MobileRead Discussion: The Mysterious Affair At Styles by Agatha Christie (spoilers)

[JSWolf]

I did enjoy the fact that the book did not feel outdated. It was a fun read. I liked how it took you in one direction and then you found yourself going another direction without knowing it.

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by Patricia

I believe that it was Wilkie Collins who first established the "fair play" rule in The Moonstone. The reader is given all the information necessary to solve the problem themself, unlike Conan Doyle's stories.

I feel that it cheats the readers if they aren't given a fair chance to solve the puzzle for themselves.

It doesn't really bother me for some reason. But like I said earlier, I just sit back and enjoy the show

[BenG]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

If I am correct isn't Agatha Christie still the best selling author of all time?

BOb

I think she was listed as such in the Guinness Book of World Records.

[hike_gc]

I don't remember reading any other Agatha Christie novels although I do like older literature. One of the reasons I like the older novels is they are more intellectual and allow you to use your imagination more than some of the more modern literature. Every now and then I pick up a more recently written mystery and too many of them are way too graphic. Needless to say, my chosen genre I read the most is classics.

I did have trouble getting into this book and at one point sort of guessed "who done it", then changed my mind as the various characters were either under suspicion or cleared. I also thought the plot was a bit implausible. Several inexperienced people suddenly working as spies? And two of them just for the adventure?

I would like to read Charlie Chan and Dorothy Sayers. I've downloaded Chan from this site but haven't looked for Dorothy yet.

So many books, so little time.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by hike_gc

Every now and then I pick up a more recently written mystery and too many of them are way too graphic.

Have you investigated Cozy mysteries?

BOb

[PennyPie]

Bob....Thanks! Cozy Mystery's site is very nice...just the kind of mysteries I enjoy reading...didn't know someone had come up with a name for them...just right.

[hike_gc]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Have you investigated Cozy mysteries?

BOb

That is a great site!

[JeremyZ]

Well, I am WAY late to this party. My mom, sister, and maternal grandparents all loved Agatha Christie when I was a young lad in the 80s.

Just for the heck of it, I looked her up on Wikipedia.

Those are some impressive stats!

- Bestselling author of any kind, alongside Shakespeare. Outsold only by the bible! (roughly 4 billion copies!)
- Translated into at least 56 languages
- Wrote 80 detective novels, along with plays & short stories

J.K. Rowling has a ways to go before she can hope to catch up! I personally don't think she'll have the staying power of Christie.

[Panda Rose]

I couln't download this to my sony. It had an attirbute error. apparently "no split". What does that mean and how do I rectify it. I am using Calibre.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Panda Rose

I couln't download this to my sony. It had an attirbute error. apparently "no split". What does that mean and how do I rectify it. I am using Calibre.

Not sure what it means. FWIW that book (assuming you're using the ePub) works fine when copied over by the Sony software.

[JeremyZ]

I finished reading this the other day. It was a good book, and I believe this was her first attempt. To those who have read more of Chritie's work, how do the later works compare to this one? I liked it, but would have been disappointed if it were a $10 download. $1 was a great deal.

I don't like Poirot. His character is well-written, of course, but the guy is a jerk. I'm curious now what Miss Marple is like.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give this book about a 6, but I'm not a die-hard mystery fan. I much prefer Sherlock Holmes' character. Doyle's writing style is more colorful, but that may be because he was from an earlier era. I've finished reading half of his works before I got my K2, and in every case I can recall, the reader had all the information Holmes did. Doyle just didn't draw attention to each clue.

Lastly, to me, full-length mysteries seem to draw on a bit too long. This one is about as long as I'd want a mystery. I REALLY enjoyed Doyle's Holmes short stories. He cut right to the chase.

I also like that there is more physical action in the Holmes' stories. This one just had the characters walking around talking most of the time. No quarrels in this one along the way.

To be fair, I will read more of Christie's works. I've read her first one, now I'll cut to one of her best-loved ones next. Probably 10 Little Indians / and then There Were None

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by JeremyZ

I finished reading this the other day. It was a good book, and I believe this was her first attempt. To those who have read more of Chritie's work, how do the later works compare to this one? I liked it, but would have been disappointed if it were a $10 download. $1 was a great deal.

I don't like Poirot. His character is well-written, of course, but the guy is a jerk. I'm curious now what Miss Marple is like.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give this book about a 6, but I'm not a die-hard mystery fan. I much prefer Sherlock Holmes' character. Doyle's writing style is more colorful, but that may be because he was from an earlier era. I've finished reading half of his works before I got my K2, and in every case I can recall, the reader had all the information Holmes did. Doyle just didn't draw attention to each clue.

Lastly, to me, full-length mysteries seem to draw on a bit too long. This one is about as long as I'd want a mystery. I REALLY enjoyed Doyle's Holmes short stories. He cut right to the chase.

I also like that there is more physical action in the Holmes' stories. This one just had the characters walking around talking most of the time. No quarrels in this one along the way.

To be fair, I will read more of Christie's works. I've read her first one, now I'll cut to one of her best-loved ones next. Probably 10 Little Indians / and then There Were None

I LOVED "And Then There Were None!!!" Why did you pay $1 for this one though? It's free on here.

You might like Miss Marple better. She's very kindly. Poirot is arrogant, but I find it amusing. Christie didn't though, his character drove her insane.