars • 1920 • The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Agatha Christie‘s first novel, introduces Hercule Poirot. Set during World War I at Styles Court, it follows the poisoning of wealthy Emily Inglethorp. Narrated by Captain Hastings, ⬇️

suvata the story unfolds as Poirot investigates her family—suspects include her young husband, Alfred, and stepson, John. Using logic and psychology, Poirot uncovers a plot by Alfred and housekeeper Evelina Howard to kill Emily for her fortune, resolving the case with a clever twist. (edited) 2d

Librarybelle It was a good twist! 2d

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suvata

The Secret Adversary | Agatha Christie

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Catching up with first few books ... Reading with Christie‘s Capers Group on #Litsy (Reading Agatha Christie's books in publication order) Hosted by @Librarybelle
#AgathaChristieClubR3

4 Stars • "The Secret Adversary," Agatha Christie's 1922 novel, introduces Tommy Beresford and Tuppence Cowley, unemployed friends who start "The Young Adventurers, Ltd." ⬇️

suvata Their first case involves Jane Finn, a missing woman tied to a secret treaty from the Lusitania sinking. Pursued by the sinister Mr. Brown, they navigate espionage and danger, ultimately rescuing Jane, thwarting the villain, and saving Britain. Their adventure ignites their romance and future as detectives.

#TheSecretAdversary #TommyAndTuppence #Bookish
7d

Librarybelle Yay!! 7d

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Librarybelle

The Man in the Brown Suit | Agatha Christie

Great discussion so far for The Murder on the Links! Our next #ChristiesCapers introduces Colonel Race, who appears in a few other books later in Christie‘s canon. Discussion on April 27th.

All are welcome to attend. Please let me know if you wish to be added to or removed from the tag list. #AgathaChristieClubR3

janeycanuck, suvata, Aims42, MallenNC, Soscha, Cuilin, kspenmoll, BarbaraJean, PurpleyPumpkin, JenlovesJT47, Lizpixie, MariaW, elkeOriginal, AnneCecilie, Gissy, OutsmartYourShelf, mrp27, Larkken, Suet624, Cailey_Mac, Deblovestoread, ferskner, Marmie7, MaleficentBookDragon, majkia, Bookwormjillk, StayCurious, Laughterhp, Sace, RainyDayReading, Skygoddess1, Morr_Books, PathfinderNicole, dabbe, tdrosebud, MaGoose, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, Tineke, PageShifter, willaful, AnishaInkspill

Aims42 I‘m planning on reading this one! I started March‘s but I got distracted and never finished it 😂 1w

mrp27 This will be another first for me. 1w

TheAromaofBooks This is one of my very favorite Christie novels!! It's so over-the-top and funny; I love it! 1w

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Librarybelle That‘s so cool, @TheAromaofBooks ! 1w

Librarybelle Hope you enjoy, @Aims42 @mrp27 ! 1w

Teresereading Please add me 1w

Librarybelle Will do, @Teresereading ! Welcome! 1w

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ferskner

The Murder on the Links: A Hercule Poirot Mystery | Agatha Christie

I'm trying to deal with tornado watch anxiety by finishing up the #agathachristieclubR3 #christiecapers pick, and a cruffin doesn't hurt either.

AmyG Hope all is ok. 2w

Ruthiella Hoping for the best possible outcome. 🤞❤️ 2w

LeahBergen Thinking of you! ❤️ 2w

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Deblovestoread Stay safe! 2w

ShyBookOwl Good luck!! I hope you're safe. Thx for introducing me to cruffins 2w

dabbe Hope it has all blown over! 🩵💙🩵 1w

ferskner @AmyG @Ruthiella @LeahBergen @Deblovestoread @ShyBookOwl @dabbe it turned out okay, and y'all are so sweet! There were tornados south of me but thankfully it sounds like there was minimal damage. We had a tornado hit by my apartment in 2020 and ever since they give me so much anxiety! No one told me Nashville gets tons of tornados before I moved here! 1w

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Librarybelle

The Murder on the Links: A Hercule Poirot Mystery | Agatha Christie

It‘s time for the #ChristiesCapers discussion! I have 6 questions posted as spoilers; you can find them on my feed, the book‘s feed, or by searching the group‘s hashtags.

Next up is The Man in the Brown Suit, the first appearance of Colonel Race in the novels. The official post will appear tomorrow!

#AgathaChristieClubR3

Bookwormjillk I just started this morning. I‘ll be back in a few days! 2w

kspenmoll I am reading now, hoping to catch up by tomorrow! 2w

Cuilin I just started yesterday. I‘m so behind in all my reading goals for March. 😑 2w

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MallenNC I‘m excited for the April book. I‘ve never heard of this one. 2w

BarbaraJean I skipped this month since it was a re-read, but I‘m excited to read The Man in the Brown Suit in April! 2w

mrp27 Hope to finish the last few pages today! 2w

kelli7990 I‘m excited to read next month‘s story. 2w

39 likes7 comments

Librarybelle

The Murder on the Links: A Hercule Poirot Mystery | Agatha Christie

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6. We've discussed Poirot and Giraud and touched on characters during our mystery discussion, but let's think about the characters now. Christie purposely has Hastings ride off to Argentina in the end in order to let Poirot stand on his own for future stories (though Hastings does come back, as we will see). What did you think of the cast of characters? #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3

MariaW I think Hastings is portrayed well as an unstable character. He still has the chance to grow and to evolve compared to Poirot who is already a stable and grown character. Maybe Christie wanted to „kill off“ Hasting to set up a more „good cop - bad cop“ thing with Giraud, but realized in the end it did not work. Poirot seems to be someboy who likes to be teaching things to others and helping them to grow. He needs a sidekick that is open for that.. 2w

MariaW and otherwise she must have had to create another „new“ character in the next Poirot novel. I pretty sure she did not know yet at that time where she was heading or wanted to head with Poirot. 2w

MallenNC I hadn‘t read this one before or many of the Poirot novels we will be reading so I didn‘t realize that Hastings wasn‘t in all the books. He‘s been written into a lot of the TV versions, I think, so this is new to me. I agree that I‘m not sure Christie had a full sense of what she wanted to do with her characters early on. 2w

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kspenmoll I am glad i read this because I had no idea Hastings went off & was not with Poirot in all the books! I have not read her books in any order, nor have I read all of them! I am so glad you are having us read in publication order Jess! (edited) 2w

dabbe In the Poirot novels I have read before #ChristiesCapers, Hastings wasn't in any of them! So, yes, imagine my surprise with the first two. I am now wondering why Christie puts Hastings on the back burner, unlike Watson, who chronicles most of the Holmes stories. The POV is definitely going to have to change if Hastings isn't there. 2w

suvata I have always thought that Christie wrote the most interesting characters. Some of them are exaggerated, but they are always believable prototypes of people you would know or hear about. 1w

Bookwormjillk I really liked the Hastings character. I liked that he was always wondering what Poirot was doing but seemed to trust him. 1w

mrp27 The couple of Christie books I read before didn‘t have Hastings so I was mostly unfamiliar with him. But I liked him as a character because I could relate to him trying to learn to use his gray cells. Will be interesting going forward to see how his absence may or may not change how I feel about the books. 5d

ferskner I'm a Hastings fan! I remember in the first two rounds of Agatha Christie Club that a lot of people didn't like him, but I think he's a perfect foil for Poirot and just entertaining! 3d

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Librarybelle

The Murder on the Links: A Hercule Poirot Mystery | Agatha Christie

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5. This novel takes place in France, but the region surrounding Calais has a very deep history with England. I'm sure our UK friends could talk about this better than I can! But, to give a small bit of history as to why British citizens would be living in Calais, I have a couple of links in the comments for more of a history between to the two regions.

Any thoughts on setting? #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3

Librarybelle https://www.calaisxxl.com/en/inspirations/lhistoire-des-bourgeois-de-calais/

https://sites.hertford.ox.ac.uk/bridge/calais-englands-first-colony/ 2w

MariaW I was wondering about that as well. It seemed strange to be able to go to and fro without any problems back then. Just thinking about how much time it takes today. 🙈 I am looking forward to the British/French comments here as well. 😊 2w

MallenNC As an American, I only know about the English connections to Calais from watching historical adaptations and I know those aren‘t always completely accurate. Thanks for sharing the links! 2w

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kspenmoll Thanks! 2w

dabbe From some of my other readings about early English history, I know that Calais is the closest French town to England, only 21 miles away, and on a clear day, one can see the White Cliffs of Dover from Calais. Many wars, sieges, and battling for the town have taken place over the centuries. 2w

suvata @dabbe that‘s very interesting 1w

mrp27 Thanks for links, should be interesting. 5d

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Librarybelle

The Murder on the Links: A Hercule Poirot Mystery | Agatha Christie

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4. Let's think of the mystery itself. How does it compare with the prior two novels we read, especially Styles? Were you surprised by the ending? Did you figure everything out before Poirot made the big reveal? Any red herrings trip you up? #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3

MariaW Again, because the dispute between Giraud and Poirot reminded me so much of The Mystery of the Yellow Room, I thought Giraud might have something to do with the murder. This was definitely a red herring for me. I think the mystery is quite difficult to solve without the knowledge of the crime that happened years prior. The moment Poirot unearthed that one, I was finally able to understand half of the mystery. I did not see the end coming though. 2w

MallenNC I had a hard time following at first, and I definitely wasn‘t solving the mystery ahead of the book this time. 2w

kspenmoll I had no clue at all -the end was a total surprise. I did not think Jack did it, but all the red herrings, etc. had me confused! (edited) 2w

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dabbe I don't know why, but STYLES fell flat for me. This one had much more wit, movements, and yes, I was totally surprised by the #whodunit. 2w

suvata I was totally baffled with this one. Couldn‘t figure out who it was until it was revealed. I haven‘t read STYLES in many years. I am, however, going back and reading the first two books in order so I will be caught up by the time we discuss The Man in the Brown Suit. 1w

mrp27 I was totally lost in this one but I knew immediately the girl on the train would be involved somehow. 5d

ferskner I find this one a bit messy and I don't love that you have to know the prior crime in order to solve it. That's probably personal preference, though! 3d

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Librarybelle

The Murder on the Links: A Hercule Poirot Mystery | Agatha Christie

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3. Poirot meets not exactly a rival but definitely competition in the detective from the Paris Surete, Giraud. In the novel, Poirot outlines his methods of deduction--not needing to traipse around the world in search of clues but really just use the grey little cells--whereas we first meet Giraud lying in the grave. What are similarities and differences between Poirot and Giraud? #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3

MariaW Giraud is supposed to portray the modern day police work with their fancy methods whilst Poirot is portrayed (or is branded by Giraud) as a representative of the „old“ police work. Giraud feels so superior to Poirot that he behaves very patronizing. Poirot on the other hand tries to be polite as he always is and waits. But even he cannot refrain from giving some sideswipes due to Giraud‘s impolite behaviour. 2w

MariaW But in the end both of them think they are the best in their profession. 2w

MallenNC What stood out to me was how Poirot would ask a seemingly weird or unnecessary question and other people in the book would think that was silly, but it would turn out to be important. That was showing the detective work happening in his mind and only he knew how the pieces were connecting. It was kind of fun to see both approaches 2w

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kspenmoll Poirot‘s methods I am familiar with from other books & movies, etc. Giraud seems to be a caricature of the new police man, methods. 2w

dabbe One can pretty well be assured that if there is an OFFICIAL working for the police, he/she/they will not solve the crime. I saw more of a parallel between Giraud and Holmes. It seems Christie is parodying Holmes a bit since Holmes always carries a magnifying glass, plops down on the floor at a moment's notice, knows everything about cigar/cigarette ashes, etc. Poirot is more like Mycroft, Holmes's brother, who likes to solve crimes from his chair. 2w

suvata @MallenNC if you‘re old enough to remember the old Colombo TV show, he used a similar technique. He was pretty laid-back and asked questions that people thought were odd, but it all pulled together in the end. I love old detective novels. 1w

mrp27 I liked the addition of Giraud even though he can be annoying. I liked the different methods and approach they used. Both characters are arrogant but Poirot is elegant about it. 5d

ferskner @dabbe, that's exactly what I said for question 2! (Well not exactly, but same idea.) We're always on the same page 😊 @Librarybelle I think Poirot and Giraud share a very healthy ego! 😂 3d

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Librarybelle

The Murder on the Links: A Hercule Poirot Mystery | Agatha Christie

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2. Some reviewers draw comparisons between this novel and the stories of Sherlock Holmes. What do you think? Are there any instances in the novel that reminded you of Holmes? #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3

MariaW I haven‘t read any Sherlock Holmes stories yet and know only the movies, but Poirot explaining everything to Hastings reminds me a lot of Sherlock and Watson. But I an pretty sure Watson wouldn‘t have fallen in love this easily, he seems more the thoughful and prudent type compared to Hastings who is more impulsive with his love interests and with drawing conclusions. 2w

MallenNC That‘s interesting. I have read some Holmes stories but I much prefer to watch the adaptations. I guess I can see some parallels between the Holmes and Watson and Poirot and Hastings characters. 2w

kspenmoll I have only read a few Holmes stories but he has Watson & Poirot has Hastings as foils. Agree with @MariaW That Hasting is impulsive, brash & seems to be in love with the idea of love…Watson was an MD right? Married? 2w

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dabbe Funny! I just mentioned this is your 1st question, not having looked at this one! 🤩I see a lot of parallels in the relationship between SH & Watson and HP & Hastings. Watson is quite the lady's man, falling in love and marrying the client in just the second story of the canon! Hastings falls in love in the 2nd Poirot novel as well! Holmes is always pushing Watson to think beyond what's there--just like Poirot with his gray cells. 2w

suvata I have always thought there was a huge resemblance between Sherlock and Poirot. I used to think that Sherlock‘s capers were a little more sophisticated than HP‘s but now that I am reading Christie again I may have to rethink that. Great now I‘m going to have to re-read Sherlock Holmes. 1w

mrp27 I‘ve never read any Sherlock Holmes or been much of a fan so I don‘t know it well enough to begin to compare. 5d

ferskner That's really interesting because I feel like this book is commenting negatively on Holmes! I read Poirot's comments about not having to find random physical evidence and tie it to some obscure "impossible to know unless you're the detective" fact and relying on putting together the mystery based on understanding and thinking through human nature. I know Christie was a Holmes fan but Poirot's methods to me are very different from Holmes' methods. 3d

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