Nan is a fascinating protagonist. In some ways, she is an unreliable narrator—after all, she has every reason to conceal the truth from the reader. But little by little, she reveals the truth. Her story skips back and forth through time because everything that is happening in the present is tied to the events of the past.

Ostensibly, this is the story of what Agatha Christie did during the eleven days of her disappearance. But the truth is that it is just as much Nan O’Dea’s story as it is Agatha’s. And wow, does she have a compelling story to tell.

Despite this book being based on a historical event, it has only the flimsiest pretense of being based on any sort of fact. But what makes the whole thing fascinating is the possibility of what could have been because even 100 years later, we still don’t know what Agatha Christie did for those 11 days. It is, at times, a fantastical tale—and I don’t mean that disparaging, but the parallels with folktales are unmistakable. There are secrets and lovers being forced apart and villains—AND the villains of the piece is not who might think they are.

There’s an ethereal quality to the prose that works well with the threads of story being woven together, different plotlines converging. There’s somewhat of a mystery aspect as well, and the big reveal is both surprising and satisfying.

I would recommend The Christie Affair. This historical mystery kept me engaged throughout the narrative, and the twists took me by surprise. I’m looking forward to reading more from de Gramont in the future.


I received a digital ARC of this book from St. Martin’s Press/NetGalley.

I have to admit I’ve not heard of Agatha Christie’s mysterious disappearance until I read about them in the various retellings.

The Christie Affair told an interesting version of the study, and this book was narrated by Nan, the mistress in the affair.

While Nan has an interesting yet tragic backstory on how it all played into Agatha Christie’s disappearance, I had a hard time feeling sympathy and connect to ‘the other woman’.

Interesting take on this mysterious incident but not my type of story!

The Christie Affair is a fictionalized account of the 11 days famed writer, Agatha Christie, went missing. She never offered an explanation beyond, "I can't remember."

Nina de Gramont is finally filling in the blanks. First, the emphasis is on it being a fictional account. The author makes clear this is so and even the narrarator in the novel, Nan, makes it clear that the point of view is tainted by her memories and wishes. And, Nan, being the mistress of What he Christie's husband certainly has bias. Once the story unfolds you learn her backstory, the motivation of many characters,and an unexpected but very Christie-esque murder mystery.

I really enjoyed the novel. It is a fun read that really evokes the era but speaks to modern readers.

I really enjoyed this one. Nina De Gramont has created a plot that was an emotional rollercoaster. She starts off with characters that you do not really particularly like but then you find yourself rooting for them by the end. She brings rivals together into an understanding, if not friendship. She creates love stories alongside horror, and slight twists that will have you turning the pages to see if you have solved the mystery. I would recommend this one!

When I began reading this book, I wondered how a character like Nan could possibly be sympathetic and likeable. I found myself rather bored with the story until it started to reveal Nan's background. And then - - I couldn't put the book down. One surprising secret after another throughout this book made for some exciting and enjoyable reading.

I think Agatha Christie herself would have been enchanted by this story!

Very little is known about what happened in 1926 when Agatha Christie went missing for 11 days. In The Christie Affair, Nina de Gramont takes this actual historical event and writes a fascinating fictional explanation of what went on. The story is revealed using the point of view of Nan O’Dea who was Agatha’s husband’s mistress. An interesting premise, historical events, and a Christie-like murder mystery make this a fascinating and readable fictional account.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mystery writer Agatha Christie went missing for eleven days in the 1920s, and no one knows what happened during that time… until now thanks to Nina de Gramont’s reimagining through the eyes of AC’s husband’s mistress, Nan O’Dea. Told through two alternating timelines, this novel was a fun, enjoyable read that left me wanting to look more into AC and her books (I’ve never read any!). It was a bit slow at times, but still kept me engaged and flipping pages to see how everything came together in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Nina de Gramont for an advance copy of this book.

3.5/5 Stars

A reimagining of the eleven days world-renowned author Agatha Christie went missing... told by her husband's mistress.

I enjoyed this, but at times found it to be a bit slow. I felt that it took quite awhile to get into the actual story. I liked the dual timelines of Nan, the mistress in the past with her childhood sweetheart Finnbar, as well as her time living in a convent, and the present day when Agatha disappeared. I liked getting the backstory about how and why Nan ended up in the situation she did, and the motivations behind her actions. The biggest complaint I have is that I felt very unsatisfied with the ending. I was able to call the big reveal from a mile away.

This book started out intriguing with infidelity and mystery. It is a historical fiction book that follows the real life missing days of Agatha Christie with their version of what they think happened. After a solid start, the book then became rather boring and I found it a bit too much to follow or care too much about. This was one was not my cup of tea, but thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy for review. 2 stars ⭐️.

A fictional story of the "disappearance" of Agatha Christie. While I really enjoyed the writing and the idea of an Agatha Christie mystery, it just didn't really do it for me. I wanted more of a mystery, I guess. I wish there was more about Agatha. Nan was a very unlikable character, in my opinion, and while I understand her story, it just needed more interesting elements. The audiobook was very well narrated, which made it enjoyable.


*Thank you @stmartinspress and @macmillanaudio for the audiobook and egalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Thank you so much to @stmartinspress for the digital review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It is well known that Agatha Christie went missing for eleven days in 1925, and no one knows what happened to her during that time. Author Nina de Gramont had written one possibility of where she went and what she was doing.

There are two timelines going in this novel, and until the end I had no idea how they were going to come together. Because of that, some parts were a little difficult to keep track of throughout the story.

This book came to me at the perfect time, which definitely impacted how much I liked it. This January I started on a journey to read all of Christie's Poriot books, and I read this one immediately after finishing The Mysterious Affair at Styles. I don't know anything about AC's history, so it was fun imagining her living this story with Nan O'Dea.

When I was part way through reading this book it was announced as the Reese's Book Club pick for February, which is very exciting to someone who has only finished one celerity book club pick in the month it was chosen before (the first was Reese's December pick, Lucky).

There is a never-ending appetite for Agatha Christie, in all forms and mediums (including historical para-fiction like this novel) and I covered the subject and this book in a longread about Death on the Nile and Christie's legacy, for Zoomer magazine (article at link).

One of the most talked about mysteries of the twentieth century is the eleven day disappearance of famed mystery writer Agatha Christie. On December 3, 1926, after being told by her husband that he was leaving her for another woman, Agatha Christie left their home and simply disappeared for eleven mysterious days. A massive manhunt ensued. Her car was discovered abandoned with her clothing and driver's license inside. There are multiple theories on the why and how - revenge, publicity, amnesia, grief? Finally, on December 14, 1926, Christie was discovered at a hotel staying under the name Mrs. Tressa Neele, but she claimed not to remember anything. What happened during those eleven days? The answer remains a mystery to this day.

The Christie Affair is the fictional retelling of a spasmodic time in Agatha Christie's life and is narrated mostly by Archie Christie's mistress, Nancy Neele known as Nan O'Dea is this book. As it turns out, Nan's story is quite intriguing. Readers learn of a her own troubled life from a young age and are privy to her motivation for insinuating her way into Archie's life even at the cost of his marriage. Nan appears convinced she knows the true story of what happened to Agatha and in fact, tells the story as though she has insider information, but remember it's all conjecture. As it turns out, this book's more about Nan, her thoughts and need for the spotlight than about what happened to Agatha. It's an interesting premise for narrating a story, but it relegates Agatha to a support role vs. Nan who becomes the fictional star of the show.

Readers looking to learn the answer to the big real life mystery of Agatha Christie's disappearance will be disappointed in this book. However, The Christie Affair is entertaining and quite twisted with a mysterious murder, a touch of romance and a complex quest very similar to a real life Agatha Christie mystery story. The pacing is nigh on perfect and the ending, although readers may see it coming, is quite stunning. The characters are well fleshed out, believable and dare I say even likable? The author accomplishes quite a feat in making O'Dea come across as somewhat likable given she admittedly set out to destroy a marriage for selfish reasons.

The Christie Affair is an intense, emotional fictional story. This reader would have liked to hear more from Agatha Christie herself; however, I believe the author accomplished what she set out to do which was to give readers insight into the mistress and her role in what happened leading up to those fateful eleven days, including the fact that O'Dea had been hatching this plot for years. Readers of historical fiction will enjoy this book especially if they go into it knowing what - or what not - to expect. Recommended to fans of fictional retellings of true stories. 3.5 Stars

In December 1926, Agatha Christie quietly left her home after her husband Archie asked for a divorce, and disappeared for 11 days. A country-wide manhunt ensued, and while Christie was found unharmed, the details about those missing 11 days were never disclosed. de Gramont has taken the facts of the case, and deftly built her theory of what might have happened during those days. Told from the perspective of Nan, Archie's mistress and future wife, readers are led through intrigue, romance and subterfuge. Written with respect to Christie's writing style, the book often felt like a news report of the situation.

True to Christie's style, de Gramont has thrown in several red herrings, leading me to formulate ideas, only to have them thrown aside a few pages later. But all those loose threads come together in the end in a very satisfying manner. I appreciated the writing style, but would have appreciated less focus on Nan, and more on Agatha. Nan was not an endearing character, although that might have been the author's point. I also struggle with the way that Agatha is portrayed, as she presents as almost hysterical, and entirely disconnected from her child. 3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the complimentary eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Agatha Christie disappears for almost 2 weeks. Where does she go and what does she do during that time? This novel explores what she might have done. Her husband is having an affair and is planning to leave Agatha and marry his mistress. Can she turn things around and keep her family intact?

The Christie Affair is a fictionalized account of what happened when Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days after her husband asked for a divorce. Christie's disappearance was never explained in real life. This account imagines the entire story from the POV of her husband's mistress Nan. Nan's story was so interesting that it kind of eclipsed Agatha's story. There were times when she wasn't very likable and acted in ways that I couldn't understand but all was explained at the end. I loved the fictionalized men in this story. I'll admit that I had never heard of the disappearance and haven't read much of Christie but I think that even if you were really knowledgeable about her life, you'd probably still enjoy this story.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for my honest review.

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont is a reimagining of Agatha' Christie's disappearance. Did she disappear because she was upset by her husband's mistress? I found this explanation a little unbelievable, but the writing was entertaining. Also, the reason why Nan O'Dea became Archie Christie's mistress was quite the twist! This was a quick, fun read, but I don't believe that the author has solved Agatha Christie's disappearance with this story. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

In December 1926 Agatha Christie disappeared in bizarre circumstances from her home in
southern England. The discovery of the crime writer's abandoned car led to the biggest
manhunt in British history for a missing person. Eleven days later she was found in a northern
spa town claiming to be the victim of amnesia

 all the separate threads woven loosely together at the start, were pulled tight as the story
progressed, until you realised - almost too late - that every single thing that has happened since
page one was for a reason, and has brought us, perfectly, to The End.
It is the story of Agatha Christie's missing 11 days. It is fiction, of course, but as good an explanation
as any other. It is written from the viewpoint of Archie Christie's girlfriend, Nan, and also features her
life story. It is creative and intelligent and heart breaking
Agatha Christie went missing for 11 days in December of 1926. Her disappearance led to one of the
largest man hunts in history. Where was she? What happened? This is a novel of what might have
occurred and why.

Gramont tried to emulate her style and it often read like a detective mystery of old
fans of Agatha Christie and historical fiction, in general, will enjoy the story.
Trigger Warnings: kidnapping, rape, birth trauma

What a rollercoaster of a read! The story is told through Nan’s perspective, the woman who is having an affair with Agatha’s husband, Archie. In a fit of distress, Agatha disappears without a trace and the events that unfold can only be described as something out of a Christie novel.

Told in dual timelines, the truth of Nan’s tragic past is slowly revealed to the reader. In the present, Nan spends her time distancing herself in a hotel from the drama surrounding Agatha’s disappearance. Past and present collide in an epic turn of events, with an ending that took me completely by surprise.

As a leading lady, I found Nan to be a bit dull. She’s always focusing on saying and doing exactly the right thing and working singularly towards her goal of coaxing her way into a permanent position by Archie’s side. The Nan of the past was much more interesting to read about. Though she faced many challenges, she met them all with strength, courage, and determination.

The Christie Affair is full of tragedy, mystery, and unbreakable and unconditional love. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more from de Gramont. While I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to a friend, I would proceed with caution, as there is a lot of this story that could be quite upsetting to some readers.

I am very much in awe with Agatha Christie and would love to read all her novels. When I read that this fictional story in The Christie Affair is based on her mysterious disappearance, I could not wait to put my hands on this book and read it.

I was completely intrigued by the interesting tale on Agatha’s 11 days of disappearance, narrated by Nan O’Day, non other than mistress of Christie’s husband Archie. I liked the narration, the spin on the event and Nan’s point of view.

No wonder this beautiful novel was a reesebookclub pick and I enjoyed reading each Ms every page of this beauty!

Thank you St. Martins Press and NetGalley for 5e gifted galley. I highly recommend this mysterious tale to all the Agatha hirsute fans out there!