The mystery of stiles, where is Pinocchio?

The mystery of vogue magazine is Agatha, the queen of detective stories? Christie's first novel. Written in 19 16, it is said that it was submitted to six publishing houses and was rejected. Will it be Bodley in the end? Bodley Hyde took over, but the conditions were very harsh, and she had to sell 2,000 copies to get the royalty share, of which Agatha only got 25 pounds.

However, every success starts from scratch. How can it be a journey of thousands of miles without accumulated steps? It is this first novel that started Agatha's writing career of more than 80 works in her life, which lasted for 59 years, thus establishing her lofty position as one of the three world-class detective reasoning masters. Relying on these works, she got a copyright fee as high as 400 million dollars, which is simply a miracle in the history of world literature! Below, let's share the wonderful reading experience brought by this work.

? ? 1. Happiness lies in misfortune and misfortune lies in happiness.

Mrs cavendish is lucky and in power. When she married Mr. cavendish, he lost his wife and took care of two children. Everything depended on this beautiful new lady. Before Mr. Wang died, he put a village? The villa and most of the property were left to her. Obviously, this arrangement is unfair to his two sons. Fortunately, John and Lawrence regarded her as their biological mother since childhood.

Is this beautiful? Villa is stiles Manor, and now the style of extended family continues in this manor. John, the eldest son, worked as a lawyer for some time, and now he has gone home to be a gentleman. He has only been married for two years. His wife, Mary, is a mixture of English and Russian. She is tall, slim and elegant. More specifically, her calm and self-sustaining appearance, elegant charm, charming charm, I am afraid that any man will have to secretly marvel and sigh when he sees her. She's so feminine! Lawrence, the second son of this family, is unmarried, eccentric and delicate. Now he has abandoned medicine and started a writer's dream in his hometown.

This year, Mrs. cavendish is 70 years old, generous and rich. She is busy with her favorite charity all day and is a celebrity in society. She is energetic and domineering, and won't listen to anyone. Isn't that, just three months ago, I married her personal assistant Alfred? Ingerspoo When I heard the decision, the whole family fainted almost immediately. I didn't expect this shrewd old fox to get lost in blind love!

Look, she can't finish these words in three sentences. "My Alfred, dear Alfred." Oh, that's disgusting. That guy is at least 20 years younger than her! She doesn't care, but now she has a new title: Mrs ingersoll.

"The man is obviously for her money! But what can it do? She has always been arbitrary and married. " Miss Howard has no regrets. She is a housekeeper and has been with her wife for many years. She is about 40 years old. She is tall, manly, loyal and has everything to say. "Whether you like it or not, I will warn you, don't pretend not to know that he wants to marry you! Don't let this bad blank pit be too many. Ask your dear Alfred, who often hangs out with Mrs. Rex on the nearby farm! "

No sooner had she quarreled with the hostess than she left the manor angrily with her luggage. To tell the truth, since Alfred entered this house, there is no one who doesn't dislike being awkward. Miss Howard has had enough. She wants to find another job. When I left, I left a stern advice: "When people are not looking, he will soon murder her in bed. Don't doubt what I said. You know, everyone in this family is a shark, and no one wants to make money from her. "

This kind housekeeper who tried her best to protect her master has done her best. Will the inherent security barrier really disappear after she leaves stiles Manor?

Facts speak plainer than words. Two days later, Mrs ingersoll died of poisoning. Is coffee or cocoa milk poisonous? The reason remains to be investigated.

The poison broke out in the middle of the night, and the lady cried for help in pain, but the door was bolted from the inside. No way, the family had to break into the house and watch helplessly as she waved her feet, and her cramped and curled-up body lost its last struggle ability ... It was after 5 o'clock in the morning.

This is the murder of Steels Manor. The victim was happy when she was Mrs. cavendish. However, as Mrs. ingersoll, who has just worked for three months, said, misfortune begins with happiness, which is exactly the old saying: happiness lies in troubles, and misfortune depends on troubles.

In addition to two maids (Dorcus and Anne), two gardeners (Old Manning and Little William) and Miss Howard, the housekeeper who ran away from home, the suspects in the case were initially locked in the above four family members (two stepsons, daughter-in-law and husband), a toxicologist (Dr. Balstein) and a young lady Cynthia.

Dr. Balstein is a good friend of his daughter-in-law Mary, and their relationship is unusual. It seems that the doctor is very fond of Mary with elegant temperament. Miss Cynthia is also a doctor. She works in the Red Cross Hospital in Ted Munster, 7 miles from the manor. She is an orphan, ward, or better yet, adopted daughter by her wife. The murderer is among these people.

? ? Second, six major doubts

Detective Poirot rushed to the scene as soon as he took over the case. He thinks there are six doubts. Before introducing these doubts, let's take a look at the room layout on the second floor of stiles Manor, which is the environment of the crime scene.

1, left wing: from top to bottom, the eldest son John? Cavendish, daughter-in-law Mary (Mrs. cavendish) and second son Lawrence? Cavendish's room, across the corridor is Hastings's room (John's good friend, Detective Poirot's assistant).

2. Right wing: Right in the middle is the victim's room, with her husband Alfred and adopted daughter Cynthia around? Miss Murdoch's room. It should be noted that the lady's room is connected with the left and right rooms through the inner door, which means that her room has three doors. At the time of the crime, all three doors were locked and bolted from the inside, which was a typical murder case in the secret room. That night, the husband stayed at a friend's house and didn't go home until the next morning. The adopted daughter fell asleep and knew nothing.

3. Corridor: It is the only passage connecting the left and right wings.

4. Door to the servant's room (door B): The servant lives in another area. When they get to the ladies' room, they must go through this door and the middle corridor. Dorcus, the maid, is in charge of the lady's daily life. There is a small table by the door. Every day, the cocoa milk that a lady wants to drink after dinner should be put here first, and sent to the hostess's room by Docas before going to bed.

The above is the structural diagram of the lady's room. Detective Poirot thinks that Mrs Poirot was poisoned by Shi Ning. He found six doubts in the room as follows:

1, a coffee cup crushed to pieces. I think it was crushed by someone's foot. I wonder if there is strychnine in the coffee cup fragments? Need to test

There is a small piece of dark green fiber hanging on the door handle. It must be the silk thread that fell from the murderer's sleeve, but no such green clothes were found in the manor.

There are a few drops of wax oil on the ground beside the desk. It may have been left when someone broke into the room and lit the fire. It's pink wax oil John was the first person who found out that his wife was wrong in the middle of the night and woke everyone up. He used pewter then. Three doors in the room were bolted from the inside. Why would someone come in with a red candle?

The stain on the carpet is quite wet, and you can smell coffee, which should be left by the broken cup. There is a small pot on the chest of drawers, which contains cocoa milk and rum. My wife has the habit of drinking a glass of milk before going to bed. The usual practice of Dokus, the servant, is to put cocoa milk on the small table at Gate B of the corridor after dinner every day and deliver it to his wife's room later. Did anyone poison cocoa milk between 7: 0015-8: 00 on the night of the murder? There is some salt powder on the tray. Miss Cynthia never drinks coffee with sugar.

There is a piece of burnt paper in the fireplace, which is part of the burnt will. I think my wife changed her new will that afternoon and asked two gardeners to sign it. The following are the fonts left on the ashes:

6. A suitcase with a key. The day before the crime, the key to the suitcase was lost, so the lady had to use the spare key. Her valuables, including her will, were all in the suitcase, and she never left her hand all day. But the key inserted in the suitcase at the murder scene was originally lost, and it reappeared. What's the killer looking for? Is it a new will? Detective Poirot immediately put away two keys, the suitcase was locked again, and the scene of the room was completely protected. It was on this premise that the pink suitcase was pried open again the next day. The murderer must be anxious to destroy any evidence that can obviously expose his identity. This move is an adventure at all costs, but it left a gilded record for solving the case, didn't it?

Third, the background before the incident

In order to find out the ins and outs of the incident, we need to explain several important events and clues that appeared before the incident:

1. Docas, the maid, confirmed that at 4 o'clock that afternoon, she heard the host and her husband arguing fiercely in the study. The lady roared, "How dare you lie to me without telling me! Don't think that I am afraid that this scandal between husband and wife will spread, so I will give in. " What scandal is this? You mean the rumor between her husband and the beautiful young woman on the nearby farm?

Daughter-in-law Mary confirmed that she occasionally heard quarrels in the afternoon. Later, she came to the study to see a piece of manuscript paper in her mother-in-law's hand, but the other party wouldn't let her see it. Is it a scandal related to John? Mary has been worried about her husband's cheating because the relationship between them is not as good as it seems.

3. After the quarrel, Mrs. Wang did two things: First, she immediately revised her will and invited two gardeners downstairs (Manning and William) to testify. As for how the will was changed, I'm afraid I'll never know who will inherit the property this time, because it has been burned to ashes in the fireplace. Secondly, she wrote four letters, one of which was positive: one was addressed to Miss Howard, the housekeeper, asking her to forgive and come back to the manor. Another letter to the family lawyer, telling her that she changed her will again.

4. What happened after dinner: The daughter-in-law poured a cup of coffee for everyone, seven cups, and the daughter-in-law's cup was sent upstairs by Alfred himself. Later, the husband left home to discuss the rent with the agent and didn't come home all night. He has a perfect alibi.

There are three lines about the source of strychnine: (1) The drugstore clerk in Tadminster confirmed that Alfred bought strychnine a few days ago, but signed John's name in the hospital record book. (2) On the afternoon of the incident, the second son Lawrence accompanied Hastings to visit Miss Cynthia's Red Cross Hospital, and his fingerprints were left on the vial containing strychnine. They were not together at that time, and Lawrence stayed alone in the pharmacy for only five minutes. After all, he studied medicine for a while. (3) The tonic your wife often drinks contains strychnine. This prescription was made by a family doctor. The old lady has received several courses of treatment. She had finished drinking it two days before the incident and had not made a new one. An empty medicine box was found at the scene. There is no pharmacist's name on the label, except one sentence: "If necessary, take a dose before bed, Mrs. ingersoll."

The above is the whole story and important clues of the murder case. Seeing this, do you think everyone is involved?

Who the hell is the murderer? The police are also undecided about this. First of all, Alfred, who was most suspected and hated by everyone, was taken away and put back; Next, Dr. Balstein, a frequent visitor to stiles Manor, has not yet been determined; Finally, stepson John was also accused by the court. ...

? Fourth, who is the murderer?

Is it one of the two stepsons? Mr. cavendish made a will when he was alive: after their stepmother died, all the properties were inherited by the eldest son John, leaving only a considerable sum of money for the second son Lawrence. However, according to English law, after the wife remarries, this will has automatically become invalid. To this end, the family lawyer's latest will was made in August last year, and she wanted to leave all her property to her stepson John. Nowadays, the life of the two brothers is very bleak, and they often borrow money to live. To put it bluntly, it is a serious lack of money.

Was the murderer Alfred, the second husband? After the old lady remarried three months ago, her will changed immediately. She decided to leave all her property to her favorite assistant Alfred. This is the only latest will (except the one that was burned at the time of committing the crime). He is always obedient and meticulous to her, taking care of her, and her wife is really sorry for her husband's inheritance. Now, his wife has been killed, but his little husband Alfred is not sad at all. Perhaps, as everyone said, he has been looking forward to the day when the pie falls from the sky.

Miss Cynthia, is it possible? After her parents died, she was adopted by her wife. Will she bite the hand that feeds her? This young girl is in charge of poison management in the hospital, and she is fully qualified to get strychnine. In addition, on the night of the murder, she slept soundly and knew nothing about the cry for help and the fall of the bedside table next door. Fortunately, Mary came to wake her up, and she knew that there had been an accident. How can I sleep so dead? Is she pretending?

Dr. Balstein doesn't doubt it? He is a good friend of his daughter-in-law Mary and a frequent visitor at home. That's not true. On the night of the murder, the doctor rescued him in time without anyone knowing. Did he know anything beforehand? You know, Mary and John's marriage life is not harmonious internally. She is willing to let the doctor come often. Is this elegant, charming and inscrutable daughter-in-law an accomplice? Remember, she lied during the investigation. From the position of her room, she couldn't hear the sound of the bedside table falling in her mother-in-law's room. ...

Is Miss Howard, the housekeeper, really that cute? She could have done this: resigned on the pretence, and then sneaked back late at night to kill. After receiving the news of his wife's death the next day, he rushed back to the manor again in tears. It should be added here that the only one who is sad and swollen is the housekeeper after his wife was unfortunately killed. Think about it, no stepson, no daughter-in-law, no adopted daughter, no husband crying. Are these rare tears from Miss Howard's heart, or are they just for show?

In addition to the suspects who committed the crime alone listed above, we should also consider whether there is collusion in this case. For example, the possibility of collusion between the eldest son and his daughter-in-law, the second son and his adopted daughter, and the two stepsons; Also, the daughter-in-law Mary joined hands with Dr. Balstein, and the husband committed the crime with the housekeeper or maid. ...

Well, after analyzing so much, do you feel at a loss? Everyone is like a murderer. No one has left any conclusive evidence against him, but no one is innocent. This is the strangeness of this case. In fact, this is the greatest charm of Agatha's novels, isn't it?

Five, the characteristics of the novel and some thoughts.

1, the position of mysterious events in styles. Is that Agatha? Christie's debut, also detective Hercule? Hercule poirot made his first appearance. After that, Poirot became the protagonist in most of her works until her death in the book The Curtain (also known as The Killer Behind the Scene) published by 1975. Poirot is the most outstanding and popular detective in the history of literature, second only to Sherlock Holmes. Agatha started writing at the age of 26 until she died at the age of 85. It is said that she later complained in her autobiography that she didn't expect her writing career to last so long, otherwise she wouldn't have designed Poirot so old.

2. This book is Agatha's first novel, inspired by her experience as a volunteer ambulanceman in a hospital during World War I. It was written in 19 16, and was rejected for six times, and was not published until 1920. Since then, it has been out of control and embarked on a brilliant creative peak. On average, she wrote one work a year and 80 novels in her life. Every story is unique, fascinating and never repeated. We can't help wondering, what is going on in this woman's mind?

? After Einstein died, Dr. Thomas? Harvey stole his brain for scientific research, hoping to find the genius The Secret Behind. As a result, bad things turned into good things, and now Einstein's brain is collected in the Monte Museum in Philadelphia, USA, which has become a valuable asset for the study of high IQ brains all over the world. We have every reason to believe that Agatha's brain and wisdom, without textual research, are of course incomparable.

3. This case sets a good example for the recognized traditional detective stories. Different from the typical crime of isolated island mode in uninhabited, she initiated the "country house case". This means stories often happen to a limited number of people. On the outside, this is a quiet and harmonious small world, but in fact, people are intrigued with each other, hiding all kinds of criminal roots. Reading makes people feel that everyone seems to be a criminal, full of mazes, eager to solve mysteries, which makes the novel highlight its unique artistic charm.

4. Art comes from life. Each of Agatha's novels is full of strong English country flavor, or exotic flavor. In fact, this writing style is related to her personal love of travel. Travel has brought her rich inspiration. The tragedy on the Nile is her work 1937. If she hadn't been there, I'm afraid it would be difficult to paint a vivid picture of Egypt where the sun and the coast are intertwined. It is said that Murder on the Orient Express, which is widely loved by the world, was written by her in a hotel in Istanbul. The fascinating and delicate descriptions in the book are the author's real life experiences. In her works, Agatha can seamlessly combine fictional stories with rich exotic customs in reality, which is really admirable!

5. What are the advantages of reading detective mystery novels? Many people think that there are many bloody scenes in detective novels, which make people too scared to read them. In fact, unlike horror novels, they don't attract people's attention through scary scenes. The biggest feature of detective novels is to let readers be detectives, seek the truth from doubts and participate in the whole process of solving crimes personally. From this point of view, the benefits of reading detective mystery novels are obvious. The process of clear the clouds and detailed analysis is helpful to practice our logical analysis thinking and prevent the brain from aging too fast.

Agatha wrote more than 80 detective stories in her life. If we read a book in Harle, it will take seven years to finish it. If so, it can really delay the aging of our brains for seven years. What a good choice!

Mystery of style: People's Literature Publishing House.

Fashion Mystery event movie Edition: 1990, Ross Devenish (director)