The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

Summary:

In 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days. Only I know the truth of her disappearance.
I’m no Hercule Poirot.
I’m her husband’s mistress.

Agatha Christie’s world is one of glamorous society parties, country house weekends, and growing literary fame.

Nan O’Dea’s world is something very different. Her attempts to escape a tough London upbringing during the Great War led to a life in Ireland marred by a hidden tragedy.

After fighting her way back to England, she’s set her sights on Agatha. Because Agatha Christie has something Nan wants. And it’s not just her husband.

Despite their differences, the two women will become the most unlikely of allies. And during the mysterious eleven days that Agatha goes missing, they will unravel a dark secret that only Nan holds the key to . . .

Nina de Gramont’s The Christie Affair is a stunning novel which reimagines the unexplained eleven-day disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926 that captivated the world.

My Review:

Just mentioning the name Agatha Christie and you can conjure up in your mind all the great mystery novels but how many really know what happened in early December 1926 when Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days. The Christie Affair (Mantle) by Nina de Gramont imagines the story of her disappearance.

Agatha Christie wrote many classic mystery novels, but this was a mystery that involved the great writer herself. What Nina de Gramont has written is a superb imagining of what led up to the writer just taking off late one evening telling no-one where she was going but she did take her trusted typewriter with her. But this is a story not just about Agatha Christie but what really led up to her disappearance and the story is about Nan O’Dea whose own life is the complete opposite of Agatha Christie herself. Nan O’Dea’s own life was tough from a young age, and she saw something that she really wanted as the writer’s life was more glamorous than her own.

Agatha married Archie Christie on Christmas Eve 1914 but in 1926 he admitted that he was involved with another woman, and this was the spark for her disappearance as she left the family home which sparks a media frenzy about her disappearance. I found the first part of the story was a bit slow but the second half which is about Agatha’s disappearance really picked up the pace and this is where the Nina de Gramont storytelling will excite readers. There are a number of characters that you get to meet which a fascinating and really make the novel.

The story of Agatha Christie’s disappearance in early December 1926 is enthralling and The Christie Affair is an entertaining read and a real mystery to get to grips with as the story comes to a thrilling climax. If you are an Agatha Christie fan, then this is one book I would recommend.

368 Pages.

The Christie Affair is published by Mantle and is now available in hardback through Waterstones, Amazon and through your local independent bookshop or through Bookshop.org that supports your local independent bookshop. UK Bookshop.org