When an army captain, on leave during the first world war, visits a family friend for the weekend at their country pile in Essex, he is hoping for some sunny respite from the frontline. Captain Hastings and John Cavendish are childhood friends, so Hastings is well acquainted with his family, who also include John’s brother Lawrence and their stepmother Emily.

The widowed Emily, we learn, has recently married Alfred Inglethorp, an American 20 years her junior, much to the ire of her children who believe him to be a gold digger. One night, Emily is taken ill and cries out from her bed. By the time Hastings and Lawrence arrive on the scene – they are forced to break down the door, as it is locked from the inside – she is dead. The next morning Hastings announces he has called a friend to investigate: a moustached Belgian named Hercule Poirot.

Published in 1920, The Mysterious Affair at Styles is the first novel by Agatha Christie and comes laden with her future trademarks: a body, a detective, assorted red herrings and a tense drawing room reveal. This audio edition, skilfully adapted by Anna Lea and featuring music by Johnny Flynn, is a starry ensemble piece with Harriet Walter as the complex, ill-fated Emily, Himesh Patel as the inquisitive Hastings, who is still in recovery after “taking some shrapnel”, and Baby Reindeer’s Jessica Gunning as Emily’s friend Evie. But the real star here is Peter Dinklage whose Poirot has a rich, resonant voice and a charisma underpinned by just the right amount of conceit.

Available via Audible Originals, 3hr 53min.

Further listening

The Place of Tides
James Rebanks, Penguin Audio, 7hr 26min
Bryan Dick narrates The Shepherd’s Life author’s tale of a remarkable encounter on a remote Norwegian island.

Out of Character
Alison Steadman, HarperCollins, 10hr 39min
In which the actor looks back on her stage and screen career, from Abigail’s Party and Nuts in May to Gavin and Stacey. Read by the author.