Excellent read, gives a great fictional take on a real time and person. Will be purchasing for library.

Two stories going on in this book - a murder and a disappearance. You will learn a lot on the life of Nan, Archie Christie’s mistress, and more history on Agatha Christie and why and where she disappeared to. A good book club selection.

While there have been many books, fiction and non-fiction, that have tackled Agatha Christie's eleven day disappearance, this novel's spin on it is one full of twists and turns and clever creativity.

Nan O'Dea is our narrator through much of the story, and is Christie's husband Archie's mistress. Agatha is devastated by the knowledge that the affair is a serious one, and Archie fears that it was his actions that sent Agatha spiraling into drastic action.

But there is more going on than meets the eye, and de Gramont delivers every surprise with aplomb. While Agatha Christie is my favorite author, I honestly saw none of the twists coming. This is not only a fresh take on a famous unsolved mystery, but one that is so well-thought out and so well-written that I could not put it down.

I know a book is going to be good when it begins like this:

“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.”

Part mystery, part biographical fiction, The Christie Affair is a clever, mesmerizing read written by a talented novelist. Nina de Gramont brilliantly weaves together two storylines, that of Agatha Christie, and the backstory of her husband’s mistress, Nan O’Dea. I read the book and listened to the audiobook. Both were splendid. 4.5 stars.

Synopsis:

The Christie Affair is a reimagining of one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the twentieth century. At 9:30 pm on December 3, 1926, English crime novelist Agatha Christie kissed her sleeping seven-year-old daughter, Rosalind, goodnight and then she climbed into her car and drove off into the night. She would not be seen again for 11 days. More than a thousand police officers, hundreds of civilians, and even airplanes searched for her. Rumors circulated that she had either committed suicide, been murdered by her philandering husband, or disappeared as a publicity stunt to promote her new book. Christie never spoke about the missing eleven days of her life

Published Date: February 1, 2022
Genre: Biographical fiction, historical fiction, historical mystery
Read-alikes: The Seven Husbands or Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline, Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen, The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict.

I had a hard time getting into the story and have abandoned it for now. There have been many positive reviews and the premise is great, so I’m chalking it up to not being the right book for me at this exact time.

Prior to this book I knew nothing about the disappearance of Agatha Christie. And I found this version of the story quite fascinating. I’ll admit at the beginning I thought the story was moving slow, but stick with it. Parts 2 & 3 read super fast and is where the story gets really interesting. Also in the beginning I wasn’t too fond of the story being told from Nan’s (the mistress) perspective. Yet by the end of the book it makes perfect sense and was quite brilliant by the author to structure the book this way. Whether this is what truly happened or not, it’s a fascinating story and one you should read. And makes me want to read some Agatha Christie novels!!

My thanks to the author, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Christie Affair, somewhat misleadingly titled, follows a girl called Nan who's having an affair with Agatha Christie's husband. It takes place during the infamous eleven days of Agatha's disappearance, imagining a tale of what might have happened during the time the author always asserted she could not remember.

I was so excited for this book. Agatha's disappearance is my favorite mystery of all time, but unfortunately, that aspect fell flat. On the positive side, Nan's story had a lot of potential. Her trauma was a real trauma experienced by countless women, and I applaud the author for tackling it. The entire plot surrounding her history was interesting and would have made a fantastic novel if given center stage and flushed out a bit more.

The historical inaccuracies were so glaring, it was hard to enjoy as massive Christie fan. Maybe this would be enjoyable to someone who knows little about her and her life who could look past that. Spoiler ahead, but the very insinuation that Agatha Christie's daughter would have been from a stolen adoption is offensive, especially considering the way she grew up with a mother who dealt with lifelong adoption trauma. And to title the book after Agatha's own name, when the book truly followed her husband's mistress (who in real life never married into the Christie name) just felt in poor taste. It's fine to take liberties when fictionalizing a historical figure, but this felt like it was done in a disrespectful way, and overall it only harmed the story by taking away from the truly interesting part of the plot. The believability in Agatha's involvement was disappointingly not there.

This I was my first book by Nine de Gramont and I really enjoyed it!!! The heartbreak, romance, and revenge makes this book such a thriller!!! I look forward to reading more books by this author!!! Read and enjoy!!!

Wow. This was an intriguing tale. I of course know of Agatha Christie, but I was unaware of the storyline regarding her disappearance.

Nan’s story is tough. Very tough. Watching the flashbacks to her story makes sense why she has become who she’s become.

Chilton’s search for her- I was literally turning page after page!

Archie Christie- UGH, he frustrated me so much.

So many literary cameos: Sir Authur Conan Doyle amongst others.

Absolutely phenomenal!

I had heard of this real life mystery before so reading about it in this novel was fascinating.

I loved the intertwined stories and the time intermixing. I thought this was really well thought out and because of that it was enthralling. I wanted to know desperately where Agatha went and I also begrudgingly felt for Nan and her plight.

I would recommend this for anyone who loves historical fiction, mystery (not thriller) and fans of the mystery queen herself Agatha Christie.

Come see what the Christie Affair is all about!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to check this one out!

I have reviewed the audio book., which I enjoyed immensely. Thank you for the review copy. Extra characters to take up space.

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 ⭐️.