In The Christie Affair, talented author Nina de Gramont has decided to fill in the blanks reimagining the eleven days of Agatha Christie’s famous disappearance. The story is told from the perspective of Nan O’Dea, a fictionalized version of Archie’s real mistress, Nancy Beele. Agatha, with typewriter in hand, decides to take some time away from home to write and deal with the possible loss of her marriage. While in the British town of Harrogate, Agatha hides out in a country home and Nan stays at a local hotel/spa. Nan meets an interesting group of guests and a murder soon occurs in the hotel.

Through flashbacks, we learn of Nan’s sad background and her devastating losses. While not an overly sympathetic character, we come to understand her and it becomes plausible how a bond develops between Nan and Agatha. Agatha does not believe that Nan loves Archie and discovers why Nan is so determined to become the second Mrs. Christie. This enjoyable book is about the relationship of the two rivals, the love interests who enter the picture during the eleven days and a clever murder mystery, which was my favorite part.

I am normally not a fan of books that create an alternative reality of true history and real people, but the author has created an inventive story that is at its most entertaining when viewed as pure fiction.

After watching Agatha and the Truth of Murder, I was really excited to start Nina de Gramont's novel and see if I could learn more about Agatha and the days she was missing (I hadn't yet started my Internet search of what was known about her disappearance). de Gramont is not the first author to attempt to fill in the blanks for those 11 days. I haven't read the other books so I can't compare them, but I can compare it to the 2018 TV movie. They are pretty different as de Gramont decided to focus as much (and maybe even more) on Archie's mistress.

I was expecting something along of the lines of biographical fiction when I picked up The Christie Affair. It starts off similarly to the movie - Archie tells Agatha he wants a divorce and then they share a tender moment that harkens back to earlier in their marriage. Agatha thinks she has won him back but then he goes off on a weekend trip with his mistress. It infuriates Agatha more than ever because she thought they were reconciling but it was just a last goodbye for him. Agatha decides to leave and runs her car off the road. The car is found and the search begins. The book focuses much more on the search and Archie and his mistress than the movie did.

Soon after starting the book it did not feel as biographical as I had thought it would. It was the introduction of Nan O'Dea as Archie's mistress. From the movie, I thought her name was Nancy and so I started my Internet search for what was really known about Agatha, Archie, Nancy and the 11 days Agatha was missing. Nan O'Dea is fictional character based on Nancy Neele, the real mistress of Archie Christie (they eventually wed in 1928). I didn't find a lot about Nancy so I'm not sure how closely Nan's backstory matched Nancy's real life.

I eventually enjoyed the story but it felt like it was a bait and switch - the reader is drawn to the book (at least this reader) because it is about Agatha Christie and her missing days but then the story focused on this fictional character. I felt like the story could have been just as good if Agatha Christie wasn't part of it - her role could have been filled by another fictional character. Once I gave up on there being in truth in this story I was able to enjoy it as a story of historical fiction.

I felt like this was more of a romance even though there is a murder mystery. (Really could there be a story involving Agatha Christie without there being a murder mystery to solve?)

The story moves from the present (1926) to the past and back again. This method of storytelling can often be confusing when listening to an audiobook. But I had no problem keeping the timelines straight as they are labeled. The chapters that occur during the missing days all start with how many days it has been since Agatha disappeared.

We are given alternating snippets of Nan's past and present until it all ties together in the end. This method was great for Nan's character arc. My feelings toward Nan definitely changed from not liking her to maybe not liking her exactly but I could at least sympathize with her in the end. There was the obvious reason I didn't like her in the beginning - she is breaking up a marriage that appeared to be a loving relationship prior to her). But also there was something she said pretty early on about how she made herself to be exactly what Archie wanted. It rubbed me the wrong way. She is definitely a foil for Agatha in the beginning as Agatha was very much her own person. By the end of the book, though their characters seem to be a little more alike.

I liked how everything tied together in the end. There are several threads that seem unrelated and feel like they are there just to make the world de Gramont created more realistic. But then the reader is given a new piece of the puzzle and the plot becomes less disjointed and I feel like I should have paid more attention to the details of the side threads. This is in a similar vein to how I felt after watching the movie - that there were details I glossed over because I didn't think they were important at the time.

The Christie Affair is a rich story. I don't think it necessarily needed to Agatha Christie, a similar fictional character would have worked just as well. I enjoyed the fictional character of Nan O'Dea. And de Gramont's writing is wonderful - she has definitely penned an intricate story that you will want to pay attention to every detail of.

My review is published at Girl Who Reads - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2022/01/the-disappearance-of-agatha-christie.html

Ever since my teenage years, I've been an Agatha Christie fan, devouring most of her Poirot and Marple books at least once, as well as watching several television series and movies. I began rereading the Marple collection last year and when I'm done in a few months, I'll head back over to Poirot. Once news of Nina de Gramont's book, The Christie Affair, released, I immediately marked it TBR and later grabbed a copy from NetGalley. I was curious how the story would unfold, given it's told from the POV of Agatha's husband's mistress and focuses on the ~10-day disappearance of the famous mystery writer, Agatha Christie, herself.

Let's start with the good things. I admired the writing style and perspective very much. Nan O'Dea is an intriguing character in her own right, and given all the backstory that was added, she's a compelling character and 'rival' to Agatha, i.e. a fine match of villains and suspects that we'd see in one of Christie's books. The author, de Gramont, makes her readers empathize with Nan's situation despite her intentional affair with a married man. On its own, the story is interesting... why is a husband cheating, where did he meet Nan, how were Nan and Agatha friends, et al.? When I forgot that this was in part focused on Agatha's disappearance, I relaxed into the story and enjoyed it a lot.

On the flip side, there were a few areas that were inordinately vague and confusing. The story generally focuses on Nan, but it seems to switch perspective and POV in the same paragraphs where I had to keep rereading to determine if the author was telling the section from Agatha's or Nan's perspective. What makes it even harder is that Agatha uses the last name O'Dea when she's hiding out, as does Nan for part of it, and the distinguishing factor is Miss or Mrs. O'Dea. Then... one character is involved with both of them, and I couldn't tell if he was playing games or didn't quite know the full story of each woman's secret. It felt as if there were a great plot but the techniques needed tightening up to help the reader stay in the right voice. Some vagueness is good for suspense but it was so much that I honestly couldn't keep it straight and sometimes just skipped the page until I got pulled back into the reality.

Overall, I give it 3.5 stars for the fresh POV, the intriguing backstory, and the ingenuity in mapping reality to several stories from Agatha's actual books. I would read more by the author too.

Well, I had hoped to like this book more; however, that wasn't the case. I am a fan of Ms. Christie's mysteries and thought a look at her personal life and those mysterious missing days would be more engaging. Instead, the main character, Nan O'Dea, starts off being unlikeable and despite learning her history and motivations, my feelings for her never changed. Instead, I felt sorry for those around her, including Ms. Christie's cheating scoundrel of a husband. The story itself was smart and inventive. However, it did feel a bit contrived and implausible. I struggled thinking all the pieces could actually fall together so nicely for this to have happened. And perhaps if it didn't have to work in the confines of what we actually do know about Ms. Christie's life, maybe it would have worked better for me? I wonder what she would have thought of this interpretation of her days missing, what lead up to them, what was uncovered during them, and what followed.

"She doesn't remember."

Fact: On 12/3/1926 Agatha Christie drove away after her husband Archie told her he was was leaving her for another woman. The next day her car was found abandoned with her suitcase still in it. Eleven days later she was found in a hotel under the name Tessa Neele (the last name of her husband's mistress). Until her death in 1976, 50 years from that disappearance, she claimed she had no memory of those 11 days.

A real life mystery from the queen of mysteries! The Christie Affair by cleverly imaginative author Nina de Gramont imagines what happened before, during, and after those missing days from the viewpoint of Archie Christie's mistress Nan.

Nan's story in this historical fiction of the first quarter of the 20th century is a novel by itself. It includes an intense love affair, a pregnancy out of wedlock, being locked away in an nunnery with unwanted nightly visits from a horrid priest and a stolen baby.

Told in alternating chapters from Nan's past and Agatha's disappearance, which made international news, we get a twisty double murder mystery, a few salacious love affairs and a reveal that I never saw coming and admit the author got me.

Listening to the audiobook I thoroughly enjoyed narrator Lucy Scott and her many accents. I loved that I could almost see the wink when revealing Nan's secrets.

This story is a bit out there but a fun one to entertain. Personally, I think Agatha needed to get away, breathe, cry, get drunk and yell. Then come back as the refined lady she was and make a new life for her and her daughter. She did remarry, travel the world and become the most successful author in the world selling more books than anyone except Shakespeare and The Bible.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A fictional story of the 11 days that Agatha Christie disappeared after learning that her husband Archie was in love with another woman and wanted a divorce. Agatha knew that the other woman Nan didn’t really love him, so why was she really so set on winning him? Full of intrigue, speculation, and even murder, The Christie Affair offers a complex story of which we can only speculate how much might be true.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this creative family drama. Such a bold cast of characters that pull the reader right into the story. Nice POVs and storyline delivery.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

My expectations were high for this book because an author I love gave it high praise months ago. For me, it had a lot of potential but really dragged in the middle.

The titled "affair" is between Agatha Christie's husband, Archie, and a younger woman Nan O'Dea. When Archie, a typical one-dimensional cad, tells Agatha about the affair and tries to leave her, she disappears. Her car is found on the side of the road and Agatha is missing for 11 days. It seems the whole of England is looking for her. Ultimately, Nan's motivations and backstory are interesting, but it takes so long to get there that you may not even care when you get to that part of the book. It was interesting, but there was so much in-between that was not compelling, that I had a hard time getting there. This is based on Christie's true 11-day disappearance, but is fictionalized and told from Nan's point of view.

“The Christie Affair” is stunningly beautiful story filled with mystery and secrets. It pulls you in as soon as you open the pages, and will stay with you long after you’ve finished.

The mystery surrounding Agatha Christie’s eleven day disappearance is one that remains to this day. The story has been told before, but never has anyone written anything like this about what happened while she was gone. Why would Agatha, who was such a devoted and loving wife leave her dear Archie?

And who is the other woman who stole her husband away? And why?

Told from the perspective of the other woman, Nan O’Dea, the mystery is explained in rich detail. One will despise Nan when they first meet her, but will grow to understand her in time. There was so much heartbreak for Agatha, but she wasn’t alone in her sorrow. There is hope for a happy ending, that each woman will receive the love they deserve.

This was an unexpectedly moving story and I absolutely loved every single minute of it. This is one of those books where you wish you could experience the beauty of reading it for the first time over and over again. Such a beautiful plot with splendidly written characters!

I would like to thank Nina de Gramont, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This review will be published to Netgalley, Barnes & Nobel, and Books-A-Million.

Publication date: 02/01/2022

This was one of my most anticipated reads this year, but the first half left me confused and disappointed. Although based loosely on the disappearance of Agatha Christie, it’s told from the perspective of the fictional mistress ( vs the real mistress 🤷‍♀️) of Mr Archibald Christie. Why the author choose a fictional character for the mistress ? You sort of get to that in the second half of the book when you are faced with an Agatha Christie type mystery but…

Generally speaking the writing is quite good, as is character development, but overall it left me wanting more.

In December 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days after her husband told her he was leaving her for his mistress. Agatha's car was found abandoned, but no sign of the famous author anywhere. What happened and why? The Christie Affair details Nina de Gramont's fictionalized account of what happened during those mysterious 11 days. The story Gramont writes is fascinating and even, at times, tragic and scandalous. The delivery was a bit dry for me, but it is totally in keeping with novels written during the turn of the century. And, I did not particularly care for the narrator throughout the story – the mistress of Agatha's husband - and would have much rather the narrator been a third party, like Finbarr – the lost love of the mistress, someone who has a stake in the story but is every bit sympathetic. But even with all the things I wish were a bit different, the intriguing story still stands out as a bright contrast to those things. The Christie Affair involves a mystery with a shocking conclusion plus bits and pieces of little-talked-about realities in Ireland around the turn of the century, such as the Magdalene Laundries/Convents. If you are looking for a scandalous answer to the question of where Agatha Christie was during those eleven lost days, look no further than The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont.

Well well well welllllllllll what a delicious little book The Christie Affair turned out to be.

The mystery of Agatha Christie's 11 day disappearance has fascinated me for years. While I did enjoy the Drunk History version of the events, I must say, that I quite like this version as well. Nina de Gramont has created a historical fictional tale of those 11 days, told through the eyes of Archie Christie's mistress (loosely based on his actual mistress.)

We follow the young and ambitious Nan, from her secret meeting with Archie, to a quick lunch with Agatha, to her weekend away. She weaves that tale of her previous life in Ireland....and what has happened to Agatha. We know that Nan is NOW the new Mrs. Christie....but how did she get there. All the while, we find out what is happening while Nan is at the hotel/spa for her weekend. Why...it's a tale as exciting as...well, as exciting as an Agatha Christie novel.

de Gramont has written two different books, woven them together into a excellent story. Both would be good on their own, but together they make a compelling read. It's a story of secrets, of revenge, of passion, of murder, of rage, of mothers, of fate.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book for my honest opinion.

This reimagination of what happens during the true story of 11 days in 1926 when famous author Agatha Christie disappeared without a trace is an intriguing story of love, loss and murder.

Woven together are the not so distant past and the current events happening in 1926. Interesting characters throughout make this a great read. Beautiful descriptions of the scenery make you feel like you are there. The back and forth on who you are actually rooting for keep you reading and reading. And a couple little surprises I did not see coming!

I have never read Agatha Christie and now I want to go and read all her books!

This is a re-imagining of one of the most talked-about unsolved mysteries of the twentieth century....the mystery of Agatha Christie's disappearance.
I knew that this book was historical fiction. I was drawn in by the cover and the subject matter. What I was a little disappointed to realize once I began reading was that it was mainly just fiction.... there was very little actual fact to the book. Otherwise, this was an enjoyable read if you can just read it for the good story that it was meant to be. The story is told from Nan O'Dea's perspectve. Nan was the woman Archie Christie was involved with when Agatha dsappeared. This is good for any fiction lover.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my copy of The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont in exchange for an honest review. It publishes February 1, 2022.
Wow, just wow! To avoid spoilers of any sort, I’ll keep it vague. But if you enjoy an Agatha Christie style book, you’ll love this one! I’m desperate to read and watch some Agatha Christie stories after finishing this to keep the feeling. Well-written, interesting, frankly hard to put down. What else could you want?

don’t know a lot about Agatha Christie, but reading the synopsis of Nina De Gramont’s The Christie Affair, I was eager to read about her eleven day disappearance in 1926, after her husband told her he was leaving her.

While the concept for this book was great, and I enjoyed the bits of mystery thrown in, there wasn’t a lot to do with Agatha Christie until closer to the end - this mostly focuses on (and is told in the POV of) Archie Christie’s mistress Nancy O’Dea. I did enjoy the chapters of her backstory though, and would have enjoyed more of that and how she came to fall in love with Agatha’s husband.

Overall, I liked this one, but would have been more enjoyable had I known it wasn’t all about Christie’s disappearance.

Excellent story, thoroughly enjoyed every character and every twist! Thank you #NetGalley#StMartinsPress#TheChristieAffair

A historical fiction novel that covers the mysterious 11-day disappearance of famous mystery writer Agatha Christie. This was a difficult book for me to get into as I thought the beginning was a little slow and confusing. Thank you, NetGalley.

👥Less Agatha, more Nan, but interesting tale📝

3.5-4.0 🌟 stars
This story's start was not so promising but it got better as it progressed. I ended up liking it, interested and invested in several of the characters and their fate, especially Nan's Irish lover Finbarr and Genevieve. I also liked the addition of some suspicious deaths that made for a mini murder mystery (and its solution) as part of the events. However, I had a few issues.

I found presenting the story from Nan's point of view, especially when she was uninvolved in a number of scenes and could not reasonably know what transpired, awkward. At times, it just seemed a mistake and I could not distinguish if Nan was making her own observations or those of the other characters.

The author also put together some totally unrealistic scenes, The way Agatha encounters Finbarr as she leaves home was the major one; Nan and Finbarr meeting up in London was another. Too much coincidence! She also threw in comments about technological advances that I felt were anachronistic in a story taking place in the 1920's. And sometimes the shifting timeline is confusing.

But the big surprise for me was the fact that Agatha is an important but not the lead character in this story reconstructing the eleven days of her disappearance in 1926. Nan O'Dea, the omniscient narrator, is actually the lead character; this is largely her story with a bit of Agatha on the side. Agatha led a privileged life and Nan suffered some major tragedy that probably made for a superior life story. But that title and the blurb had me thinking this would focus a lot more on Agatha's disappearance.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

There were things I really liked and things I was just kinda meh about with this book
The concept of seeing what happened when Agatha Christie disappeared? Awesome

The random murder mystery thrown in that was mentioned at the beginning and at the end and solved in just a couple pages? Ehhhh.

I liked the writing and the basic storyline! But there were just a few things that made it not five stars for me.

I received this book in exchange for review