Historical

The Christie Affair

The Christie Affair

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  • Create Date：2022-02-14 08:21:37
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Nina de Gramont
  • ISBN：B092T9DMJ5
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Summary

Nina de Gramont's The Christie Affair is a beguiling novel of star-crossed lovers， heartbreak， revenge， and murder—and a brilliant re-imagination of one of the most talked-about unsolved mysteries of the twentieth century。

Every story has its secrets。
Every mystery has its motives。

“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。”

The greatest mystery wasn’t Agatha Christie’s disappearance in those eleven infamous days， it’s what she discovered。

London， 1925: In a world of townhomes and tennis matches， socialites and shooting parties， Miss Nan O’Dea became Archie Christie’s mistress， luring him away from his devoted and well-known wife， Agatha Christie。

The question is， why？ Why destroy another woman’s marriage， why hatch a plot years in the making， and why murder？ How was Nan O’Dea so intricately tied to those eleven mysterious days that Agatha Christie went missing？

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Reviews

Jeanne ，

Best story I've read in a long time！ Best story I've read in a long time！ 。。。more

Anne Day ，

I had ordered the CD version of this book for a blind， 92 year old relative， and wanted to read it first to make sure it was "age appropriate" with no wild sex scenes。 Was safe in that respect， but I found the story jumped around a lot， past， present and back again， granted a twist at the end。 But I've read better。 Just hoping the audio is better for my relative。 I had ordered the CD version of this book for a blind， 92 year old relative， and wanted to read it first to make sure it was "age appropriate" with no wild sex scenes。 Was safe in that respect， but I found the story jumped around a lot， past， present and back again， granted a twist at the end。 But I've read better。 Just hoping the audio is better for my relative。 。。。more

Amanda - Mrs B's Book Reviews ，

*RTC

Kenneth Godsey ，

Even if fictional， I wanted to get to know Agatha and definitely enjoyed it。 The characters who didn’t give proper respect to the lives of those around them infuriated me as much as in real life。

Meg ，

Ended up liking this more than I expected， though I think the whole "why？" could have come sooner。 Ended up liking this more than I expected， though I think the whole "why？" could have come sooner。 。。。more

Anuja Deshpande ，

Stunningly written！ And so many twists！ A truly satisfying （and at times heartbreaking） read。

Angela N ，

4。5 stars。 I figured out some of the mysteries and was surprised by others。 I felt the ending kinda fizzled but it was a fun read。

Renata ，

This was just ok for me， but not a fan。 I just couldn't buy into a "what if" story built around the well known author whose family （grandson and great grandson specifically） is still alive to read about fabricated affairs of their kin。 And that she used the first name of Agatha's husband's mistress in the story。。why？ Give me a historic fiction about people who died a long time ago， but not ones of more recent generations。I did like this quote: "When Finbarr rode by， he'd pretend to tip the hat h This was just ok for me， but not a fan。 I just couldn't buy into a "what if" story built around the well known author whose family （grandson and great grandson specifically） is still alive to read about fabricated affairs of their kin。 And that she used the first name of Agatha's husband's mistress in the story。。why？ Give me a historic fiction about people who died a long time ago， but not ones of more recent generations。I did like this quote: "When Finbarr rode by， he'd pretend to tip the hat he wasn't wearing。 I have never liked people who constantly smile， as if they think everything's funny。 But Finbarr smiled differently， not out of amusement， but happiness。 As if he liked the world and enjoyed being in it。 Aunt Rosie said some people are just born happy。 I think that's the luckiest thing。 If you're sunny inside， you never have to worry about the weather。"Also， "I love you， Nan。 Wait for me。" "As if I'd ever do anything else。" 。。。more

Judith ，

Second book this week that I really didn’t like。 Not sure why I bought it， but that’s why I read it！

Book Nerd ，

Overall: 3 star reviewSummary: There were 11 days when Agatha Christie disappeared from her home after her husband announced he was leaving her for another woman。 This is the story behind that disappearance。 My thoughts:I thought this book was going to be great。 But it was slow paced and quite boring。 I also did not think the ending really provided me closure。 There were a lot of things left unanswered and hanging in the air。 I also found the jumping timelines and POVs confusing at times。 The st Overall: 3 star reviewSummary: There were 11 days when Agatha Christie disappeared from her home after her husband announced he was leaving her for another woman。 This is the story behind that disappearance。 My thoughts:I thought this book was going to be great。 But it was slow paced and quite boring。 I also did not think the ending really provided me closure。 There were a lot of things left unanswered and hanging in the air。 I also found the jumping timelines and POVs confusing at times。 The story was well-written， and the plot was unique。 I think what makes it unique is the POVs。 The point of view was mainly of Nan O’Dea， the mistress partly responsible for breaking up Agatha’s marriage。 I found it interesting that the author made Agatha not the main character。 Since it was not Agatha providing the details of her disappearance， we rely on the narrator’s imagination/re-telling of it。 I think the author missed the point of the story that we really wanted- Agatha’s。 Even after getting Nan’s backstory， she still appears to be the villain。 She described Agatha （beloved to her readers） as something we all know she was not。 I wanted more details of her disappearance， but what I got was Nan’s backstory。 I was a little disappointed in that。 。。。more

Sujoya ，

3。5/5Nina de Gramont's The Christie Affair is a fictionalized account of a chapter from the renowned author Ms。 Agatha Christies’s own life。 On December 3， 1926， Ms。 Agatha Christie disappeared from her home leaving her husband and young daughter behind only to resurface eleven days later at a hotel in Harrogate where she had been staying under an assumed name。 Needless to say， her disappearance made national news and led to a nationwide search。 To this day there is no public knowledge of the ev 3。5/5Nina de Gramont's The Christie Affair is a fictionalized account of a chapter from the renowned author Ms。 Agatha Christies’s own life。 On December 3， 1926， Ms。 Agatha Christie disappeared from her home leaving her husband and young daughter behind only to resurface eleven days later at a hotel in Harrogate where she had been staying under an assumed name。 Needless to say， her disappearance made national news and led to a nationwide search。 To this day there is no public knowledge of the events that transpired over those eleven days。 As the story begins we meet Colonel Archibald （Archie） Christie who is embroiled in an affair with Miss Nan O’Dea。 Agatha is aware of the relationship between Nan， whom she knows and her husband Archie but remains hopeful that her marriage can be saved。“She loved her husband。 After twelve years of marriage， she loved him blindly and hopefully， as if in her thirty-six years of life she’d learned nothing about the world。”Archie， leaving on a weekend with Nan， informs Agatha of his intentions to leave her and end their marriage。 Shocked and heartbroken， Agatha packs her bags and drives off in her car leaving her daughter with Honoria， her secretary and her daughter’s nanny， and a note for Archie。 She is nowhere to be found and subsequently， the discovery of her abandoned car leads to a nationwide search for the missing author。 Archie is distraught， the police get involved， the disappearance makes national news with famous figures like Dorothy Sayers and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle also contributing to the efforts。 Nan is asked to lay low for sake of public image。 She travels to Harrogate and books a stay at the Bellefort Hotel and Spa where we meet a host of interesting characters and another mystery is introduced into the narrative。The story is narrated by Archie’s mistress Miss Nan O’Dea （a character based on Ms。 Nancy Neele who would late become Archie Christie's second wife）。 The timeline shifts between the past and present with much of the past narrative focused on Nan’s story beginning from her early years with her family in England， summers spent in Ireland on her Uncle’s farm and her first love Finbarr Mahoney and gradually we are made aware of how her past ties in with her relationship with the Christies and the events unfolding in the present。 The present-day narrative （also told from Nan’s POV） follows Nan ， Agatha and all the other characters through the duration of Ms。 Christie’s disappearance。 “In the history of the world there’s been one story a man tells his mistress。 He doesn’t love his wife， perhaps never loved her at all。 There’s been no sex for years， not a whisper of it。 His marriage is absent passion， absent affection， absent joy。 A barren and miserable place。 He stays for the children， or for money， or for propriety。 It’s a matter of convenience。 The new lover is his only respite。”This story， for the most part， revolves around the themes of love， marriage， infidelity and revenge。 I found the element of mystery within a mystery quite interesting。 In fact， I enjoyed this second mystery （reminiscent of Agatha Christie's work） more than the primary narrative。 I would have enjoyed this novel more if there would have been a little more focus on Agatha’s story。 Though the book is called "The Christie Affair”， at times it seemed Agatha Christie was in a supporting role with Nan O’ Dea as the protagonist of the novel。 Not that there is anything wrong with that， but in which case， I would call the title of the book more than a tad misleading。 Having said that， this is a well written novel with engaging characters and backstories that give us a window into the life and times in pre and post-WWI England， a heartbreaking account of how unwed mothers were treated in the convents of Ireland （there is also a mention of the infamous Magdalene Laundries） and of course an interesting though fictitious take on what the famous author was up to while the whole country was looking for her。 。。。more

Sarine ，

This was not bad， but was not the story I expected。 I thought i was in for a mystery/thriller about when Agatha Christie went missing told from the point of view of the mistress。 The story turned out to be a historical fiction and the main character is actually the mistress， not Agatha Christie。 Not what i hoped for but I couldn’t help but get invested nonetheless。

KateT16 ，

The Christie Affair novel is classified as historical fiction as it uses the true story of mystery writer Agatha Christie's mysterious， real 11 day disappearance as the framework for the story。 However， a closer reading reveals that it is mostly pure fiction with only tidbits of true history thrown in。 The story is narrated by Nan O'Dea， who is a completely fictional character replacing the real life counterpart of Nancy Neele as the woman who steals away Agatha's husband Archibald （Archie）。 Aga The Christie Affair novel is classified as historical fiction as it uses the true story of mystery writer Agatha Christie's mysterious， real 11 day disappearance as the framework for the story。 However， a closer reading reveals that it is mostly pure fiction with only tidbits of true history thrown in。 The story is narrated by Nan O'Dea， who is a completely fictional character replacing the real life counterpart of Nancy Neele as the woman who steals away Agatha's husband Archibald （Archie）。 Agatha's daughter Rosalind is replaced by fictional Teddy。 Nancy's son is replaced by a daughter。 The narration is confusing within the story as the narrator says she is imagining what everyone said and did， so even though Nan is the narrator throughout the story， the story seems to shift between points of view and perspective within chapters rather abruptly to different characters such as Archie or police detectives or Agatha。 The book mainly focuses on the backstory of the fictional Nan。 It was a compelling story complete with young romance， tragedy， war， and life-changing decisions。 I would have likely given THAT story， as a stand alone book， 4-5 stars。 That story was the story the book should have been about， minus any （however minor） forcibly woven in story about Agatha Christie。 THAT story didn't need the distraction of Agatha Christie as the "other" woman--any fictional wife written in her place， would have actually created a much more readable and compelling story。 Also， the very last portion of the book weaves in the fictionalized version of what Agatha's time during her disappearance might have been like， complete with a murder for her to solve。 THAT story also should have been separate book， where it could have been based mostly on the real author's real life， with the fictional， imagined time away dealing with a murder （no fictional Nan or back story） to solve and also a potential romance， while she's there。 That stand alone book， is the book I THOUGHT this one was going to be and disappointed that it wasn't。 That book， I would likely give 4-5 stars to also。 THIS book should have actually been 2 books instead of 2 separate stories forcibly and incoherently mashed together into one。 。。。more

Amanda | amandainthelibrary ，

I had a really hard time getting through this book。 I didn’t connect with the main character， Nan， and really disliked the fact that Agatha Christie’s disappearance was told from her point of view。 I was excited to read this initially but there are so many issues with the story and the fact that it doesn’t really keep the readers attention that it ended up being disappointing。

Linda Smatzny ，

A novel about the disappearance of Agatha Christie in December，1926。

Bella ，

“Authors created problems， they didn't solve them” The Christie Affair takes place in 1926 around the sensational chain of events leading up to Agatha Christie’s disappearance for 11 days。 The day after her husband， Archie Christie， tells her that he’s leaving her for his mistress Nancy Neele， Agatha Christie disappears。 Her car was discovered abandoned with all of her belongings， clothes and licence included。 Agatha was nowhere to be found。 This historical fiction is written from the point of N “Authors created problems， they didn't solve them” The Christie Affair takes place in 1926 around the sensational chain of events leading up to Agatha Christie’s disappearance for 11 days。 The day after her husband， Archie Christie， tells her that he’s leaving her for his mistress Nancy Neele， Agatha Christie disappears。 Her car was discovered abandoned with all of her belongings， clothes and licence included。 Agatha was nowhere to be found。 This historical fiction is written from the point of Nancy Neele， referred to as Ms。 Nan O’Dea， which was an interesting choice that I really enjoyed。 She had a very interesting background that felt similar to The Handmaid's Tale。 Nan’s story overpowered Agatha’s more than once， which made me wonder if she could have had her own story instead。 I really loved the idea of this book， what happened to Agatha Christie was compelling and there isn’t a reader who doesn’t know her name。 The writing was good， but the story felt a little messy at times when it came to plot。 The guessing game of what happened was what kept me going。 It was long， but in the end， the mystery of Agatha Christie was worth reading。 I received this as an ARC from St Martin’s Press （Netgalley） in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Angela Hurst ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 An intriguing story of the 11 days Agatha Christie was missing。 And a murder。 And a kidnapping。 And the police。 And all of the things that come with it。 I love this story。 I love the emotions it invokes。The style isn’t like anything I’ve read in a long time and I quite enjoyed it。 I want to read more from this author。 It is told by Nan O’Dea- who is not the character I once thought she was。 I found myself rooting for Nan。 My favorite quotes :Love and reason have never been well acquainted Come h An intriguing story of the 11 days Agatha Christie was missing。 And a murder。 And a kidnapping。 And the police。 And all of the things that come with it。 I love this story。 I love the emotions it invokes。The style isn’t like anything I’ve read in a long time and I quite enjoyed it。 I want to read more from this author。 It is told by Nan O’Dea- who is not the character I once thought she was。 I found myself rooting for Nan。 My favorite quotes :Love and reason have never been well acquainted Come have some wine and cheese， come have a dance for who knows what tomorrow will bring？A shared sorrow can create unexpected warmth even as it illuminates all the ways our world is ruined。 A must read。 It is a 5 star for me！ 。。。more

Melanie ，

The premise of this story is intriguing…Based on the true story of Agatha Christie’s disappearance for 11 days in 1926。 Told from the mistress’ perspective， I did not care for the narration。 It was confusing and jumped around too much。 The mystery and twists that followed were enjoyable， though。 This has a lot of potential， but the execution was not my cup of tea。

Kim ，

Curious read。 Not what I expected。

Heather Button ，

Do you ever read something， finish， and wonder what it is you just read？ What do you actually think of it？ Since I started making a point to write reviews I've been forced to process these thoughts and really decide， or at least attempt to do so。 I thought I was going to read a book about Agatha Christie gone missing and didn't think much more of it。 What I actually read was interestingly enough not at all written from Agatha's perspective， but from her husband's mistress。 This wasn't Agatha's s Do you ever read something， finish， and wonder what it is you just read？ What do you actually think of it？ Since I started making a point to write reviews I've been forced to process these thoughts and really decide， or at least attempt to do so。 I thought I was going to read a book about Agatha Christie gone missing and didn't think much more of it。 What I actually read was interestingly enough not at all written from Agatha's perspective， but from her husband's mistress。 This wasn't Agatha's story at all really， but Nan's。 Agatha Christie's husband Archie is cheating on her and he's about to marry his mistress of two years， Nan O'Dea。 Agatha is distraught and leaves。 Decides she needs some time to clear her head alone。 Meanwhile， Nan decides she's about to have everything she wants， Archie as her husband and Teddy as her stepdaughter。 As the hunt for Agatha is on， Nan takes us for a trip down memory lane with some pleasant and devastating memories。 We learn there's so much more to the story than a simple affair happening here and that sometimes the things you think you want， you don't actually want at all。 At times this was extremely captivating and even heartbreaking， but it didn't really pull me in completely。 One thing I didn't think would happen did though - I empathized with the mistress。 I fully understood why she did what she did and can't say I wouldn't want the same in her position。 It's a bold thought， I know， but the author does a great job of making the villain of the story super relatable。 ⭐⭐⭐ 。。。more

Gwen ，

Slow build to a great story。I wasn't so sure I would like this when I started it but it gives you a slow build to a surprising， wonderful， and unusual conclusion。 It's one of those books you want to read again for the first time so you can be just as surprised all over。 Slow build to a great story。I wasn't so sure I would like this when I started it but it gives you a slow build to a surprising， wonderful， and unusual conclusion。 It's one of those books you want to read again for the first time so you can be just as surprised all over。 。。。more

Cmeiss330 ，

Confusingly written （too many time jumps and switching from narrative perspectives） and depressing。

Christine Barth ，

This was disturbing but I also couldn't put it down。 I did figure most of it out well before the end。 This was disturbing but I also couldn't put it down。 I did figure most of it out well before the end。 。。。more

Elizabeth ，

I enjoyed this imagined story of what happened during the eleven days that celebrated novelist Agatha Christie disappeared following knowledge of her husband’s infidelity。 I wasn’t an immediate fan of the device used but I suspended my disbelief and went along for the ride。 Fun beach - type of read。

Dakshita Matta ，

As I am a fan of thrillers and mysteries， so this book based upon the life of the queen of mysteries Agatha Christie seemed an obvious choice for me。 This book is based upon the infamous eleven day disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926 。But just to make it clear， this book is a fictionalized version and searching information regarding that time will do you no good。 This story is told from the perspective of Nan， the mistress of Archie Christie for whom he left his wife Agatha Christie。 This As I am a fan of thrillers and mysteries， so this book based upon the life of the queen of mysteries Agatha Christie seemed an obvious choice for me。 This book is based upon the infamous eleven day disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926 。But just to make it clear， this book is a fictionalized version and searching information regarding that time will do you no good。 This story is told from the perspective of Nan， the mistress of Archie Christie for whom he left his wife Agatha Christie。 This book is an amalgamation of the elements of betrayal， revenge， forgiveness， hope and redemption。 I found the beginning of this book to be a bit slow as I like many other readers assumed it to be based on real incidents。But，when my mind accepted the fact that this book is a blend of history and fiction，it held my attention and kept me intrigued。 I especially like the concept where women instead of being portrayed as each other's enemies in the light of certain circumstances， are instead shown to be each other's allies。 This book is a must read for all true crime aficionados as it provides you a peek into the tumultuous life of the well-known mystery writer Agatha Christie。 This book also helps us to understand the origin of some of Agatha Christie's iconic characters。 。。。more

Kristen C ，

Thank you to the author， publisher， and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review。The first thing you need to know about this fictional book about the real-life disappearance of Agatha Christie is that it NOT really a book about Agatha Christie。 She is a secondary character in Nan O’Dea’s story。 The sooner you come to this realization， the more readily you’ll enjoy this book。The second thing you need to know about this book is that while the affair， the disappearan Thank you to the author， publisher， and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review。The first thing you need to know about this fictional book about the real-life disappearance of Agatha Christie is that it NOT really a book about Agatha Christie。 She is a secondary character in Nan O’Dea’s story。 The sooner you come to this realization， the more readily you’ll enjoy this book。The second thing you need to know about this book is that while the affair， the disappearance， and most of the characters are all real-life events and people， this book is a completely fictional imagining of what happened。 Don’t drive yourself crazy fact-checking along the way。 Just enjoy the ride。 This historical fiction is mostly fiction。Once you understand those two things， you will understand that the author used them as a device to deliver the real story， one of lovers torn apart by war and circumstance， betrayal， revenge， justice， the camaraderie of women willing to help other women， and how far a mother is willing to go for her children。I admit， I struggled through the first 25-30% of this book until I came to terms with the two things above。 The story is told by Nan O’Dea， the mistress that Archie Christie left his famous wife for。 It was a risky move by the author because who wants to find sympathy with a home-wrecker？ But as the story unfolded， I found myself invested。 The story de Gramont paints of Nan’s life is compelling and heart-breaking， and I ended up finding her very sympathetic。 I really enjoyed how Nan and Agatha were portrayed in the book in relation to one another。 They were two women who should have been rivals， enemies， but instead of tearing one another down as opportunities arose， they chose to support one another instead。I also liked the light that was shone on the despicable practice of essentially imprisoning unwed expectant mothers in “homes” run by nuns who instead of caring for their charges， took pleasure in punishing them， in the name of faith and religion。 These mothers were expected to work off their room and board， had their children ripped away from them almost as soon as they gave birth to be adopted out， and in many cases were abused by those who were supposed to be caring for them。 And don’t get me started on the social norms that put them there。 Side note: if you want to read another historical fiction about this topic， I highly recommend The Girl in the Letter by Emily Gunnis。The plot itself played out much like an Agatha Christie book， and I enjoyed the symmetry of that。 I often find myself trying to guess every little thing along the way， but I just sat back and enjoyed the ride with this one， allowing myself to be surprised， even though it was pretty predictable。The only complaint I have is the narration。 I found at times that there was very little differentiation between first person and third person in Nan’s telling of the story。 Some paragraphs were third person accounts of another person in the story followed immediately by Nan’s own first person thoughts。 Usually I could see through it， but there were definitely several times I had to re-read passages because the narration was a bit ambiguous。 This could be due to the unedited proof eARC I have， so I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt that this will have been smoothed over in the final published copy。All in all， I liked the book and found the storyline interesting and the concept unique。 It’s a bit of a slow burn， but it holds your attention once you get over the fact that the story isn’t really about Agatha and is more fiction than historical。 I happen to have Marie Benedict’s The Mystery of Mrs。 Christie in my TBR pile， and I am anxious to read that soon and compare notes with this one。 If you’re a fan of historical fiction with strong female characters， I think you’ll like this book。-------------I hope you enjoyed this review！ This review and many reviews appear on my blog， Hooks， Books， & Wanderlust， where you'll find book reviews， lists， crochet tutorials & patterns， as well as camping， hiking and travel adventures。Come hang out with me on Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Blog | Email 。。。more

Ashley ，

A heartbreaking tragic love story interwoven with the mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie。 Written from the perspective of Nan O’Dea the mistress of Agatha Christie’s husband Archie。 This novel is more a historical drama rather than a mystery， but Nan’s story is poignantly told and will leave your heart aching。 The novel is written beautifully， but the first two parts are intractably told， and readers may abandon the story for a faster paced novel。 In typical Agatha Christie fashion， the A heartbreaking tragic love story interwoven with the mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie。 Written from the perspective of Nan O’Dea the mistress of Agatha Christie’s husband Archie。 This novel is more a historical drama rather than a mystery， but Nan’s story is poignantly told and will leave your heart aching。 The novel is written beautifully， but the first two parts are intractably told， and readers may abandon the story for a faster paced novel。 In typical Agatha Christie fashion， there is a beguiling mystery that is satisfactorily concluded。 As no one knows what Agatha Christie did during her missing eleven days， the story is fictional。 I enjoyed the novels portrayal of events but was anticipating an action-packed adventure。 The subdued historical drama was filled with heartbreak and drama。 The ending however is worth the wait and will have you greedily flipping pages。 A very different novel that will have you rooting for a happy ending。 Thank you to NetGalley and St。 Martin’s Press for this ARC， all opinions are my own。 。。。more

Jessica M ，

http://jessjustreads。comNina de Gramont’s The Christie Affair is an enjoyable reimagining of the unexplained eleven-day disappearance of famous crime writer Agatha Christie in 1926。 This psychological thriller offers a compelling and concocted tale of why Agatha disappeared and what transpired during the days she was gone。In December 1926， Agatha’s husband tells her he wishes to divorce her， so he can marry his mistress Nan O’Dea。 After disappearing that night， Agatha resurfaces eleven days late http://jessjustreads。comNina de Gramont’s The Christie Affair is an enjoyable reimagining of the unexplained eleven-day disappearance of famous crime writer Agatha Christie in 1926。 This psychological thriller offers a compelling and concocted tale of why Agatha disappeared and what transpired during the days she was gone。In December 1926， Agatha’s husband tells her he wishes to divorce her， so he can marry his mistress Nan O’Dea。 After disappearing that night， Agatha resurfaces eleven days later at a luxurious hotel under a false name。 In between those two events we come to understand more about Agatha and O’Dea， as their stories interweave and storylines are thrust into the past。 A mysterious double murder also weaves its way into the novel — its resolution offering one of the biggest twists in the book。“My father had grown up on a farm just outside the fishing village of Ballycotton。 Since I’d been born he’d gone back to visit once or twice when his brother paid the way。 But there’d never been enough money for us all to travel there。The thought of my going at all， let alone for a whole summer， was thrilling。”Both Agatha and O’Dea are relatable， liked characters。 One might start the novel sympathising only with Agatha， but over time， as we come to discover WHY O’Dea is desperate to marry Agatha’s husband， we learn to empathise with her plight。Nina weaves different storylines and time periods together with ease， crafting a really great novel。 The writing is slick。 Observations are stark and dialogue is realistic。 She does well to capture setting and atmosphere， transporting us back to the 1920s with this emotionally charged story。 “Once I became her stepmother I’d encourage her to be the sort of person who folded her clothes and put them away， who attended to her own discarded wrappings。 But for now it wasn’t my place to say a word。”There’s an omniscient angle to every chapter， allowing the story to travel beyond just Nan’s first person narration。 Whilst sometimes the narration and Nan’s point of view grew confusing — Nan talks about others as if she knows everything， delving into their minds and observations and this can sometimes feel disorientating and like we were shifting POV — Nina was an incredibly complex and well-rounded character， and perhaps my favourite in the book。 In saying that， the storyline I enjoyed the most was Nan’s childhood flashbacks — 19， pregnant and living at the convent。 I found her to be a lot more raw in these scenes， because she’s young and naive， and trapped in this lion’s den。 I almost wished we spent more time in this setting， or perhaps if these flashbacks came earlier in the novel。 It provides more context around Nan’s character， and weaves together the reasons why she’s so determined to end Agatha’s marriage。“I thought Finbarr wouldn’t mind seeing tears。 I’d never known him to mind anything。 Still， I smiled dutifully at the camera， sitting on the photographer’s stool， sincere in my happiness as I imagined looking at Finbarr’s cheerful face。 Some day later I went on my own to collect it。 It was a pretty picture， so much prettier than I was in real life…”Inventive， clever and engaging， The Christie Affair is recommended for readers of historical fiction。 The crime element to this novel is quite small and does not take up much of the book， so this isn’t the book to pick up if you’re just looking for a crime to solve。Readership skews female， 30+Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Brigette Young ，

This book had such a great premise， and even the secondary themes that were built in were unique and great avenues for historical fiction， but the overall product is way too convenient and felt like a bait-and-switch for Agatha Christie fans。Agatha herself is such a secondary character that using her disappearance as the setting for the other story — especially since it has the potential for such a good story on its own — felt dishonest。 There were no real consequences for anyone involved， no sa This book had such a great premise， and even the secondary themes that were built in were unique and great avenues for historical fiction， but the overall product is way too convenient and felt like a bait-and-switch for Agatha Christie fans。Agatha herself is such a secondary character that using her disappearance as the setting for the other story — especially since it has the potential for such a good story on its own — felt dishonest。 There were no real consequences for anyone involved， no satisfying answer to the biggest mystery of the story， and the addition of a closed-room Christie-like murder was just another plot convenience when it could have been a great exploration of the detective work reminiscent of Poirot and Holmes。 The switching between third and fist person narratives was disorienting and having the narrator appear so omnipresent did nothing to help the predictability/monotony of the present day narrative。Overall， the plot was so unbelievable that it distracted from the weightiness of the themes being explored， and due to the heavy nature of those themes， wasn’t the type of book where you can suspend disbelief and just enjoy the story。 Not a book I would recommend。 。。。more

Alona ，

I don’t like speculations。 And I am sure this story is a great speculation！ Told by a mistress of the Archibald Christie - Agatha Christie’s husband - it makes it more untrue and unbelievable。 I didn’t believe the story， the plot and the characters。 And because I am pro-Agatha - I was resisting this story from the very beginning。 And this is， again， because of being told by Nan。The only thing I loved about the book is the fact that everything is done for the best。 How difficult the divorce could I don’t like speculations。 And I am sure this story is a great speculation！ Told by a mistress of the Archibald Christie - Agatha Christie’s husband - it makes it more untrue and unbelievable。 I didn’t believe the story， the plot and the characters。 And because I am pro-Agatha - I was resisting this story from the very beginning。 And this is， again， because of being told by Nan。The only thing I loved about the book is the fact that everything is done for the best。 How difficult the divorce could be for Agatha， that after receiving the news she disappeared for eleven days， she still found the true love of her life。 If it’s not for the divorce， she wouldn’t be happy with the man who doesn’t love and respect her！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Christie Affair

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Christie Affair&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Christie Affair&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0