Agatha Christie was a up and coming mystery writer in December of 1926 when she mysterious vanished. Despite a massive search no trace was found until eleven days later when she reappeared claiming amnesia. Was it amnesia or a complex unsolvable tale concocted by Agatha herself? Marie Benedict creates a masterful puzzle with twists and turns worthy of one of Mrs. Christie's famous novels. I was caught up in the story from the very beginning and did not want to put it down. Another excellent historical fiction novel by Marie Benedict about one of the most famous authors of all time!

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie
A Novel
by Marie Benedict
SOURCEBOOKS Landmark
You Like Them
Sourcebooks Landmark
Historical Fiction
Pub Date 29 Dec 2020 | Archive Date 03 Jan 2021

Our patrons have become fans of Marie Benedict and her books. Love all of them. This is a book I can recommend gladly to our patrons.
I am an Agatha Christie fan and found this book spell-bounding. What is the mystery behind her death? This book provides a theory on that. Did Agatha create her own mystery with her missing?
Thanks to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the ARC.

5 stars

This was the second book by Marie Benedict that I've read. (The first being the Only Woman in the Room.) I know she has her fans, but it's clear she's not for me. I found this book slow and had trouble maintaining interest. The mystery surrounding Agatha Christie's disappearance is interesting, and Benedict does offer a plausible theory, but it simply wasn't a fav read for me.

Benedict tells the story in alternating chapters. We get a chapter of Agatha's autobiographical manuscript, detailing her marriage to Archie. Then we get a chapter about Archie dealing Agatha's disappearance. At first, the book felt like Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn because of these alternating chapters. Agatha's manuscript is more enjoyable to read, in a way, because she's the more interesting protagonist of the two. But Archie's chapters are filled with enough tension to keep the pages turning. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I think you guys will too.

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict was the first book I have read by this author, and I chose it because of how I adore Agatha Christie's novels. I am also fascinated by Mrs. Christie's 11 day disappearance in 1926, mainly because there was never a clear explanation given for it. Based on how well-written this book was, I will read more by Marie Benedict.

This novel imagines what may have been the reason for the Mrs. Christie's disappearance with a modern twist. I would argue it is a wishful take that many would hope was the reason for her disappearance, based on what is known of her real life.

The book is told in alternating points of view with part of the story taking place after her disappearance and part of it leading up to her disappearance. Marie Benedict tells the story with a suspenseful tone and builds the tension until the "before" meets the "after" and we are treated to a satisfying showdown at the end.

Readers who enjoy historical fiction and Agatha Christie's mysteries will enjoy this, her ultimate mystery.

Thanks to the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

The 'what if?" scenario to the disappearance of Agatha. Draws you into the alternative story and grips you as a reader. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

I enjoyed this story created around the biographical details of Agatha Christie's life. The mystery of the missing mystery writer is fun meta-story and Ms. Benedict does a masterful job of bringing the reader along without revealing anything before it's time.

Author Marie Benedict (The Other Einstein, The Only Woman in the Room, Carnegie's Maid, Lady Clementine) has shown herself to be the master of finding the 'smaller' stories of history, the pieces that might have made famous people a little wiser, or more meaningful, or more important to our future. As a lifetime lover of mysteries and detective novels, I could not wait to get my hands on this story of the ultimate writer of whodunnits, the eponymous Agatha Christie. Taking a slice of history, Benedict looks at the eleven days in 1926 when Mrs. Christie went missing: the massive manhunt, the lurid headlines, the hidden love affair, and the police investigation into her husband. Written in a unique manner, of seeing the story through two sets of eyes and two time periods, the denouement at the end wreaks of a classic Hercule Poirot ending with everyone in the room, ready to unmask the culprit. I thoroughly enjoyed this mix of history + mystery.

Ah, the famous Agatha Christie and her mysterious disappearance, what a delightful opportunity for authorial speculations. Ms Benedict does an admirable job. I throughly enjoyed her take on the Christie marriage and the disappearance. I felt it was true to the brilliant, strong mind of Agatha Christie and her ability to create diabolical plots. Enjoy!

I first read an Agatha Christie novel in junior high. I was hooked. I've read most of them over the years, and was intrigued by Marie Benedict's book on the actual eleven day disappearance of Mrs. Christie.

Blending events from Agatha's life with a writing style familiar to fans of Christie's novels, Marie Benedict pays homage to Christie's detective fiction. A very enjoyable read for both fans of Agatha Christie and historical fiction.

I could not WAIT to start this book, as I adore anything Agatha Christie. The book is well written, and I love how short the chapters are, however, I feel it could’ve been a little shorter and had the same effect. It also did tend to drone along at times, make it very difficult to stay engaged and that’s no fault of the subject matter. Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this good read!

I have always been a huge Agatha Christie fan, so I enjoyed the historical fiction aspect of this story relating to her life and writing. I also found the author's play on Christie's famous disappearance especially satisfying, though saying more would give too much away. This is a good book for those that like historical fiction and mystery of all kinds, especially those that like historical fiction about real people. Also good for those that liked Circling the Sun by Paula McLain or Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts.

In December of 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days and there was an unprecedented manhunt for her. When she reappeared, it was claimed that she suffered from amnesia. The mystery of what really happened to her during those 11 days was never revealed or solved.

Marie Benedict has written a brilliantly crafted novel that offers an imagined, yet plausible, explanation of the story behind Agatha’s disappearance. The story is written in alternating chapters: 1) a first-person account told from Agatha’s point of view from the time she met her husband, Archie Christie, up to the day she disappeared, and 2) a third-person account told from Archie’s point of view starting from the time he learns of her disappearance through the 11 days that she is missing. The two timelines converge into a satisfying conclusion.

Benedict has written a historical fiction novel full of suspense and mystery. She has become one of my favorite authors. I thoroughly recommend this latest novel. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me the opportunity to read an advanced review copy of this book.

Let me start off by saying that I'm a huge Agatha Christie fan. I've read her books, I've seen the movie adaptations, I think she is brilliant! To say that I was really looking forward to reading this book would be an understatement. So maybe my expectations were a bit too high. It was a good read but I guess I was looking for something more. My biggest criticism of this book is the characterization of Agatha's husband, Archie Christie. I found him to be absolutely horrible, I've never hated a character so much! He was made out to be incredibly selfish, unsympathetic, nasty, rude, self absorbed, shall I go on? The way he treated Agatha was sickening, there were points I got so disgusted I could hardly continue reading. The way Agatha acquiesced to his rotten behavior was frustrating and upsetting. A large part of the book is dedicated to Agatha's devotion and idolization of this hateful man, so this turned me off a bit.

What I did like about the book was that I felt I got to know more about Agatha's inner self. She was not without her faults, but I did understand and felt sympathetic towards her. It was also interesting to see how she incorporated parts of her life into her stories. I also loved the ending, it was totally satisfying. Many books drop the ball at the end but this one did not disappoint. I especially loved the final paragraph. I would recommend this book, and if you are an Agatha Christie fan, it's a must.

This book could have been written by Agatha Christie herself. It was full of intrigue and suspense. A magnificent nod to the unsolvable mysteries that Christie herself set out to write. Benedict skillfully includes the limited knowledge of Christie's disappearance with an entirely plausible story. It was magnificent being able to get a glimpse of Christie's life in her youth while also uncovering the pieces of her disappearance. The merging of the two timelines at the end was very well done. The book is so fast paced that I read it in one afternoon. Thoroughly enjoyable read and I believe it is Marie Benedict's best work to date.

If you have read any of Agatha Christie's novels, love historical fiction or love a good mystery, YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK.

Even if you have not read a Christie, you certainly have heard of her. But how many of you know that she was missing for 11 days in December of 1926? Benedict has surmised a story line behind that disappearance and done a superb job.

The story is written in two time lines. The first: Agatha from about the age of 16 when she meets Archibald Christie, marries him and starts her writing career with The Mysterious Affair at Styles.
The second: the thoughts of Archie Christie as he endures the 11 days during her disappearance.

I received this book from BookBrowse in return for a review. Thank you to BookBrowse and Netgalley. Doing this review was a real pleasure.

Book to be published January 21, 2021

5 stars

The Mystery of Agatha Christie by Marie Benedict

Marie Benedict is one of my favorite authors which drew me to pick this book to read and review. Even though this is historical fiction I like the way the author gave a voice to Agatha and all she went through during her marriage. The reason for her disappearance as laid out to Archie shows her cleverness and in turn the reason for her successful career.
I investigated her disappearance further and find it interesting with all the publicity and people looking for her that she did not come forward sooner to let everyone know she was alive.
Was it a publicity stunt as some claim or revenge for her husband’s affair because he did become a suspect in her disappearance. Agatha never divulged her reason but the whole affair resulted in her books becoming very popular.
The author does an excellent job of bringing to light the mystery writer’s unsolved mystery!

I can't count the number of times I've heard (from the publisher) about this book, and finally I've read it. Based on the real disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926, this supposal moves between Agatha meeting Archie Christie and their marriage, and Archie dealing with her disappearance. Obviously some of the events are known (for example, the police involvement) but what actually occurred and why she left has never been revealed. One wonders if Archie's personality change was due to PTSD (or shellshock, as it was known then) combined with the knowledge that Agatha was from a higher class than he was from at a time when England was very, and I mean <i>very</i>, class conscious. Had that not happened, perhaps Agatha wouldn't have been driven to run away?

Of all the supposal books I've read, this is one of the better ones. The author's sensitivity to both sides, as well as setting this in such a way that readers not as aware of British life in the 1920s still understand the nuances of the Christie homelife.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

Loved this unique story. Highly recommended. Marie Benedict just keeps getting better and better. This is by far my favorite of her titles. Agatha Christie is a favorite, it was great to have a contemporary story based on her.

For most of the "real" story of Agatha Christie's disappearance, or at least as much as is publically known, check out this article in the NYTimes Magazine from June 2019, which includes many clips from contemporaneous news articles. For a fictionalized, but very believable, novel based on the same thing, check out Marie Benedict's latest offering. Since Mrs. Christie refused to ever speak about what actually happenend, this may be as close as we get to the "truth".

Agatha and her husband take turns telling the story. Agatha's chapters go back to the past, starting when she met her future husband and going up to the day she disappears. His start with learning of her disappearance, and they alternate until she is "found" at a Yorkshire spa. Her chapters are filled with a growing knowledge that the man she married is not the loving husband she thought he was and that perhaps her mother's advice to make him the absolute focus of her life to the exclusion of all else, even their daughter, is not all it's cracked up to be. His chapters are threaded through with an overlying but vague threat that she made in a letter she left for him before she disappeared that require him to play his part in solving the "mystery".

Benedict tells this story capably, staying very close to the known facts. So close that one wonders what the reader learns that the newspapers haven't already reported. Of course, a novel takes us into the characters' heads in a way that journalism can't, but Benedict seems to have left her imagination by the wayside in inhabiting her characters. Agatha matures throughout the book as she realizes that her marriage is not all that she hoped it would be, and becomes more resolute in her determination to shape her own destiny, but Mr. Christie is very one-dimensional throughout his chapters. I suppose some characters are easier to write than others, but I hope that for Ms. Benedict's next book, she chooses a subject that alows her more free rein with her generous writing talents.