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Hercule Poirot #1, 2, 5, 8
Poirot: The Complete Battles of Hastings, Vol. 1
A brand new Agatha Christie omnibus, featuring four of the eight novels in which Captain Arthur Hastings appears alongside the world-renowned detective, Hercule The Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Murder on the Links, The Big Four and Peril at End House. Captain Arthur Hastings is well-known as Poirot's trusty sidekick, the perfect foil for the great detective and his 'little grey cells'. Yet although Agatha Christie wrote 33 novels about her famous detective, only eight of them actually feature Captain Hastings. Considered by many to be some of the very best Christie stories, the distinctive Hastings novels are distinguished by being recounted in the first person, just as Dr Watson wrote for Holmes. This omnibus volume brings together the first four Poirot and Hastings novels, including the very first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, the international adventures The Murder on the Links and The Big Four, and the ingenious Cornish mystery Peril at End House.
672 pages, Paperback
First published April 19, 2004
6 people are currently reading
426 people want to read
About the author
Agatha Christie
5,912 books76.6k followersAgatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.
Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 28, 2024
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
The story:
When an injured Hastings is invited to his old friend John Cavendish’s home of Styles Court to recuperate, he is looking forward to a restful time in the country. He is even more pleased to run into a former acquaintance — celebrated Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, who, along with several compatriots, are refugees from the war raging across Europe.
But the peace of Styles is shattered when mistress of the house Emily Inglethorpe, John’s stepmother, newly married to the loathed Alfred, dies dramatically in the night. With poisoning suspected, will Poirot and Hastings be able to unearth the truth?
My thoughts:
This year I am once more taking part in the ‘Read Christie’ challenge, which I find a great opportunity to visit my favourite author each month! This year’s theme is looking at Christie’s work through the decades, and we are starting off in the 1920s with her first novel (although written and set in 1916, it was first published in 1920), and the first to introduce both Poirot and Hastings — “The Mysterious Affair at Styles”.
The story is set during World War 1, with a 30-year-old Arthur Hastings having been invalided home from the Front. Hastings takes on the ‘Watson’ role in this story, acting as chronicler for the events that he has been witness to.
Invited by an old friend John, who he hasn’t seen for many years, to stay at the grand Styles Court in Essex, Hastings is keen to experience some peace and pleasant company. He also mentions at dinner one night a secret hankering to be a detective, inspired by a man he once met in Belgium…
As a seasoned Christie reader, it is lovely to go back to beginning in this story, and see Hastings and Poirot reunited when Hastings discovers his old friend is amongst the Belgium refugees the wealthy Emily Inglethorpe has kindly provided a house for in the village of Styles St Mary. Their rapport is immediately apparent, and considering this is the first novel, their characters already seem to be well formed, with Poirot showing both affection and exasperation with Hasting’s slowness, and Hastings having a rather too high opinion of his own deductive powers! We are also introduced to Inspector Japp, another character we will see work with Poirot in several future stories.
The book sets out a lot of Christie hallmarks, with the country house setting and a murderer from amongst a closed family circle. The cast of characters throws up many plausible suspects, with the murdered woman a respected but not greatly loved matriarch. It is also interesting to see that one of the characters, Cynthia, a young girl living at Styles having been left an orphan, is working in the local hospital dispensary, a role Christie herself undertook during the war and where she learned a great deal about poisons…
Christie also takes early delight in pulling the wool over our eyes with bluffs and double bluffs to keep us guessing until the end. This is a great book to start the year — for those that are new to Christie it is the perfect introduction, and for veterans it is lovely to see the wonderful friendship of Hastings and Poirot from the start. I look forward to reading through the decades this year!
The story:
When an injured Hastings is invited to his old friend John Cavendish’s home of Styles Court to recuperate, he is looking forward to a restful time in the country. He is even more pleased to run into a former acquaintance — celebrated Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, who, along with several compatriots, are refugees from the war raging across Europe.
But the peace of Styles is shattered when mistress of the house Emily Inglethorpe, John’s stepmother, newly married to the loathed Alfred, dies dramatically in the night. With poisoning suspected, will Poirot and Hastings be able to unearth the truth?
My thoughts:
This year I am once more taking part in the ‘Read Christie’ challenge, which I find a great opportunity to visit my favourite author each month! This year’s theme is looking at Christie’s work through the decades, and we are starting off in the 1920s with her first novel (although written and set in 1916, it was first published in 1920), and the first to introduce both Poirot and Hastings — “The Mysterious Affair at Styles”.
The story is set during World War 1, with a 30-year-old Arthur Hastings having been invalided home from the Front. Hastings takes on the ‘Watson’ role in this story, acting as chronicler for the events that he has been witness to.
Invited by an old friend John, who he hasn’t seen for many years, to stay at the grand Styles Court in Essex, Hastings is keen to experience some peace and pleasant company. He also mentions at dinner one night a secret hankering to be a detective, inspired by a man he once met in Belgium…
As a seasoned Christie reader, it is lovely to go back to beginning in this story, and see Hastings and Poirot reunited when Hastings discovers his old friend is amongst the Belgium refugees the wealthy Emily Inglethorpe has kindly provided a house for in the village of Styles St Mary. Their rapport is immediately apparent, and considering this is the first novel, their characters already seem to be well formed, with Poirot showing both affection and exasperation with Hasting’s slowness, and Hastings having a rather too high opinion of his own deductive powers! We are also introduced to Inspector Japp, another character we will see work with Poirot in several future stories.
The book sets out a lot of Christie hallmarks, with the country house setting and a murderer from amongst a closed family circle. The cast of characters throws up many plausible suspects, with the murdered woman a respected but not greatly loved matriarch. It is also interesting to see that one of the characters, Cynthia, a young girl living at Styles having been left an orphan, is working in the local hospital dispensary, a role Christie herself undertook during the war and where she learned a great deal about poisons…
Christie also takes early delight in pulling the wool over our eyes with bluffs and double bluffs to keep us guessing until the end. This is a great book to start the year — for those that are new to Christie it is the perfect introduction, and for veterans it is lovely to see the wonderful friendship of Hastings and Poirot from the start. I look forward to reading through the decades this year!
October 28, 2018
I've made it a long-term goal to try to read the bulk of Agatha Christie so when i saw that all of the Hastings books are available in 2 volumes it made sense to start them. I didn't read all 4 stories in one go as they do become too similar but spread them over a couple of months. Lovely, old fashioned tales of murder in civilised surroundings - what's not to like? Now to get the next volume.
February 3, 2022
Intriguing murder mysteries.
April 8, 2018
INNAMORATA DI HASTINGS
"Caro Hastings, le tue entusiastiche convinzioni hanno un effetto strano, su di me. Potrei rintracciare spesso il colpevole, seguendo la pista delle tue simpatie. Tu sei il tipo del perfetto gentiluomo credulone, destinato a lasciarsi ingannare da tutte le canaglie in cui incappi. Posso assicurarti che proprio dalle legioni dei tuoi simili l'imbroglione trae il suo pane e companatico. "
Al piacere di leggere le avventure di Poirot, si è aggiunto quello di fare la conoscenza di uno dei migliori personaggi della letteratura, il capitano Hastings. Ho un debole per le "spalle" (vedi il dottor Watson, di cui mi sono innamorata anche prima di sapere che fosse Jude Law ad interpretarlo [citazione necessaria]).
***
"Il pericolo senza nome" è stato uno dei primi romanzi di Poirot che ho letto e non è solo riuscito a sbalordirmi per la sua imprevedibilità, ma addirittura a mettermi paura e angoscia! Tuttavia sono certa che, se avessi rimandato questa lettura, non mi avrebbe fatto né caldo né freddo perché la Christie fa qui uso di un trucchetto ricorrente nei suoi gialli. E invece me ne stavo lì, con la fronte corrugata di fronte al finale che vede un vero e proprio cambio di rotta, ben riuscito perché disposto da un marinaio abilissimo, il "regista" Poirot.
"Non sono disposto a veder precipitare le cose, riparandomi dietro la comoda credenza che il disastro è voluto da Dio. Invece, sono convinto che il Padreterno ha creato Hercule Poirot affinché, a tempo opportuno, intervenga. E io voglio proprio intervenire."
***
Anche ad "Aiuto, Poirot!" ho assegnato il massimo dei voti, il tutto grazie alla complessa trama che mi ha lasciato a bocca aperta innumerevoli volte, cosa abbastanza imbarazzante quando avveniva fuori casa: ricordo che lo presi per ingannare il tempo mentre aspettavo il mio turno dall'estetista e trovai veramente difficile reprimere le mie esclamazioni di sorpresa.
***
"Poirot a Styles Court", il primo libro in cui appare Poirot, mi ha un po' delusa: tutto fumo e niente arrosto, oserei dire, perché c'è un giro lunghissimo alla cui fine si fornisce una spiegazione davvero semplicissima. Ad esser geniale è il modus operandi del detective, di cui ad un certo punto ho smesso di seguire le speculazioni apparentemente insensate confidando unicamente nell'esposizione finale della soluzione, il momento clou di tutti i romanzi della Christie, quello in cui tutti si riuniscono attorno a Poirot.
"Date troppo corda alla fantasia. La fantasia è un'ottima serva, ma una pessima padrona. La spiegazione più semplice quasi sempre si rivela esatta."
***
Infine, "Poirot e i quattro" mi ha appassionato per il susseguirsi degli eventi e dei colpi di scena, ma avrei preferito una trama più unitaria, non ho ben capito dove l'autrice volesse andare a parare. L'ho comunque apprezzato, a dispetto del basso rating su Goodreads.
"Caro Hastings, le tue entusiastiche convinzioni hanno un effetto strano, su di me. Potrei rintracciare spesso il colpevole, seguendo la pista delle tue simpatie. Tu sei il tipo del perfetto gentiluomo credulone, destinato a lasciarsi ingannare da tutte le canaglie in cui incappi. Posso assicurarti che proprio dalle legioni dei tuoi simili l'imbroglione trae il suo pane e companatico. "
Al piacere di leggere le avventure di Poirot, si è aggiunto quello di fare la conoscenza di uno dei migliori personaggi della letteratura, il capitano Hastings. Ho un debole per le "spalle" (vedi il dottor Watson, di cui mi sono innamorata anche prima di sapere che fosse Jude Law ad interpretarlo [citazione necessaria]).
***
"Il pericolo senza nome" è stato uno dei primi romanzi di Poirot che ho letto e non è solo riuscito a sbalordirmi per la sua imprevedibilità, ma addirittura a mettermi paura e angoscia! Tuttavia sono certa che, se avessi rimandato questa lettura, non mi avrebbe fatto né caldo né freddo perché la Christie fa qui uso di un trucchetto ricorrente nei suoi gialli. E invece me ne stavo lì, con la fronte corrugata di fronte al finale che vede un vero e proprio cambio di rotta, ben riuscito perché disposto da un marinaio abilissimo, il "regista" Poirot.
"Non sono disposto a veder precipitare le cose, riparandomi dietro la comoda credenza che il disastro è voluto da Dio. Invece, sono convinto che il Padreterno ha creato Hercule Poirot affinché, a tempo opportuno, intervenga. E io voglio proprio intervenire."
***
Anche ad "Aiuto, Poirot!" ho assegnato il massimo dei voti, il tutto grazie alla complessa trama che mi ha lasciato a bocca aperta innumerevoli volte, cosa abbastanza imbarazzante quando avveniva fuori casa: ricordo che lo presi per ingannare il tempo mentre aspettavo il mio turno dall'estetista e trovai veramente difficile reprimere le mie esclamazioni di sorpresa.
***
"Poirot a Styles Court", il primo libro in cui appare Poirot, mi ha un po' delusa: tutto fumo e niente arrosto, oserei dire, perché c'è un giro lunghissimo alla cui fine si fornisce una spiegazione davvero semplicissima. Ad esser geniale è il modus operandi del detective, di cui ad un certo punto ho smesso di seguire le speculazioni apparentemente insensate confidando unicamente nell'esposizione finale della soluzione, il momento clou di tutti i romanzi della Christie, quello in cui tutti si riuniscono attorno a Poirot.
"Date troppo corda alla fantasia. La fantasia è un'ottima serva, ma una pessima padrona. La spiegazione più semplice quasi sempre si rivela esatta."
***
Infine, "Poirot e i quattro" mi ha appassionato per il susseguirsi degli eventi e dei colpi di scena, ma avrei preferito una trama più unitaria, non ho ben capito dove l'autrice volesse andare a parare. L'ho comunque apprezzato, a dispetto del basso rating su Goodreads.
December 20, 2009
This series of Poirot stories is very well written, with intriguing plots and well developed characters. The fact that these stores are written from the perspective of Hastings creates some interesting narrative tension at times, as you start to engage with his frustrations or get annoyed at his apparent naivety.
The entire approach of the Poirot character to detective work is rather different to that of other fictional crime fighters. As a fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories, I found it an odd change to get used to. It is what makes the character unique though.
It was the first time I had read any of Agatha Christie's writing, and to be honest, I found her writing style quite difficult to get into sometimes -- I think this is because it is more rich and formal than I am used to. One criticism I would have is that the stories do seem to run on somewhat. There are periods of time when the plots seem to have little momentum, and it can be hard to keep going.
Nonetheless, I am glad I read this book. Thoroughly enjoyed, and I hope to read more of Poirot's adventures in the future.
The entire approach of the Poirot character to detective work is rather different to that of other fictional crime fighters. As a fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories, I found it an odd change to get used to. It is what makes the character unique though.
It was the first time I had read any of Agatha Christie's writing, and to be honest, I found her writing style quite difficult to get into sometimes -- I think this is because it is more rich and formal than I am used to. One criticism I would have is that the stories do seem to run on somewhat. There are periods of time when the plots seem to have little momentum, and it can be hard to keep going.
Nonetheless, I am glad I read this book. Thoroughly enjoyed, and I hope to read more of Poirot's adventures in the future.
October 27, 2013
A collection of the rare stories where we meet Hastings, who like Holmes' Watson is Poirot's trusted crime-solving partner and narrator.
1. The Mysterious Affair at Styles is the first story sequentially in Poirot's series. This story is also significant because this is where Poirot first meets Hastings. The house featured in this one is the same one where Poirot's last book Curtain is set.
2. The Murder on the Links
3. The Big Four
4. Peril at End House
Don't remember anything about the other 3 now, but I'm sure they were great too as I have given a five star rating to the omnibus.
1. The Mysterious Affair at Styles is the first story sequentially in Poirot's series. This story is also significant because this is where Poirot first meets Hastings. The house featured in this one is the same one where Poirot's last book Curtain is set.
2. The Murder on the Links
3. The Big Four
4. Peril at End House
Don't remember anything about the other 3 now, but I'm sure they were great too as I have given a five star rating to the omnibus.
March 31, 2019
This edition contains 4 books about Hercule Poirot - told by his friend and sometime partner John Hastings - a bit like Watson to Sherlock Holmes. They are books 1,2, 5 and 8 in the Poirot series. Books 1 & 2 - The Mysterious Affair at Styles and Murder on the Links - were quite good mysteries. The exasperation of Hastings at Poirot's vanity is very well written. Book 5 - The Big Four - was the one I least liked. It felt a bit contrived and forced. The last book - Peril At End House - was excellent - I didn't guess the culprit at all!
September 15, 2014
Trying to read all Agatha Christie's books in chronological order.
14 May 2011: finished The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Liked it a lot, Poirot's first story.
16 May 2011: finished Murder on the Links.
20 May 2011: finished The Big Four (and unfortunately ran into a spoiler. Should've read the book "Poirot Investigates" first!)
22 May 2011: finished Peril at End House.
Review soon.
14 May 2011: finished The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Liked it a lot, Poirot's first story.
16 May 2011: finished Murder on the Links.
20 May 2011: finished The Big Four (and unfortunately ran into a spoiler. Should've read the book "Poirot Investigates" first!)
22 May 2011: finished Peril at End House.
Review soon.
December 25, 2020
The Murder on the Links
Started: Jan 19/2020
Finished: Jan 20/2020
3.5 stars
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Started: Oct 19/2020
Finished: Oct 21/2020
3 stars
The Peril at End House
Started: Dec 24/2020
Finished: Dec 24/2020
3.5 stars
Started: Jan 19/2020
Finished: Jan 20/2020
3.5 stars
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Started: Oct 19/2020
Finished: Oct 21/2020
3 stars
The Peril at End House
Started: Dec 24/2020
Finished: Dec 24/2020
3.5 stars
July 28, 2012
The Big Four read more like a spy thriller than a detective story!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews