What do you think?
Rate this book
BBC Radio 4 Poirot
The Mysterious Affair at Styles
It is 1916. Captain Hastings has been invalided out of the Great War and goes to convalesce at Styles Court, the family home of his great friend, John Cavendish. By an extraordinary coincidence, billeted in the village is a brilliant little retired detective with an egg-shaped head, who made a considerable impression on the Captain when he was in Belgium.
Styles is not a happy household and in the blistering summer heat, tensions mount. Even so, the tragic murder which occurs is not expected. The entire family is drawn into the case but with their reluctant permission, Hastings calls upon the services of the diminutive Belgian. Thus begins one of the great partnerships and friendships in the history of crime.
A fragment of a burnt will, a false black beard and an empty packet of bromide powders - such are the seemingly unrelated details surrounding the murder. With a thoroughness that is to become legendary, Poirot commences his first investigation in England.
John Moffatt stars as Hercule Poirot, Simon Williams as Captain Hastings and Philip Jackson as Detective Inspector Japp, who already has reason to be indebted to the distinguished and unique hero of so many mysteries. It was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 from 5 September to 3 October 2005.
2 CDs. 2 hrs 30 mins.
Styles is not a happy household and in the blistering summer heat, tensions mount. Even so, the tragic murder which occurs is not expected. The entire family is drawn into the case but with their reluctant permission, Hastings calls upon the services of the diminutive Belgian. Thus begins one of the great partnerships and friendships in the history of crime.
A fragment of a burnt will, a false black beard and an empty packet of bromide powders - such are the seemingly unrelated details surrounding the murder. With a thoroughness that is to become legendary, Poirot commences his first investigation in England.
John Moffatt stars as Hercule Poirot, Simon Williams as Captain Hastings and Philip Jackson as Detective Inspector Japp, who already has reason to be indebted to the distinguished and unique hero of so many mysteries. It was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 from 5 September to 3 October 2005.
2 CDs. 2 hrs 30 mins.
Audiobook
First published January 1, 2005
2 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Michael Bakewell
73 books6 followersMichael Bakewell (7 June 1931 – 11 July 2023) was a British radio and television producer and radio playwright.
His work included adapting The Lord of the Rings (with Brian Sibley) into a 1981 radio series for the BBC and a series of 27 adaptations of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot stories broadcast between 1985 and 2007 by BBC Radio 4.
He was born in Birmingham, England. After graduating from Cambridge in 1954, he was recruited by the BBC's Third Programme. He became the first Head of Plays at the BBC in the 1960s.
His work included adapting The Lord of the Rings (with Brian Sibley) into a 1981 radio series for the BBC and a series of 27 adaptations of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot stories broadcast between 1985 and 2007 by BBC Radio 4.
He was born in Birmingham, England. After graduating from Cambridge in 1954, he was recruited by the BBC's Third Programme. He became the first Head of Plays at the BBC in the 1960s.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 20, 2021
I listened to this as an audiobook via Bolinda Audio.
1916, yes, the sound effects of war battles, a typewriter tip tapping, trains on tracks and many more keeps this audiobook intriguing. I loved alot of things in this book, tea under the giant Sycamore tree, plate of sandwiches, loved the poem that Mrs Englethorp recited, chocolate biscuits. The clues were as always hidden within, I pricked up my ears when coffee cups and cocoa, and the extra coffee cup were mentioned, a green dress and a beard had me totally confused.
.
So this was the very first novel Agatha Christie wrote and she sure did start with a bang, I'm not surprised she's the Queen of cosy mysteries if this is what she produced so many years ago, and this was her first book too! Yes, I have read a few books now, but I really wanted to know how Hercule Poirot was first introduced and now I know.
.
I loved Styles and the surrounding area which leads me into this quote
"that night I was kept awake by the unrelently beautiful song of the nightingales"
.
Giving this a 5 star review and of course recommending to all cosy mystery fans out there
1916, yes, the sound effects of war battles, a typewriter tip tapping, trains on tracks and many more keeps this audiobook intriguing. I loved alot of things in this book, tea under the giant Sycamore tree, plate of sandwiches, loved the poem that Mrs Englethorp recited, chocolate biscuits. The clues were as always hidden within, I pricked up my ears when coffee cups and cocoa, and the extra coffee cup were mentioned, a green dress and a beard had me totally confused.
.
So this was the very first novel Agatha Christie wrote and she sure did start with a bang, I'm not surprised she's the Queen of cosy mysteries if this is what she produced so many years ago, and this was her first book too! Yes, I have read a few books now, but I really wanted to know how Hercule Poirot was first introduced and now I know.
.
I loved Styles and the surrounding area which leads me into this quote
"that night I was kept awake by the unrelently beautiful song of the nightingales"
.
Giving this a 5 star review and of course recommending to all cosy mystery fans out there
December 5, 2017
Christie's books seem to translate very well into audio books, especially with the dulcet vocals of Hugh Fraser (he narrated the version I listened to, which was paired with another Christie mystery, but I did not listen to that one). As always with Christie she does a marvelous job giving real depth to the characters, constructing an intricate mystery, and keeping me guessing until the reveal (turns out my little grey cells pale in comparison to Poirot's/Christie's). This was a delightful listen and great for road trips.
April 26, 2017
Happy Birthday, Agatha Christie!
This book was marvelous. There were a host of interesting characters and a most naive but endearing narrator. I enjoyed the story thoroughly and was kept guessing the whole time. Definitely recommend.
This book was marvelous. There were a host of interesting characters and a most naive but endearing narrator. I enjoyed the story thoroughly and was kept guessing the whole time. Definitely recommend.
November 24, 2024
I listened to a full scripted production, which has an excellent cast. They brought this story to life, very enjoyable.
March 18, 2019
I've read a lot of reviews that start out saying this is the first Hercule Poirot book, and it is. However, it should be noted that this is the first detective novel that Agatha Christie wrote. A long while ago she and her sister made a bet that she couldn't write a proper detective novel. Eventually, Christie came up with this. It was a surprising success and so began her career as "the Queen of Crime".
As far as mysteries go, I think there are better Christie books out there. But what I enjoyed so much was seeing how much she used of her own life to create this world. I highly encourage everyone to read her autobiography, in which she describes how she went about creating this story. But you also learn that she worked in a hospital dispensary during WWI, and was quite an expert on poisons and other medical terminology and procedures of the times. She was often praised for her accuracy in this. Also, in her community, they housed several Belgium refugees and she thought very highly of them. It was because of them that we have our delightful Monsiuer Poirot. Even Alfred Inglethorp is (physically) based on someone she saw while riding on the bus. And that ridiculous proposal Hastings offers Cynthia? I'm guessing based on her own impromptu proposal by a good friend.
So I cannot judge whether or not this is a good, well-written story. I had far too much fun trying to spot all the Christie-influenced pieces of this puzzle. But if you like mysteries, I do urge you to try one of hers, if not this one.
March 17, 2019 (Audio review):
My audiobook copy was published by Dreamscape and read by Charles Armstrong. I hated his Poirot but I did like him as Hastings. And since this is told by Hastings, a Brit, of course he should not have a proper French accent. So it improved my appreciation immensely with this new perspective.
Hastings is a fool, but so think it’s important to remember that Christie was young and a new mystery writer. The standard of her times was Doyle. So to have a foolish layman whom Poirot could bounce his ideas off is not so ridiculous. He gets better and I like that she bookended Poirot with a return to Styles. A fitting place to start and end.
As far as mysteries go, I think there are better Christie books out there. But what I enjoyed so much was seeing how much she used of her own life to create this world. I highly encourage everyone to read her autobiography, in which she describes how she went about creating this story. But you also learn that she worked in a hospital dispensary during WWI, and was quite an expert on poisons and other medical terminology and procedures of the times. She was often praised for her accuracy in this. Also, in her community, they housed several Belgium refugees and she thought very highly of them. It was because of them that we have our delightful Monsiuer Poirot. Even Alfred Inglethorp is (physically) based on someone she saw while riding on the bus. And that ridiculous proposal Hastings offers Cynthia? I'm guessing based on her own impromptu proposal by a good friend.
So I cannot judge whether or not this is a good, well-written story. I had far too much fun trying to spot all the Christie-influenced pieces of this puzzle. But if you like mysteries, I do urge you to try one of hers, if not this one.
March 17, 2019 (Audio review):
My audiobook copy was published by Dreamscape and read by Charles Armstrong. I hated his Poirot but I did like him as Hastings. And since this is told by Hastings, a Brit, of course he should not have a proper French accent. So it improved my appreciation immensely with this new perspective.
Hastings is a fool, but so think it’s important to remember that Christie was young and a new mystery writer. The standard of her times was Doyle. So to have a foolish layman whom Poirot could bounce his ideas off is not so ridiculous. He gets better and I like that she bookended Poirot with a return to Styles. A fitting place to start and end.
August 4, 2018
A delightful mystery and great introduction to the brilliant Poirot.
Being mostly familiar with Sherlock Holmes, i enjoyed the similarities and differences that Christie created with this character. Making him an outsider and foreigner made him relatable and gave me as a reader a companion when investigating the mystery.
Hastings is a straight man like Watson but seemed to have more agency in the book than some of the earlier Holmes stories I've read.
Can the mystery of the novel be solved as the evidence is given? I'm not exactly sure, as some revelations seemed to be appear in the final chapter, but i felt Christie left though breadcrumbs for the reader to make an educated guess.
This was also on Audiobook via Hoopla and I enjoyed the narration, the narrator gave each character a unique voice and the appropriate accent of Poirot.
Being mostly familiar with Sherlock Holmes, i enjoyed the similarities and differences that Christie created with this character. Making him an outsider and foreigner made him relatable and gave me as a reader a companion when investigating the mystery.
Hastings is a straight man like Watson but seemed to have more agency in the book than some of the earlier Holmes stories I've read.
Can the mystery of the novel be solved as the evidence is given? I'm not exactly sure, as some revelations seemed to be appear in the final chapter, but i felt Christie left though breadcrumbs for the reader to make an educated guess.
This was also on Audiobook via Hoopla and I enjoyed the narration, the narrator gave each character a unique voice and the appropriate accent of Poirot.
February 13, 2017
Really enjoyed this. It's been so long since I read this that I didn't remember who was the guilty party.
January 31, 2024
How utterly fabulous! Not only do I get the pleasure of digesting an Agatha Christie book while driving or folding laundry, but the voice acting and sound effects brought the whole thing to life! And, as a perk, I get to keep my own mental image of the characters. I forget sometimes that radio dramatisation can be as good—or better—than a movie.
January 18, 2026
I listened to the original book a couple months ago but zoned out for a majority of it oops lol so listened to this bbc version to catch the things I missed… I know they change some things to make it suitable for radio but dang I didn’t realize how much I missed lol! Especially because I watched the episode from the Poirot tv show that is based on this book and that helped fill in large gaps too… Guess I probably shouldn’t listen to books if I’m going to zone out the whole time 😅 But also this mystery isn’t one of Agatha Christie’s more interesting ones imo… I mean I’ve only read a few but the ones I have read were a lot more intriguing idk!
November 25, 2025
This was the beginning... the very first of Poirot's adventures. It sets the template for the many that follow; the country house, the variety of guests; poison - a subject on which Dame Agatha was an expert. Moffat makes an excellent Poirot and the rest of the cast are very good too. In this age when the Beeb is under so many pressures, these dramas remind one of how superb they are when it comes to radio dramas.
May 17, 2023
Great casting. Struggled following the plot slightly as some was cut out.
July 21, 2024
52 Book Club 2024 Summer Challenge- Prompt: Featuring a Group of Friends
October 16, 2017
Another drama with a horrible family. Poirot tells the dead woman’s friend. “Your eyes are the only eyes in this house, that have wept.”
Yeah. Shudders.
***
I have recently listened to the full audio book of this work. So it was very fresh in my mind. I was going to skip this version, but I was walking and it started to play, so I kept listening.
It’s rather interesting to see just how much (and how little) they cut out of a full book to make these dramatisations. It’s two and a half hours long while the audiobook was six hours twenty minutes.
A whole scene readers would have witnessed, is told in one line by Hastings; who is the narrator here. Or, two sentences of dialogue reveal the relationship between two characters.
But the trick is also to not give the game away too easily; especially with a murder mystery. It’s skillfully done and if anything, increases my respect for these full cast productions.
Story got 3 stars
Production gets 4
Ps: I’ve only just twigged the clever title, too. She didn’t call it the murder at styles, or the death of Emily Inglethorp. But used ‘affair’.
Affairs are indeed the heart of the story.
Yeah. Shudders.
***
I have recently listened to the full audio book of this work. So it was very fresh in my mind. I was going to skip this version, but I was walking and it started to play, so I kept listening.
It’s rather interesting to see just how much (and how little) they cut out of a full book to make these dramatisations. It’s two and a half hours long while the audiobook was six hours twenty minutes.
A whole scene readers would have witnessed, is told in one line by Hastings; who is the narrator here. Or, two sentences of dialogue reveal the relationship between two characters.
But the trick is also to not give the game away too easily; especially with a murder mystery. It’s skillfully done and if anything, increases my respect for these full cast productions.
Story got 3 stars
Production gets 4
Ps: I’ve only just twigged the clever title, too. She didn’t call it the murder at styles, or the death of Emily Inglethorp. But used ‘affair’.
Affairs are indeed the heart of the story.
April 15, 2015
I am a HUGE Agatha Christie fan. I read And Then There Were None back when it was still called Ten Little Indians while I was in Jr. High. I have been hooked on mystery/thrillers ever since. I have read multiple books since and have thoroughly enjoyed them. However, I rarely read a Hercule Poirot book, and did not like the way he was portrayed this book compared to others. Either way, another win for Agatha.
February 22, 2016
I listened to Hugh Fraser narrate this book, the first mystery starring Captain Arthur Hastings and Hercule Poirot, and once again, his characters really came to life for me. It's hard to believe at times that it's only one person speaking in all the different roles. I wasn't sure how his Hercule Poirot would be, but he was fantastic. Only David Suchet could match/surpass Mr. Fraser's portrayal of the little Belgian detective.
Highly recommend this version!
Highly recommend this version!
March 29, 2018
I listened to the audiobook this time, but I couldn't deal with the narrator/reader. The bad Belgian accent, the bad male voices... it got too much. I think she's a well-known audiobook narrator, but not my style.
Read
December 20, 2013Unfortunately, I couldn't get past the narrator in this story as she sounded like she was talking from inside a phone booth. I'll try to see if my library network has another copy by a different narrator, so for now I'm putting this one aside.
April 19, 2016
(This was the Tantor Audio edition - I couldn't find one that looked the same here on Goodreads.)
I'm giving it four stars mostly for the highly entertaining reading of the audiobook. The mystery is pretty clever, too, though, and it's cool to see Poirot in his first appearance.
I'm giving it four stars mostly for the highly entertaining reading of the audiobook. The mystery is pretty clever, too, though, and it's cool to see Poirot in his first appearance.
March 21, 2018
I didn’t listened to this audio version. I couldn’t find the edition I did listen.
I like Poirot as a character. This story had engaging parts but I grew tired of the plethora of the ex machina and red herrings.
I like Poirot as a character. This story had engaging parts but I grew tired of the plethora of the ex machina and red herrings.
April 15, 2014
Going back and re-reading all the Poirot books. One down!
did-not-finish
August 13, 2016Started this on audio, but did not like the reader at all. Will try in another format.
May 11, 2016
4.5 stars..the audio version was well performed and kept me hooked!
November 13, 2017
Me gustó bastante pero no tanto como el único otro libro de Agatha Christie que leí hasta ahora (Murder on the Orient Express). Siempre el final sorprende en este tipo de historias.
November 16, 2017
I'm sure the story was better than it seemed... I don't think this was a very good audiobook production. It was hard for me to stay invested.
September 4, 2018
I plan to continue listening to the BBC radio drama series on Agatha Christie's books. On to The Murder on the Links!
February 6, 2020
Listened to as I read the book as part of the Agatha Christie Book of the Month for January 2020.
February 15, 2022
Really enjoy listening to the BBC Dramas
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews