An elderly, wealthy woman. A new husband, twenty years her junior. A new will. A slighted stepson. A poisoned cup of coffee. It’s mystery time in the Reading Challenge!

I checked off the line for “a mystery or thriller” and read the very first Hercule Poirot novel by the amazing Agatha Christie! The Mysterious Affair at Styles is a classic whodunit, from the elegant mansion to the locked doors to the scraps of fiber from an unknown article of clothing. I loved all the twists and turns, and was continually guessing at who the murderer(s) might have been. My opinion kept changing right till the very end, and I was still wrong! I loved the way Poirot carefully kept the important pieces of information from our narrator until the very end, at which point he gathered the entire family together in what Futurama perfectly spoofed once as “the accusing parlor.”

I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and it was much easier to read than I was expecting, particularly if you’re used to the sort of period language used in many classics. Mystery fans and fans of classic whodunit should definitely read this one! In fact, I finished this one so fast that I immediately located another Poirot novel on my library’s eBook site and dove in, planning for the next review to be “a book you can finish in a day.”