This novella, part detective story, part mystery, manages to whet the appetite, but do little else. The incredible pacing of the novel is both a detriment and a virtue, and the character of Poirot is interesting, but ultimately infuriating. Overall, "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" has all of the elements of classic Agatha Christie novel, but it fails to be little more than a one-dimensional narrative, the type of which one can see on CSI or NCIS.