The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

I came to this book knowing that it is historical fiction. As I read it I adapted to the fact that it's so much more fiction than historical which was fine with me. I stopped comparing what I know about Agatha Christie's real life to what I was reading. I've only read one of Agatha Christie's stories (so far) but I've been fascinated with her life and I enjoyed her depiction here.

This is Nan O'Dea's story, a fictional character very loosely based on Archie Christie's mistress and second wife. For the most part, Nan is speaking to us as she tells the story and we learn about her life from an early age. We also learn about her motivation to be a part of Archie Christie's life, even though it means being a partner in destroying his first marriage. Nan presents Agatha in a much more flattering light than Archie and if this had been a different story they could have easily been good friends, I think. But that's the fictional Agatha, I'm talking about, an Agatha that I like to pretend could have kept following the path she was on at the end of the book

The story deals with a variety of timelines and locations but they were easy for me to follow. There are two fictional men, in the story, that I liked very much. Their presence, and my hope that their brief happiness could continue, is what kept me so interested in the happenings. As Nan writes her thoughts, she knows her future and can't change the future of one of the men but allows us to imagine the future of Agatha and the other man. Of course, this only works for the fictional Agatha because the real Agatha's history is already written.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days and claimed she had amnesia. Much speculation has been made of where she was and what happened during that time. In this fictional story, we are told a complicated account of what transpired from the point of view of Miss Nan O’Day, a character based on Mr Christie’s mistress.

Having read another fictional interpretation of this event I was intrigued to compare the two. This book is amazingly original. The author chooses to create a story that makes Agatha Christie's husband's mistress the protagonist. Using this tactic, Agatha Christie is more of a secondary character instead of a primary. The book is driven by the duplicitous nature of Nan O'Dea and the decisions she makes to satisfy her goals. As a reader, I didn't find the pace entirely consistent but the book finishes at a whirlwind pace. The author could have made some better choices in transitioning between points of view and possibly have provided better explanations in certain instances. Overall I enjoyed the layers of intrigue and the love affairs interspersed throughout.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

Delightful, Wild Ride

On December 3, 1926, Agatha Christie was told by her husband that he was leaving her for another woman, a Nancy Neele. Agatha Christie hopped into her car and drove off, only to have her car discovered abandoned with her clothing and driver's license inside. Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days. Finally, on December 14, 1926, she was discovered at a hotel staying under the name Mrs. Tressa Neele.

The Christine Affair is a piece of historical fiction from the point of view of Nancy Neele or referred to as Ms. Nan O'Dea in the novel. Nan has a very interesting backstory which reminded me of The Handmaid's Tale. Nan's story was so gripping that I wasn't sure why it wasn't a standalone book as Nan's story seemed to overpower the story about Agatha Christie's disappearance. The book overall was a delightful, wild ride with excellent character development and surprises along the way, and I am looking forward to reading it again.

*Thanks, NetGalley, for a copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.

1925. Miss Nan O’Dea’s plan is falling into place. She has meticulously been infiltrating the life of Agatha and Archie Christie, becoming the colonel’s mistress. Matters take an unexpected turn when the renowned mystery writer goes missing. Miss O’Dea takes the advice of her lover and lies low. But things are not what they seem and a lot can happen in eleven days.

This was not what I was expecting. I don’t know that much about Agatha Christie, but I have been fascinated by her eleven day disappearance. I was intrigued by the premise of this story: told from the viewpoint of Archie Christie’s mistress, who just might have something to do with the matter.

I would definitely call this a book with an unreliable narrator. Repeatedly, there are scenes that are from other people and it is simply Nan O’Dea’s imagining of what happened. I found this very frustrating because it was impossible to tell what was real and what was simply the narrator’s imagination.

There were several sex scenes (and rape scenes), though none of them were overly detailed. I found the plot to be overly complicated and the big twist at the end didn’t surprise me simply because I couldn’t be sure what was the “truth” in the story.

Readers who enjoy creative styles may enjoy this more than I did.

This is one of the more creative retellings about the time when Agatha Christie disappears. It was a little slow but suddenly picked up in the last third of the book. The author tells a great story, full of atmosphere.

In other books Archie’s mistress, Nan O’Dea, is a secondary character. In this book, she narrates and tells the story of how she insinuated herself into Agatha Christie’s upper class life. Why, though? Why break up someone’s marriage deliberately? The answer will surprise you. I really enjoyed this book, 4 stars.

I recommend this book, 4 stars. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

We're never going to know what really happened when Agatha Christie went missing during 11 days in December 1926. There's been much speculation but de Gramont has taken an interesting and different tack by framing the story in the words of Nan O'Dea the mistress of Christie's husband Archie. Nan is a fictional creation and she's a wow, You'll actually feel for. her (as well as for Christie, of course) and you'll be equally annoyed by Archie (so selfish). It's a good take on a well known real life mystery and a page turner despite the fact that we know the outcome. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

Fact: Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days in December of 1926. We still don’t really know what happened. She was found unharmed and far away from home saying she didn’t remember what happened.

In THE CHRISTIE AFFAIR, Nina de Gramont gives us her imagined account of those 11 days told through the eyes of Mr. Christie’s fictional mistress, Nan O’Dea. (Now, Nan is fictional, but apparently, it was no secret that Agatha Christie’s first husband was a bit of a philanderer).

LOVED:
❤️Nan as the narrator. What an interesting perspective to have Mr. Christie’s mistress as the narrator and focal point of the story. Due to her role, she’s a bit of an unreliable narrator and you wonder what she’s getting at the whole time.
❤️Nan’s backstory was so compelling
❤️The way de Gramont let her imagination run wild with the blank space of these 11 unaccounted for days in history

LIKED:
👍🏼The mini locked-room mystery plot line that took place while Nan was staying in the hotel in Harrogate. It was a nice homage to the real AC’s work.
👍🏼Inspector Chilton. He was just the perfect rough-around-the-edges but lovable policeman character
👍🏼That I didn’t catch on to the big reveal

DIDN’T LIKE:
😕Nan’s backstory and motivation was so interesting that it was nearly distracting that her lover’s wife was Agatha Christie… The Agatha Christie role in Nan’s life could have been anybody and the book would have still been interesting.
😕Because of that, some of Nan’s story, especially in present day, felt rushed to me and not fully fleshed out. The reveal was good, but not quite the pay-off I expected. No details so there are no spoilers.

OVERALL: 👍🏼 I do not need a book to be nearly perfect in order to enjoy it, and even though this one didn’t quite live up to my expectations I liked it and I’m glad I read it. Interestingly enough, Marie Benedict also recently wrote a book about the disappearance of Agatha Christie and I might have to go check that one out too.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Agatha Christie and books about Agatha Christie, especially ones about the great author's mysterious disappearance for 11 days in 1926. Needless to say, I was thrilled at the opportunity to read The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont.

I was intrigued that this book was told from the point of view of Archie's mistress, but apparently NOT based on the real mistress, which I found a little confusing. Nan's fictional back story, however, really added to the appeal of this book.

The story provides an entirely original reason for Ms. Christie's disappearance, and one I frankly enjoyed for her. The story itself is told with deft pacing and clever dialogue. About two-thirds of the way into the book I did feel the plot went a little off the rails seeming very implausible.

I will recommend this to fans of Agatha Christie and readers who like a good mystery.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Fictional account of the disappearance of Agatha Christie during the time her marriage to husband Archie was failing. Interesting in the fact it is given by Archie’s mistress, the next Mrs Christie. Told in 2 timelines, the actual disappearance and the backstory of the mistress Nan. I have to say I never saw it coming, this plot twist. In true Agatha fashion there is that aha moment and reveal. Thanks to net galley for an early copy. Book to publish soon.

The Christie Affair
By Nina de Gramont

What do you get when you take a real-life occurrence and mix it with creative writing? The Christie Affair-a well a written, captivating novel, which will stir your soul, especially if you are a mother. “A baby never entirely leaves a mother’s womb, traces of your baby, the very cells that comprise its living form—are always contained inside you.”

The novel is two stories entangled into one deeply moving account of two woman’s life events and circumstances that would alter their lives forever. They shared sorrow, which banded them together, even though their worlds were ultimately destroyed. I adored this book and while I wanted to find out how it would end, I was very sad when it did end. The narration of the story was done in a way that really worked well for me. The primary narrator was Nan and she was marvelous, a real hero determined to get revenge and justice for herself and others.

The story is based on the real-life 11-day disappearance of Agatha Christie in the early 1900s. Who knew? Of course, at the time there were several theories on why she disappeared, but no substantial reason was ever concluded. So, the author decides to use that as the basis for telling these two moving stories that interconnect and unfold so precisely. Agatha is married to Colonel Christie and they have one daughter- when she disappears. Colonel Christie is having an affair with Nan and plans on leaving Agatha for Nan. When Agatha goes missing, all of England appears to be looking for her, as if the Queen herself was missing. When Nan went missing in her early youth as a disgraced girl from a family that barely scraped by, she represented all similar girls who went missing, yet because it was wartime, there were not enough police in the world to set out looking for all these girls, nor would that have even been a priority.

You’ll read about Agatha’s childhood-- feelings about her marriage to Colonel Archie Christy and her thoughts about Nan.

You’ll also explore Nan and her tumultuous childhood, her one love Finbarr, her strong maternal instincts, and her desire to get revenge for the most heinous, unconscionable crime that had been bestowed upon her and several friends of hers. “Funktionslust. It’s a German word for the joy of doing what one does best. Seducing Archie, stealing him away from his wife, had a specific purpose. No other woman anywhere could touch me” The world offered no justice, so Nan set out to make her own.

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont is a fictional account of Agatha Christie's real life disappearance. In this version of the story, Agatha Christie disappears after finding out her husband is having an affair with Nan O'Dea. The story is told from Nan's perspective but with omniscient narrator qualities as she is telling the stories years later after talking to all parties involved.
This was a great take on the story and I really enjoyed the twists and turns as well as learning about Nan's backstory.

I really like the concept of telling a story of Agatha Christie's 11-day disappearance, and I thought the story de Gramont conjured was quite compelling. It incorporated both romance and mystery in really satisfying ways. Where it fell down for me was in how it executed that narrative: the book's structure was really disjointed which made it hard to stay engaged. I understand what de Gramont was trying to do and why she told the story asynchronously, but the way it played out was disruptive and led to some reveals that felt premature or repetitive. De Gramont didn't just look backward in time to contextualize the present--she also did a lot of foreshadowing or explicitly naming what would take place years into the future. I found these forward-looking reveals distracting. The stories from the past were important to the story, but I think they could have been incorporated or examined more elegantly.

That said, the overall story was fun, and there were glimmers of ambience that showed really strong world-building and the ability to sweep the reader away. These were often interrupted by other locations or time periods, but I enjoyed the moments of respite where I could get swept up in Christie's story.

When I started this book, I will be honest I didn't know anything about the disappearance of Agatha Christie, however this book made me want to read about it more. I loved how it was told from the "other woman's" point of view and what her opinions were about the disappearance. It is a very intriguing read, especially if you don't know much about the case already.

I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley for review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Publication date, 02/01/2022
This historical fiction novel is part romance, part mystery. Perfect for spring book clubs, I highly recommend this time novelization of one of the greatest true mystery disappearances in history. With a backstory told from the perspective of the mistress of the errant spouse of Agatha Christie, we learn of how trauma and desperation turn to evil intentions. The full range of human emotions could be discussed as you read this novel; tears of compassion, anger and fear, flight of flight...all will cross your path. Excellent novel..imaginative version of the story.

3.5 STARS

A fictional account of the real Agatha Christie disappearance on Friday 3 December 1926 at around 9:30 p.m.

As a Christie fan, I had to read this one and find out more about the night the mystery writer vanished. There are some fascinating images of the news articles on the web.

The story is narrated by Miss Nan O'Dea, the mistress of Agatha's husband, Archie. It is a fascinating and shocking fictional account of what she tells (or imagines) happened and why.

Unfortunately, the book focuses much more on the mistress, Nan, than Mrs. Christie (who seems like more of a secondary character). Nan (the home-wrecker) tells her story and she has quite a past which includes her own suffering and hardships. She believes she has insight into why Christie disappeared without a word.

I was shocked by the ending twist, you will see it coming because of a very revealing hint, but still stunning. "It was Hamlet, who said, "One may smile, and smile, and be a villian."

It falls a bit flat, but still has some engaging chapters and a murder mystery, of course. "What some call murder, others might call justice."

Agatha Christie went missing for 11 days in 1926, but why and where was she?
This is the premise of this historical fiction book- sort of. This story is told from Colonel Archie Christie's mistress, Nan O'Dea's, point of view. This is highly fictionalized and wanders off the path almost completely. This is what Nan imagines Agatha did and waves in an elaborate backstory for Nan as well.
I was excited to read this book but was totally wrong about what it was about. I had read and really liked Marie Benedict's book last year, The Mystery of Mrs. Christie. I hoped that this was a similar book, but it is not. Lucid dreaming is mentioned in passing early on and that's what much of this book seemed to be- Nan's lucid dream. Maybe that is what the author is going for but that is not what I was expecting, and I just didn't buy it.
I liked this book okay, especially the last quarter of it where some events tie together, but I would recommend The Mystery of Mrs. Christie instead. Or better yet just go read a wonderful Agatha Christie book.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

"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?"

I adore all the what-ifs of Agatha Christie's disappearance!

I really enjoyed this envisioning of the reasons behind and one possible story about what happened to Agatha Christie during the period of her disappearance. I liked that the story was told from an unexpected point of view and how cleverly the narrator connected the characters over time, including the telling of the narrator's story which initially seems not to be overly related to Christie's disappearance. The author ties everything together in a very entertaining and sometimes surprising way, even tweaking the nose of the reader at the end. I would recommend this.

I wasn’t a fan of this book, but I think that is a little more on me on a reader then it is the authors fault. It’s a little confusing to tell who is speaking in each chapter and each time I started a new section I had to re-read the first sentences a couple times to figure out how who was speaking before continuing on.

Overall I’m not a big historical fiction reader though, and that was the biggest hurdle for me. I think if I had a bigger interest in Agatha Christie maybe, this wouldn’t be such a hurdle for me. But I recognize the name and wasn’t interested in the story so I had a hard time getting invested. I am sure other readers who are fans of either Christie or historical fiction will love the novel though. Unfortunately that’s not me.