I know a book is going to be good when it begins like this:
“A long time ago, in another country, I nearly killed a woman. It’s a particular feeling, the urge to murder. It takes over your body so completely, it’s like a divine force, grabbing hold of your will, your limbs, your psyche. There’s a joy to it. In retrospect, it’s frightening, but I daresay in the moment it feels sweet. The way justice feels sweet.”
Part mystery, part biographical fiction, The Christie Affair is a clever, mesmerizing read written by a talented novelist. Nina de Gramont brilliantly weaves together two storylines, that of Agatha Christie, and the backstory of her husband’s mistress, Nan O’Dea. I read the book and listened to the audiobook. Both were splendid. 4.5 stars.
Synopsis:
The Christie Affair is a reimagining of one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the twentieth century. At 9:30 pm on December 3, 1926, English crime novelist Agatha Christie kissed her sleeping seven-year-old daughter, Rosalind, goodnight and then she climbed into her car and drove off into the night. She would not be seen again for 11 days. More than a thousand police officers, hundreds of civilians, and even airplanes searched for her. Rumors circulated that she had either committed suicide, been murdered by her philandering husband, or disappeared as a publicity stunt to promote her new book. Christie never spoke about the missing eleven days of her life.
Published Date: February 1, 2022
Genre: Biographical fiction, historical fiction, historical mystery
Read-alikes: The Seven Husbands or Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline, Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen, The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict.