The Christie Affair tells the story of Agatha Christie's disappearance, no one knew where she was and upon return days later, she refused to speak about it. This book is different in that the story is told from the POV of Nan O'Dea, Archie Christie's mistress, with time shifting between the days of the disappearance and a period of time from Nan's younger days when she was in a convent of sorts. For most of the book we are left to wonder how the stories in each timeframe will come together.

The first 70% of this book is a slow burn, emphasis on slow with a good portion focusing on Nan's past as opposed to Christie's disappearance. While I did enjoy the way things ultimately came together, for me, it took too long to get there. I will say that I think that Agatha Christie herself would appreciate how Nina de Gramont told the mystery and weaved all of the parts together. What a tale it would be if this work of fiction was an accurate depiction of Agatha's actual disappearance!

This one is for fans of Agatha Christie, those who enjoy historical fiction and/or keeping up with Reese's Book Club picks. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a copy of this novel.

So you think you know what happened when Agatha Christie disappeared?????

Read this!!!!

If you, like me, are a fan of all things Dame Christie, I must wave the 5-star flag at you! (If you are not, you haven't stopped here anyway, so away with you. . . .)

"There's a Chinese legend called Yue Lao, have you heard it? When we're born, the gods tie an invisible thread around our little finger, which connects us to our one true love. No matter what forces try to keep us apart."

It's been awhile since I read Christie or her biographers. I repent as of now, and my TBR list will grow thereby.

"There are more important things than finding the murderer."
-- Hercule Poirot

A Sincere Thanks to Nina de Gramont, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review. #stmartinspress #ninadegramont #netgalley

The Christie Affair is a fictional tale that postulates what happened in the 11 days that Agatha Christie actually went missing. The book is told from Nan O'Dea's perspective from beginning to end. I love the idea of weaving a story around what could have happened. The story itself was a 4 star but the formatting of it was a 2 star so I have landed in the middle. There were certain points in the book where it would switch from 3rd to 1st person and vise versa and that got very confusing. However, the story was great once you kept reading.

Fair warning here: if you don't like reading about affairs or infidelity, this may be a book that you want to steer clear of. I was very uncomfortable for a lot of the book and then you get to a certain point and the affair makes perfect sense. It is hard to explain but you don't hate the mistress, which to me was crazy. I still think about this book and what I would have done in both situations but, until I was 80% of the way through the book, I hated the mistress and had a hard time continuing to read.

I know this is a very mixed review but, overall, I liked the story and wish the formatting had been a little bit more clear!

I went into this book not knowing anything about the life of Agatha Christie. While I may enjoy her books, I didn't really enjoy reading this book about this time in her life. Maybe it was that the characters were fictionalized, or perhaps it was just the 'norm' for English society during those years, but I was not a fan of the characters as they were written, and due to that I wasn't a fan of this book. Others who know the real-life story may feel different. I am grateful to have read it and to have learned something new from a period of history I knew nothing about.

“In all the years since Agatha Christie disappeared, amid all the conjecture about her state of mind, and her activities, and her motives, not a single person has ever come to me for answers…”

THE CHRISTIE AFFAIR
Thank you, Nina de Gramont, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book. It was released on February 1st, 2022.

When I first saw the cover of The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont, I had to have it. The cover just screams 1920s glamor. Then I read the synopsis and I have even more desperate to get my hands on this book. In the year 1926, Archie Christie has told his wife, Agatha that he wants a divorce. He has been having an affair with Nan O’Dea. Upon hearing this news, Agatha is distraught. On December 3rd, 1926, Agatha Christie disappears for 11 days. The police are called out in full force, searching everywhere, and even dredging up lakes. When she turns up the only explanation she gives is “I can’t remember.” But everyone has their secrets, including Agatha and Nan.

Trigger Warnings: kidnapping, rape, birth trauma

What was I expecting? It has been almost 100 years since the 11-day disappearance of Agatha Christie, and Agatha nor the family ever discussed the matter. It has always been an intriguing moment, especially since Agatha Christie is legendary for her mystery books. I was intrigued that this book would cover the disappearance from the perspective of the mistress, who in real life is named Nancy Neele. I assumed there would be a little mystery inside the mysterious disappearance, maybe even some inspired by her works. To be fair, there is a little mystery but it comes 250 pages too late. The book starts strong and then it drags. It becomes the Nan Show and Agatha disappears just like in reality. When Nan’s true intentions come to light, I just didn’t care anymore.

Even so, the whole plot becomes so far-fetched. This is supposed to be historical fiction about a prominent woman who accomplished so much in her time, but it ends up completely erasing her. I can’t imagine that the Christie estate or even the family of Nancy Neele are pleased with how their family members were portrayed in this book. However, it was heartbreaking to see the treatment of women who found themselves pregnant and sent to the convent where their babies are stripped away from them.

Then there are the time-jumps and point-of-view changes. It will just switch without warning, giving rough transitions and slowing the pace. In fact, some transitions did not make sense to me, I would have to go back and reread to figure out why it switched or if I missed something. Needless to say, I was so disappointed in this book that was one of my most anticipated reads for this year. I rate this book 2 out of 5 stars.

I love reading a book based on actual events that makes me want to dig into articles and find out what actually happened. The Christie Affair tells the story of the 11 days that Agatha Christie disappeared and once she was found she said she didn’t remember anything. Christie disappears because she is upset that her husband is leaving her for Miss Nan O’Dea. While she is gone, a huge search party is sent to find her. Making it harder for her to hide without the help of people she met while gone.

I thought this was a really imaginative idea. There are several story lines to follow that might intersect at some point. How decisions and actions can affect so many lives. I really liked the characters…I might have ended up cheering on people that I shouldn’t have.

Thank you NetGalley for provide with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.75⭐️

A fresh take on the days Agatha Christie went missing - I'll be recommending it to library patrons, especially for those who enjoyed the Benedict book last year.

Agatha Christie has known for some time that her husband Archie has been having an affair and she finally confronts his mistress, Nan O'Dea. The same night Archie tells her that he is leaving her and wants a divorce. Distraught, Agatha packs a bag and disappears hoping to figure out how to win her husband back.

After her car is found abandoned in the middle of the street, a country-wide search is launched to bring Christie home. While she is thought to have taken her life, she has traveled to a far point of England and taken refuge with a stranger who believes he knows the reason Nan has taken an interest in Archie.

Nan O'Dea is a young woman who has gone through the worst tragedy possible, her child was placed for adoption without her consent and she now searches for her in the face of every little girl. She believes she has found her daughter…in the Christie household.

I enjoyed this alternate version of what happened during the eleven days that Agatha Christie went missing and the world wondered where she could be. The mystery within the story was interesting enough to keep me guessing. This version of Christie's missing days alternates a version that most people would not have thought to imagine.

I love the idea of this book. What happened to AC and why she left is a compelling storyline. However, this book focuses on Nan and her rationale for stealing Archie away from Agatha. Nan’s story is both interesting and horrifying; however, the two storylines don’t meld. The two parts are competing against one another.

It fell a little flat for me, but still love the unique premise!

This is a very interesting plot - what did Agatha Christie do when she went missing for days?
Nan O'Dea successfully ensnared Agatha's husband, Archie; after years of slowing catching his eye, building an easy and laid back relationship to an engagement, Nan insists Archie tell Agatha he is divorcing her.
Though Agatha is very aware of the affair and Nan's role as Archie's mistress, Agatha prefers to continue life - until Archie declares he is leaving her. Agatha just blanks - and must escape. This begins a massive manhunt - with so few clues, the entire country's police force involved and actively searching.
The story is told from multiple narrators - a retired police officer agrees to participate in the search; Nan vacations at a remote hotel, only to be reunited with her first love; a newly married couple is murdered; and where is Agatha?
Great read - the twists bringing all of the characters together was so well done, just revealed tidbit by tidbit.

I’ve read another fictional tale about the 11 days Agatha Christie went missing and enjoyed it. I was curious on how the Christie Affair would tackle this and was very pleasantly surprised by its unique spin.

Told by Nan, Archie Christie’s mistress an eventual second wife, we see a different side to the disappearance as well as what may have occurred during that time. I heard one review described this as a more character driven novel. I would agree with that until the last 1/3 of the story upon which some of Ms. Christie’s murder mystery style infuses the tale.

The book started out slow for me but once I got into it I really enjoyed it. There was one plot thread that drove me crazy but not enough to distract from the story. I listened to the audiobook and read the DRC thank you St. Martin’s press. The narrator did a fabulous job bringing the characters to life and I would highly recommend listening to this book.

This novel of historical fiction explores the mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie for an 11-day period. Told from the point of view of Nan, who later became Archie Christie’s second wife, it presents a mystery within a mystery, with suspicious deaths at the spa hotel where Nan is staying as well as the backstory that drove Nan to pursue Archie.

Although I’m a moderate Agatha Christie fan, I didn’t know much about her personal life. It was hard to reconcile my mental image of her as a stout and rather dour older woman with the vibrant, young woman featured in this novel. Even so, she wasn’t young or lovely enough to keep her horrid husband, Archie, faithful. This is an enjoyable and creative “what if” novel. #TheChristieAffair #NetGalley

Not to be confused with The Mystery of Mrs. Christie or that episode of Doctor Who, this trend of exploring what happened during Agatha Christie’s mysterious 10-day disappearance in 1926 nonetheless continues with Nina de Gramont’s The Christie Affair.

I really enjoyed the characters in this. Despite my initial skepticism of having this story told from the POV of Archie’s mistress (and I’m still skeptical of the moments where she’s telling us what certain characters are thinking and feeling), I did really come to sympathize with Nan. Her own tragic love story was quite sad, as is the general commentary on how unwed pregnant women were treated back then. I also enjoyed the murder mystery here, with all its little nods to Christie’s famous stories.

That said, this book messed with history a bit too much for me. I know you have to spin a yarn when writing historical fiction, but I don’t like when authors change the hard-set facts to fit their own narrative. Saying what major facts get changed here spoils the twist of the book, so I won’t reveal it, but I wasn’t a fan.

In my opinion, a successful historical fiction uses the facts as a starting point and then fills in the gaps. Otherwise, just create a whole new story that is “inspired by” true events.

I feel like there are two types of people who picked up this book. The ones who wanted to read about the affair and the ones who wanted to read more about the disappearance. I was a part of the latter, and I think that’s why I couldn’t make it to the end. This quote feels fitting:

“Sometimes a life is so entirely disrupted, on such a large and unreasonable scale, all one can face is the ruined day.”

Told from dual timelines from the POV of the mistress, this book is more focused on the mistress than on Agatha. Although the first little bit intrigued me, it quickly fell off. I wanted to enjoy this book, but I really struggled with the story.

I didn’t have any expectations going into 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐄 𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑 by Nina de Gramont. I’m admittedly not an Agatha Christie fan; in fact, I don't think I've ever read one of her books. (Yes, I am embarrassed!) I’d heard of her 11 day disappearance in 1926, and read up on it a bit about before starting the book. I was glad I did because that little bit of background showed me just how neatly the author wove her story into the real events of those 11 days.⁣
⁣
For the first 10-15% of the book, I was unsure how I felt about it, and then suddenly, I was all in. I realized that I was loving the voice of the narrator, Nan O’Dea, the fictional mistress of Agatha’s husband, Archie. (Though him having mistresses was well known.) De Gramont gave Nan a great backstory and solid reasons to wind up involved in Agatha’s disappearance. Layer by layer, she built the story, creating some mystery of her own, and drawing me deeper and deeper into the lives of both Nan and Agatha. Whether you’re a Christie fan or not, I highly recommend 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘦 𝘈𝘧𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣
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Thanks to @stmartinspress for an ARC of #thechristieaffair.

“ A long time ago, in another country, I nearly killed a woman.” So begins The Christie Affair by Nina De Gramont @ninadegramont and, from the very first sentence, I was hooked.

Most true Agatha Christie fans know that she was missing for twelve mysterious days in 1926 and that she never divulged the truth about where she was, what she was doing, or who she was with. She only responded that she couldn’t remember.

The Christie Affair imagines one possible scenario, and what a story it is. Each twist and turn is crafted in a way that made me think that it was perfectly plausible. If you love Agatha, or even if you love factually-based historical fiction with a good mystery thrown in, The Christie Affair might be perfect for your TBR.

Thank you for the opportunity to review! Link to Instagram post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZr4GY7rutD/

“Agatha, Where are you?”
Nina de Gramont creates a believable “what if” account of the eleven-day disappearance of famed English mystery writer Agatha Christie in December of 1926. Agatha’s husband, Archie, is planning to divorce and marry his mistress, Nan O’Dea. The novel is narrated by Nan, as she speaks very personally on why her story is believable. Nan tells her story in reverse, going back in time with heartfelt descriptions and compelling dialogue between her love, Finbarr, relationships within her family and accounts of her own motherhood. Readers are treated to a mystery within a mystery with detectives, world news coverage and small hotel intrigue with quirky English characters. Nina de Gramont alternates Nan’s story with a visual countdown of “The Disappearance.” Historical mystery readers, buckle up for a ride through the English countryside, with twists and turns and crashes!
As Agatha says,” What some call murder, others might call justice.”

What a delightful novel! A clever story line written in an easy flowing prose.And no - Agatha Christie is not the main character but she plays an important part in the plot. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

If you thought you'd read enough on Agatha Christie's disappearance in 1926 I'm here to tell you you're wrong. Not reading Nina de Gramont's take on this pulled-from-the-headlines plot would be a grave error.

You may already know that in December of 1926 then-burgeoning mystery author, Agatha Christie, left her home, telling her staff she was headed to Torquay. But when her car was found abandoned on the edge of a chalk pit with her suitcase and coat in the back seat, people were left trying to figure out where she had gone. Archie Christie was certainly a suspect in her disappearance, especially when news of his affair came to light. As the investigation continued and massive manhunts were underway, headlines screamed Agatha Christie's name throughout England and even in the United States. When Mrs. Christie was found in a Harrogate hotel she apparently was suffering from amnesia.

It's fairly easy to believe that Mrs. Christie either suffered from a concussion due to a car accident (as evidenced by her abandoned car) or a nervous breakdown with the recent death of her mother and her husband's affair. But others speculate that this was a publicity stunt. Surely, her name became a household one after a week of being plastered over headlines.

But until Nina de Gramont's novel, I've never seen quite a clever and creative speculation on what may have happened during her disappearance. Agatha Christie herself has only ever commented that she couldn't remember anything about her time missing. I couldn't have predicted even a fraction of the plot development that de Gramont created in The Christie Affair. Not only devising a convincing case, but also drawing inspiration from Agatha Christie's published books. Simultaneously an homage to Christie and a genius way to create multiple shocking moments and twists throughout the novel. After all, authors do tend to use inspiration from their own lives and experiences within the plots of their books. What better explanation than to see elements of Christie's own books peppered throughout this story.

I was so drawn in by this book; each storyline equally compelling. Reading it I didn't even realize I was reading a mystery, as well as historical fiction until the mystery was fully thrown into my face. This book is for fans of both genres, and fans of Agatha Christie. Nina de Gramont so seamlessly wove multiple plotlines together it was a thrill to read.

Didn’t finish this. I read about 25% and simply couldn’t focus my attention. I hate to have to say so, but it just wasn’t up to my expectations.