Listen to this episode before you read The Mysterious Affair at Styles.

Join Caitlin and Chad as they discuss the historical contexts surrounding the creation of Agatha Christie's beloved character, Hercule Poirot. You'll get tips on how to read the book, where to read the book, and what to look out for as you read.   

This is a spoiler-free episode.

You can read The Mysterious Affair at Styles for free on Project Gutenberg and listen to the book for free on the Phoebe Reads a Mystery podcast. 

Listen to The Mysterious Affair at Styles reading playlist on Spotify (curated by us) as you read. 

Want to share your thoughts about Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot, or anything else we mention? Email us or send us an audio recording at [email protected].

Theme Music: The Black Cat by Aaron Kenny.

Sources:

• “About Agatha Christie - the World’s Best-Selling Novelist.” The World’s Best-Selling Novelist - Agatha Christie, www.agathachristie.com/about-christie#christies-life. Accessed 18 Aug. 2023. 
• Christie, Agatha. “The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie - Reading Guide: 9780525565109 - Penguinrandomhouse.Com: Books.” PenguinRandomhouse.Com, Knopf, www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/27561/the-mysterious-affair-at-styles-by-agatha-christie/9780525565109/readers-guide/. Accessed 18 Aug. 2023. 
• “How Belgian Refugees Kept the British Army Going during the First World War.” Imperial War Museums, www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-belgian-refugees-kept-the-british-army-going-during-the-first-world-war. Accessed 18 Aug. 2023. 
• ​​The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Essex.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 17 July 2023, www.britannica.com/place/Essex-county-England. 
• “The Mysterious Affair at Styles.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Aug. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mysterious_Affair_at_Styles. 
• “A Note from an Agatha Christie Purist.” Agatha Christie, 25 May 2017, www.agathachristie.com/news/2017/a-note-from-an-agatha-christie-purist#:~:text=Moustaches%20were%20a%20symbol%20of,King%20Albert%20I%20of%20Belgium. 
• “Refugees: Tracing the Belgian Refugees.” Imperial War Museums, www.iwm.org.uk/history/refugees-tracing-the-belgian-refugees. Accessed 18 Aug. 2023. 
• “Trench Warfare.” National WWI Museum and Memorial, www.theworldwar.org/learn/about-wwi/trench-warfare#:~:text=The%20trench%20systems%20on%20the,not%20in%20a%20continuous%20line. Acc&