Note to self: read the description of a book more carefully before requesting it from netgalley.
I mean, the cover was beautiful and the idea that it’s based on the time period that Agatha Christie was missing and why sounded so promising.
Even that first line was a major hook. “A long time ago in another country, I nearly killed a woman.” Intrigued, right?
Well, I am so tired of books that are about adultery and infidelity. So within the first chapter, finding out the narrator was Mr. Christie’s mistress (yes, I realize that was mentioned in the description, this the note to self) and how she spoke about their affair just rubbed me wrong.
She even says, “Perhaps you’re finding it difficult to feel kindly toward a home-wrecker such as me. But I don’t require your affection.” Uh, no kidding. I definitely don’t feel kindly toward you. And how disgusting Archie is. Both women deserved better than him.
So I suppose this book just wasn’t for me from the beginning. The writing itself was done beautifully (clearly since it brought out such vehement emotions from me) and intriguing. I just hated the subject matter.
Although the narration was extremely well done. I couldn’t have listened to her voice all day.

I know some would love this book but it just isn't for me. I had a hard time staying focused on the audiobook and I really got bored so I quit the book.

So…I need to read this book rather than listen to it. I like the way the story is going so far but I can’t tolerate the narrator and the various voices they are using for the characters. I’m all for using a voice to differentiate between characters but this narrator chose to almost act the parts and I just can’t. It’s throwing me off because I dislike the narrator’s voices - too much. Pouty voice and meek voice and breathy voice - aaagh!

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy. I’m off to get the actual book and read it myself!

Reviewing
The Christie Affair
By Nina de Gramont

Fans of Agatha Christie are sure to be aware of her mysterious, and to this day, unexplained disappearance in December 1926. In the Christie Affair readers find Gramont’s “Christie style” explanation of the unaccounted for 10 days and the reasoning behind it. While the duel narrative works well in this novel, readers may find the lead perspective of Nancey Neels unrelatable and annoyingly shellfish. The first half of the book is historically based and intriguing with the later half asks readers to really stretching the limits of reality in order to solve this convoluted mystery.

Unfortunately for me it was to far fetched to enjoy the final reveal but I believe many will enjoy it strictly as a cozy murder mystery.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Three interesting but unrealistic stars with at PG rating

I just finished listening to this beautifully written novel, which imagines the true story behind Agatha Christie’s disappearance for eleven days in 1926. I thought this would be about Agatha, but ultimately it’s not Agatha’s story at all. I loved that this story focuses on Nan O’Dea, a fictional version of the mistress of Archie Christie, Agatha’s first husband. The story is told through Nan’s perspective, weaving Nan’s present and past together to create a narrative that was difficult to put down. I don’t want to say much on the story itself and spoil anyone’s journey with this book – I loved the characters and the twists the story takes along the way.

As I read, I did stop a few times to look up articles about Agatha Christie’s disappearance. Ms. de Gramont did an excellent job fitting this story in with the facts known about the disappearance. While this story is fiction, it feels as though Nan’s account really could have happened.

The narrator (Lucy Scott) does a fantastic job bringing the story to life and immersing you in Nan’s world.

Highly, highly recommend The Christie Affair. It was just a beautiful, bittersweet read.

Eleven days

An interesting but very different tale of the famous disappearance of Agatha Christie for eleven days in 1925. It is a mystery within a mystery. It is told by Mr. Christie's mistress, Nan O'Day.

One day Agatha packs a bag and disappears. Her car is found, but not Agatha. It is quite a brilliantly written what if of a tale of those missing eleven days until Agatha is found again.

The story is mostly written about Nan O'Day the mistress, how she came to be in England and her reason for becoming a mistress to Mr. Christie. It is quite a story and a good one at that.

I wasn't sure about the ending, I really felt bad for the Irish fellow, but I guess life move in different directions. It was quite a twist at the end and I never expected that.

I listened to the audio book and I also read the book. It was a little harder to follow than some and that helped me to figure out where I was in the book. It did a lot of twisting, turning and going back and forth between past and present time. Lucy Scott did a great job narrating the audio book. It was very easy to hear and understand and she had a nice accent.

Nan's story was quite sad and I understood her character a bit more as the story continued. It was almost three stories, Nan's story, Agatha's story and the story of the two of them and the ending.
I did enjoy reading the story and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Nina De Gramont for writing an interesting story, To Lucy Scott for a great job narrating it , to MacMillan Audio for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me.

With film adaptations of Christie's work like Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express coming to theaters in recent years and starring today's biggest stars, it is difficult to realize that Agatha Christie actually lived all the way back in the 1920's. This is one of my favorite decades so I'm always excited to transported there through a good audiobook listen. This novel has an interesting premise in imagining a real-life story tied to an event that seemingly little is known about, and I was not familiar with Christie's disappearance myself. Christie isn't the main character here though and instead Nan O'Dea takes center stage. It ends up being a solid listen through the story and narration that I did enjoy.

Based on a reimagining of Agatha Christie's real-life disappearance, The Christie Affair centers on Nan O'Dea, the young mistress of Agatha's husband, and how Agatha's missing eleven days coincide with events in Nan's life.

I found Nan's story fascinating, especially her past. While I didn't care for how she did it, I had to applaud Nan for taking control of her destiny. Nan's heartbreaking story is one of determination and hope.

The Christie Affair is Nan's story, but Agatha also plays a crucial role. Detective Chilton and war vet Finbarr are interesting secondary characters who add real depth to the story.

I enjoyed listening to this book. Narrator Lucy Scott gives each character in the book distinct voices, including well-done Irish accents when needed. The Christie Affair is an engaging listening experience thanks to Scott's calming, melodic voice and lively dialogue delivery.

Overall, I enjoyed having a clever murder mystery to solve paired with a compelling love story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of The Christie Affair to listen to and enjoy. This review reflects my honest, unbiased opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an audio listener’s copy of The Christie Affair. In exchange I offer my honest review.

I REALLY enjoyed this book. A re-imagining of the 11 days in December, 1926 when Agatha Christie went missing.This story is told from the point of view of Nan O’Dea, mistress of Agatha’s husband Archie.
With polished prose, attention to detail and a stirring plot, Nina de Gramont has crafted a wonderful story of mystery, romance, intrigue and scandal. This is very much Nan’s story and boy is it cunning.
I enjoyed the narration by Lucy Scott, however their were times in the book when it was unclear to me, whose thoughts we were hearing. For fans of Dame Agatha, this book includes a solid mystery very much in keeping with the style of Hercule Poirot. I highly recommend picking up a copy, available February 1, 2022.

You all know that I am a huge Agatha Christie fan, so when I saw this fictional story of her mysterious disappearance, I knew it was a must read for me.

Told through the eyes of Nan, Archie Christie's mistress. Archie is ready to leave Agatha and move on with Nan; but when Agatha finds out she leaves- beginning an 11 day disappearance.

Let's start with the cover, it is absolutely stunning. It has that 1920's glam that I love. I was expecting a story strictly about Agatha but this story is mostly about Nan, and what brought her into the Christie's lives. It was a daring angle from the author, as Christie fans would not be a fan of the mistress...but Nan's story is one that I could empathize with. We slowly learn Nan's backstory and connect with her as the story unfolds.

I loved how this story could have been written by Christie. The murder, infidelity, mistaken identity, and mystery of it all was classic Christie. There was a bit of a lull in the middle, but once the twist hit, I was all in. 

As far as the audiobook- this was well done and clear. It was easy to follow. I would definitely recommend this one.

This is out February 1st. I recommend this to fans of Agatha and anyone that likes a historical mystery.

I received this an audio ARC through Netgalley. The Christie Affair is a work of fiction from the point of view of Agatha's husbands mistress, Nan. I do not know much about Agatha Christie besides that she was a prolific author who had a disappearance for with no explanation. I do not know how much of this book is based on fact and how much is speculation, but it is a great story to listen to! After reading this book, I am extremely interested in reading some non-fiction on Agatha Christie and those that were part of her life. Lucy Scott did a wonderful job narrating Nina de Gramont's book. Affairs, star crossed lovers, Catholic home for unwed mothers fun by nuns and one priest, babies ripped from their mothers arms, plus so much more in this tale.

The Christie Affair [out 2/1/2022]

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Christie Affair dives into, in my opinion, one of the most mysterious subjects in history: what happened during Agatha Christie’s 11-day disappearance in 1926? Agatha was found in an inn in Harrogate with no luggage and checked in under the name of her husband’s mistress. She claims to not remember anything.

Nina de Gramont reimagines what took place within the 11 days Agatha was missing via the lens of Archie Christie’s (fictional) mistress, Nan O’Dea.

Although I loved the idea, the story itself was just okay for me (with the exception of the last ~20%). It is aptly called “The Christie Affair,” because it really does center on Nan O’Dea & her backstory, while Agatha is almost a secondary character. There were times in the story where it felt like the author was going on a tangent (just tell me what happened to Agatha!!!) or sped up and give away future events too quickly (ie, “Years later, when I was married to Archie”). Going from past to present to 3rd person to 1st person, I felt like keeping up w the threads of this story was harder than it should’ve been.

There were some shining moments in this book, however: Nan breaking the 4th wall & acknowledging the audience was a cool technique. Also, the small whodunnit wrapped INTO the disappearance story was not only a nod to Agatha Christie herself (poisoning + detective on the case), but its conclusion was a welcome surprise (whereas I guessed Nan’s true motives with Archie much quicker.)

Overall, I think this interesting premise that took a wild spin on these 11 days... not sure if I would recommend given how lost / uninspired I felt in the middle, but it would be great for readers interested in the topic. I would’ve loved to read from AC’s perspective, so may check out some other releases that I’ve heard explore this same topic. Thank you to @netgalley for the audio ARC! 🎧

3.5 stars

I was very intrigued by the plot of this story and was really hoping to learn more about Agatha Christie and her disappearance, however, I don't feel like I got that. I was expecting to learn about the real disappearance not just a fictional version along with a fictional main character. It felt like Agatha wasn't the star of this novel even though it was assumed to be all about her. It also somewhat bothered me at the book's characters were based on real people but didn't really follow their actual lives but just a made-up version of them.

The plot surrounding Nan was interesting and I think I would have preferred if It was more so explicit that it was mainly about her. I did enjoy her plot story and the little plot twist at the end (I didn't see it coming but I'm sure most will). She was a very complex character and it was a real journey following her throughout. The style of historical fiction jumping from different time periods back and forth that is very popular right now isn't really always my favourite and I think this one could have been done a bit better. However, there are some big topics discussed and they were discussed well, I just felt a little let down.

This was such a fun audiobook. The narration was excellent. I love Agatha Christie novels and thought it was really fun that this story also included a murder mystery. The twists were very well hidden and I didn’t see either of the two big ones coming. One thing I would have enjoyed is if there had been author notes at the end explaining what parts of the story and characters were drawn from the actual event. Overall I’ve rated it 5/5 stars and highly recommend it.

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont is a novel that reimagines the unexplained eleven-day disappearance of Agatha Christie that captivated the world. The story includes unlikely friendships, star-crossed lovers, heartbreak, revenge, and murder. It’s a great story for fans of historical fiction and Agatha Christie.

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for allowing me to listen to this novel ahead of publication in return for my honest review.

📚 B O O K. R E V I E W 📚

Thank you so much to netgalley, the publisher, and the author for my copy and ALC copy of THE CHRISTIE AFFAIR by Nina De Gramont! This one publishes Feb 1, 2022!

My rating: 📚📚📚.5

Did you know that Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days? Neither did I! This book is based on real life events, but told in a very detailed, pleasant and interesting way! I enjoyed it!

This book is described as:

“ 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 .”

I did listen to most of the book, and I feel like that experience took away from the book, at least for me. I feel like I missed some of the details that the book is full of! I did find it really interesting tho because I do not know much about Agatha Christie’s life. I have only read a couple of her books, but NEED to read more!

I think fans of AC, her books, and anyone wanting to know more about her disappearance will really enjoy this book!

3.5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC audio of The Christie Affair.

Agatha Christie is arguably one of the most known writers ever but how many people know about 11 days she vanished and the mystery surrounding it. The Christie Affair is version told by the narrator Nan O'Dea, Agatha's husband's mistress who he has just announced he is leaving Agatha for. The weekend he makes his big announcement he and Nan going on holiday with friends leaving a broken hearted Agatha distraught and alone. They are stunned when the next morning when the police ring to say that they have discovered Agatha's car on the side of the road but she is no where to be found. A massive country wide manhunt begins. Nan, in an attempt to save face and out of the public eye retreats to a hotel spa. While there the narrator tells the reader the story of Nan's life, loves and tragedies. This is where the past and present will meet face to face.

I really liked the premise of this novel and was a quirky story of the famed author that I wasn't familiar with. Stylistically it feels like an Agatha Christie novel. The plot timeline moves back and forth between Nan's past and Agatha's disappearance. I thought the story being told from Nan's perspective was an interesting take but the plot focused way too much on Nan's story where I would have enjoyed more of Agatha's. I feel like the portrayal of Agatha was a miss and in the end I lost interest in all of the characters. Regardless of the horrors of her past, Nan is not a sympathetic character and her actions are selfish. Everything wraps up in the end but definitely feels like a stretch. I had the audio version read by Lucy Scott who does a nice job of telling the story.

Well written fiction book about the Agatha Christie's 11 day disappearance. I enjoyed the storyline between the two characters. Well written. Themes of motherhood and family. I recommend listening to the audio. It was well done.

A unique perspective into the infamous disappearance of Agatha Christie. Told from the point of view of her husband’s mistress, we tumble into the less than perfect life of Ms Christie and those who surround her; and how she turned not only pen and paper into mysteries, but her own life as well.

There are some points in the story where it was incredibly odd that the mistress was telling the story (as in, parts of the story that the mistress would have never know and never been told or would have known how to describe), which made some of those sections a bit distracting.

Much of this story is actually the story of the mistress though - the description eludes to the book being about the mystery of Christie’s disappearance, but yet, at least 50% is not about Christie at all. It is related in a round about way, but yet it’s so oddly put together..

I found myself doing some research while reading; the things with historical fiction that talks about real people & events is that biofiction
is meant to tell the tale of real people, perhaps adding some fictional characters and conversations that are imaginative. This story though, takes real people and completely gives them a fictional story - it actually promotes false history, false information about real people in history. If someone were to read this and not research the true history of the people in this book that are not factual, they would believe this book is telling a true story. Had the author made these plot twists about fictional characters within Agatha’s true story; that’s something completely different. In my opinion, this story is irresponsible- it gives completely false information about true people in history.

The narrator of the audio book is simply spectacular, and when there were sections the storyline lulled, her incredible storytelling kept me listening, when I think I otherwise may have been inclined to skip ahead, or stop. The stars indicated in this review are for this incredible narrator!

I will not be posting a full review on goodreads for this story, in hopes that revisions would be made before the publishing date.

This book while I knew nothing about Agatha christie so I had to look in to it, where she disappear for 11 days with no memory of it. Just say after her husband said he was leaving her, While you think it’s going to be about her it’s in fact about the mistress and her back story and what happened in those day, all this is fiction but

While in real life her husband does and we are lead to believe that the disappearance is due to her husband infidelity.

It found it interesting but kinda out there. Recommend if you are in to fiction, but do some research

I received this advance copy for my honest opinion from netgalley