I liked how the pieces of the story fell into place and that there were some intriguing twists along the way. The mystery set in the hotel was cleverly done and I enjoyed this strand of the book it certainly felt closest to Christie’s own style and the pacing as the novel raced towards its denouement definitely gathered pace and held my interest. These might be a good next stop if you finish ‘The Christie Affair’ wanting more!Īs for me, there was lots about this novel that I loved. This isn’t the first time that a book has focused on this mysterious period in Christie’s life – I enjoyed Andrew Wilson’s ‘A Talent for Murder’ and I have my eye on ‘The Mystery of Mrs Christie’ by Marie Benedict. The story becomes one of Nan’s own past and personal tragedy – an Irish lover and a dark secret – that has ongoing repercussions for all involved.

This one is narrated by Nan O’Dea, mistress to Christie’s husband, Archie. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy of this book, to be published in January 2022.Īs Agatha Christie never revealed where she went in those missing 11 days, Nina de Gramont has plenty of scope to imagine a plot every bit as twisty as Christie’s own novels. Martin's Press, 320 pages, $27.99.I love crime novels – especially Agatha Christie’s – so jumped at the chance to read this fictionalised account of the period during 1926 when Christie disappeared for 11 days. It's 1926, the year Christie actually did disappear for more than a week after husband Archie left her for his secretary, Nancy Neele (de Gramont uses real names but changed Neele's).Ĭhristie never explained her disappearance, which has inspired many speculative accounts, including the film 'Agatha.' Eventually, we discover that de Gramont has concocted an intriguing if implausible theory, but it's a struggle getting there because Christie, the lone sympathetic person in the story, is only a minor character and because O'Dea is such a confusing narrator.ĭe Gramont spends far too much time on O'Dea's repetitive back story, invents a murder mystery but gives us no clues to solve it, muddles the timeline and, worst of all, has O'Dea describing events for which she could not have been present and diving into the thought processes of people she doesn't even know. Nina de Gramont's narrator is secretary Nan O'Dea, who is having an affair with her boss, the husband of mystery writer Agatha Christie. It boasts many lyrical sentences, particularly in the final chapter, but 'The Christie Affair' feels like it was abandoned in the middle of the editing process.

Review of the christie affair