The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie Annotated Edition

The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1921) was the first novel published by English author Agatha Christie, who is widely considered to be the queen of detective fiction. As well as introducing Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective persuaded out of retirement, the novel also introduces Inspector Japp and Poirot's friend Arthur Hastings. Poirot was inspired by the Belgian soldiers whom Christie encountered while working as a nurse in World War I, and also by the Belgian refugees she met while living in Torquay, a fishing town on the southeast coast of England.