The Mysterious Affair At Styles

Apr 30, 2025 1:03 PM

Author:Agatha Christie,John Moffatt,Simon Williams,Philip Jackson,Full Cast

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.

Reviews

The best thriller for years

—— Sunday Telegraph

His best yet: a fast paced thriller, pulsing with suspense, that surpasses even the expertly handled tensions and twists of Fatherland

—— Sunday Times

Robert Harris confirms his position as Britain's pre-eminent literary thriller writer with Archangel

—— The Times

A really gripping narrative, full of suspense and unexpected turns, which will keep you hooked until the climax on its final page... I have never read a thriller based in Russia which has such an authentic feel

—— Evening Standard

Archangel is Harris's strongest book yet, confirming him as the leading current exponent of the intelligent literary thriller

—— The Times

As the suspense builds, the reader needs to turn the pages ever faster... with Harris's controlling foot on the narrative pedal, the reader has no choice but to ride, enthralled, towards the plunging abyss

—— Observer

I remained immersed in this marvellous book until its culmination arrived with depressing swiftness...Readers of Archangel are in for an exciting ride. They will also learn a lot

—— Literary Review

Nerve tingling... nobody is more adept... a talent for heart-poundingly tense story-telling and an ability to conjure up atmospheres almost palpable with menace

—— Sunday Times

A fast-paced and unsettling story ... A compelling and fluid read

—— The Daily Telegraph

The writing is lean and mean, and the climax will blow you away

—— The Independent

Compelling

—— Daily Mirror

a taut, mystical thriller and a thoughtful meditation on humanity

—— Philip Womack , Daily Telegraph

Burnside's story uses suggestion and ambiguity rather than explicit statement, but has the power that comes from leaving plenty of space in which the reader's imagination can go to work

—— Nick Rennison , Sunday Times

remarkable, genre-defying...Glister is a remarkable book...a fusion of styles and genres, and it succeeds magnificently on those terms...powerfully imagines and beautifully written...A haunting tale, not as depressing as you might expect, and highly recommended

—— Simon Appleby , www.bookgeeks.co.uk

Writing 'this dreamy melange of gritty urbanism with poetic crime puzzler, will appeal to the right reader very highly

—— The Book Bag

A dark fable

—— Colin Waters , Sunday Herald

Burnside's writing conveys an almost palpable thrill of discovery, a delight in the play of his imagination over this bleak terrain, an irrepressible joy in cultivating metaphor after metaphor and seeing them all, improbably, bloom...The emotion this brilliant and disturbing novel leaves you with is like the spooked feeling Leonard experiences...It takes your breath away, but you don't know if that comes from awe or terror. The Glister" is that kind of story. It's terrifying, and it feels like a gift.

—— Terrence Rafferty , www.nytimes.com

I'm a year late (quite punctual, for me) in recommending John Burnside's austerely poetic novel

—— David Mitchell , Guardian

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