As an Agatha Christie fan, this novel intrigued me. It was a decent book, easy to read and the mystery aspect was good.

This book was so interesting! As an avid Agatha Christie reader, the topic of her disappearance was fascinating. However, I found the book a little awkwardly paced. Some chapters ran too long and were difficult to follow. The character development was good, but it felt like some background information was irrelevant and took away from the main storyline. As a novel based on historical events, it was worth a read, but I unfortunately struggled to stay engaged.

"The Christie Affair" by Nina de Gramont is a captivating historical novel that reimagines one of the most intriguing mysteries of the 20th century: the real-life disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926. Blending fact with fiction, de Gramont offers a fresh perspective by telling the story through the eyes of Nan O’Dea, a fictionalized version of the woman who had an affair with Christie’s husband and is often cast as the villain in the famous author’s life.

Nan is a complex, multifaceted character whose life is steeped in secrets and sorrow. As she recounts her own troubled past and her complicated relationship with Christie’s husband, Archie, readers are drawn into a narrative that weaves together themes of love, betrayal, and redemption. De Gramont skillfully portrays Nan not as a simple antagonist but as a woman shaped by her circumstances, making her both sympathetic and intriguing.

The novel excels in its atmospheric portrayal of 1920s England, with richly detailed settings that transport the reader to a world of grand estates, smoky jazz clubs, and rural villages. De Gramont’s writing is elegant and evocative, perfectly capturing the moody tension of the time.

While the story is centered around Christie’s disappearance, it is equally a tale of the lives touched by it. The author deftly explores the emotional landscape of her characters, delving into the pain, longing, and resilience that define them. The alternating timelines between Nan’s past and the events surrounding Christie’s disappearance keep the narrative engaging and suspenseful.

It’s a compelling read for fans of both Agatha Christie and historical novels, offering a fresh take on a real-life mystery while exploring the complexities of love, loss, and forgiveness.

No one knows for sure the who, what, where, when and why of Agatha Christie's disappearance in 1926 so the story is open to anyone who has an original, compelling story line. Nina de Gramot has given us this story through the eyes of Christie's husband's mistress. Gramont takes us on a wild ride through the history and aftermath of Nan O'Dea's fictional romance of Archie Christie. I've read many books on what may have happened in 1926 and this one is as plausible as the others.

This is a fun "what if" take on a very interesting event in the very interesting life of Agatha Christie. If you enjoy historical fiction with a loose connection to actual history or if you, like me, are kind of obsessed with Agatha Christie, this book is for you.

Great story of an unknown segment ,to me, of Agatha’s life. The story progressed at a nice pace, very descriptive and extremely interesting.
I’m writing this vaguely so as not to give any spoilers.
I definitely would recommend this book and any others by this author.

The Christie Affair was a really engaging historical mystery. I don't read a lot in this genre, so it was a really nice change of pace for me. dr Gramont did a wonderful job with this reimaging of Agatha Christie's 11 day disappearance. So good!

Such a fun read! Loved this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. Nina de Gramont did a great job of writing in a way that captures the readers attention, and makes you not want to put it down until you're finished! This was such an interesting story, I would highly recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of the ebook to review. I requested this book knowing it was a historical fiction and I don't tend to gravitate towards this genre. I had expected more from this book but the writing was boring and the characters were flat.

Not sure if it was the book or me but this wasn't a good read for me. I couldn't get into the story and the writing style wasn't one I enjoyed.

"We both know you can't tell your own story without exposing someone else's."

In London, a renowned mystery author goes missing for 11 days in December 1926 after an argument with her unfaithful husband, Archibald Christie. This novel is the author's envisioning of the mysterious unresolved event. The story is narrated in the first person who happens to be Nan but alternating timelines from her youth to where she is now, blatantly flaunting herself in the Christie home as an assistance to Archie. His dalliances were not exactly a well-kept secret so when he told her he was spending the weekend away, Agatha had no disillusions that he would be with Miss Nan O'Dea.

Mrs. Christie's disappearance remains up to debate as to what occurred although she was eventually "found" at a day spa hotel not too far from home. The rumors ranged from her having dementia, amnesia, pulling a publicity stunt to wanting to harm herself. The ribbon which ties the story together in this case is Nan O'Dea and how she came to be in the circle of the elite. Her background is filled with as much mystique and mystery as those of the Christie's. It is obvious that Nan both admired and loathed Agatha for her success and marriage to Archie.

"Agatha Christie had a fascination with murder. But she was tenderhearted. She never wanted to kill anyone. Not for a moment. Not even me."

This is Nan's story of ambition and desire to climb over other people in order to obtain her rags to riches ending.

Many readers know about the time in 1926 when Agatha Christie disappeared for eleven days. There was a nationwide hunt and she was eventually found in a coastal town and insisted she remembered nothing. This is that story but told from another perspective. This is the perspective of Nan O'Dea who is Archie Christie's mistress and second wife. In this telling, Agatha disappeared after Archie informed her that he would be divorcing her and marrying Nan.

Nan grew up between London with a large family of sisters and summers in Ireland at her uncle's farm. There she met the love of her life, Finnbar. They plan to marry but World War I intervenes. When Nan finds herself pregnant, she is taken to an orphanage run by the Catholic Church. There pregnant unmarried girls deliver their babies who are then adopted out. Nan runs away after her daughter is adopted.

In this imagining, a hotel is full of people who become suspects after a newly married couple is murdered . There is Nan and some of her friends from the orphanage. Finnbar is nearby and there is a British policeman called Chilton who is assigned both to the murder and to look for Mrs. Christie. The reader learns why Nan went after Archie and why she won't give him up even to have a life with Finnbar.

I listened to this book and the narrator did an excellent job. When Agatha was speaking, the voice reminded the reader of the upper class English life. When the nuns were speaking, one could imagine the sarcastic smiles they had as they pretended they were there for the best outcome for the girls. Nina de Gramont captures the time and place perfectly. Her imaginative take on the event is one that will remain in the reader's memory long after the last page is read. This novel is recommended for readers of women's fiction.

When I first picked up this book, I was expecting a Gatsby style story but instead it was about Agatha Christie's disappearance. The POV, Agatha's romantic rival was an interesting choice of perspective and made for a very interesting read. It was also wonderful that there was a murder mystery Agatha Christie style in the subplot, an apparent homage to the infamous mystery writer. Writing was superb.

2.5 stars

The Christie Affair has been on my TBR for quite a long time. I have always loved Agatha Christie and been fascinated by her real life disappearance. This book is historical fiction and set during the days that Agatha went missing. This is not a true story, just the writers take on what may have happened over those days.

I have to be honest, I thought this was going to be more about Agatha then it was and I think that may have been part of the reason I didn’t enjoy it as much. A lot of the story was told from the perspective of Agatha’s husbands mistress and I just didn’t care for her and wanted less of her in the story but it was largely from her POV. While her story was tragic and sad, I didn’t really want to know her story. I wanted to know Agatha’s. There are also side stories with Agatha’s husband and other characters we meet during her disappearance (that is all I will say so I don’t spoilt it). In the end, all of the stories do tie together (mostly) and make sense in this fictional telling of events. But some of it was a but far fetched and I just didn’t buy it. I wanted to love this one but sadly I didn’t. I still had to finish tho because I needed to see how it all ended!

The Christie Affair details the 11 day disappearance of Agatha Christie, from the point of view of her husband's mistress. This was a wonderful and suspenseful historical fiction that sheds light on the standards of that time period, as well as shedding light on a part of history that is mysterious and unknown. The alternating timelines allowed for enough suspense, especially for those not as well versed in Christie's life. Overall, a wonderful look at how marriage, affairs, and life was viewed during this time period.

This book is messy and, at times, pointless. Too many storylines were happening that are bland and uninteresting. Is so far-fetched and utterly ridiculous.

I was fascinated by the book but wondered if I would have appreciated it more if I was an Agatha Christie fan.

Nevertheless, de Gramont paints a competently researched world and a compelling lure around a mystery that has baffled fans for decades. Readers of Bryn Turnbull will gobble this up.

I had the chance to read an advanced reader copy of "The Christie Affair" by Nina de Gramont, and it deeply pains me to say that this historical novel was a profound disappointment.

Set against the backdrop of the enigmatic Agatha Christie's life, the novel promised an intriguing blend of historical fiction and mystery. However, the execution fell short on multiple fronts.

The characters lacked depth and complexity, and their actions often felt contrived. The narrative failed to capture the essence of Agatha Christie, and the portrayal of her iconic character, Hercule Poirot, was nothing short of lackluster.

The plot meandered and lacked a cohesive structure, leaving the reader feeling disjointed and disconnected from the storyline. The historical and literary elements that could have added depth to the novel were underutilized, leaving the narrative feeling superficial.

Overall, "The Christie Affair" fails to do justice to its promising premise and the iconic Agatha Christie. The novel's shortcomings in character development and storytelling left me thoroughly unimpressed.

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy, although my experience with this book was far from satisfactory.

The Christie Affair provides a fictional take on a historical event, where Agatha Christie disappears for many days before reappearing. I found the story to be more engaging than I expected, although I found it a bit slow at times. The story is told from the perspective of the mistress, Nan, when Archie Christie asks Agatha Christie for a divorce. The story jumps back and forth between Nan's early life and her present day, although I personally found the former more interesting.
I would recommend The Christie Affair to anyone who likes historical fiction, romance or mystery. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.