"Captain Arthur Hastings is wounded and sent home from WW1. He meets his friend John Cavendish, who offers him a stay at his (or rather his step-mother's)house, called, "Styles." Hastings accecpts and so they go there. Hastings is introduced to the other members of the household, which include Mr. Inglethorp, the new husband of Mrs. Cavendish (John's step-mother.) No one likes him, except his wife, and no one trusts him. Naturally, when Mrs. Inglethorp is murdered about a week after Hastings arrives, everyone suspects Mr. Inglethorp. Enter Hercule Poirot, the famous Belgian detective, who was recently refugeed to England from the War. This interesting case was Poirot's first in England, and it will begin his long career there... "
Danielle, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of The Mysterious Affair At Styles
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases - 20% Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20% How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Challenging
- Very obvious
Time/era of story:
- 1930's-1950's
- 1900-1920's
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 40%
- 50%
Special suspect?
- lover
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- "All in the family" murder
Kind of investigator
- british mystery (I say!)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- searching for missing person
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- unemployed
Age:
- 20's-30's
- 40's-50's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- unemployed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
City?
Yes
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 1
Unusual forms of death
- poisoning
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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