“ A long time ago, in another country, I nearly killed a woman.” So begins The Christie Affair by Nina De Gramont @ninadegramont and, from the very first sentence, I was hooked.

Most true Agatha Christie fans know that she was missing for twelve mysterious days in 1926 and that she never divulged the truth about where she was, what she was doing, or who she was with. She only responded that she couldn’t remember.

The Christie Affair imagines one possible scenario, and what a story it is. Each twist and turn is crafted in a way that made me think that it was perfectly plausible. If you love Agatha, or even if you love factually-based historical fiction with a good mystery thrown in, The Christie Affair might be perfect for your TBR.

The narrator for the audio version of The Christie Affair is perfect! Every inflection made me feel like I was inside the story!

BOOK: The Christie Affair
AUTHOR: Nina de Gramont
FORMAT: Audiobook
GENRE: Historical Fiction
PUB DATE: February 1
RATING: 7/10
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you so much Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this advanced listening copy!

MY THOUGHTS

I was really looking forward to this one because the life of the infamous novelist and great mystery writer Agatha Christie has always fascinated me. While I don’t know a ton about her, she’s always piqued my interest. I will say, while of course being historical fiction, it was heavily focused on the fictional character and less so on Agatha herself.

I really enjoyed the story. I think the plot was clever and had a lot of potential to be gripping but it fell a little short for me. It was really slow to start and for that reason, by the time the plot picked up I had already kind of checked out. I also thought that the transitions between POVs and timelines were hazy and unclear and caused some confusion for me. Additionally with the POVs, I didn’t love how Nan’s POV was in first person, and the others were all in third person.

I think the twists were semi-predictable but I enjoyed watching Nan’s past catch up to the present day timeline. I may have enjoyed it better if I read the physical book rather than listen to the audiobook, but nonetheless I am glad I read it and think that it paves the way for me to further invest in the life and literary works of Agatha Christie.

The Christie Affair is a fully fictionalized account of what happened in the 11 days that Agatha Christie disappeared. Emphasis on the fiction. Even the names of the real people involved are different. More mystery, murder and forbidden romance, added. At the end, the book is barely about AC, but it definitely makes for an intriguing setting.

The book is mainly about Nan O'Dae, the woman Archie Christie leaves Agatha Christie for (IRL her name is Nancy Neele). And the book is from her POV her too. The focus of the book is mainly her life, what brought her here, and how she was involved with AC's disappearance.

I read this as an audiobook, with Lucy Scott as the narrator, and I really enjoyed it. Her narration pulled me into the story, and I thought she did a great job with all the characters from various backgrounds.

If you don't already know about one of the biggest unsolved literary mysteries, Christie's disappearance for 11 days early in her career, I'd recommend reading about it. It's fascinating and I think it was fun to be able to tell the different bits that were pulled from real life.

Now onto my actual review:
I loved the language of the book. I highlighted so many different bits. The lyricism kept making me chuckle at the small nuances and admire the way the story was delivered.

The book, at its core is about womanhood and motherhood. About the inequalities women faced back then and still do. One example is when very early on, Archie Christie tells Agatha he wants a divorce. And the author puts it so beautifully, how men can act with passion and cheat, but when women act with passion when reacting to the news, they're being unreasonable.

Neither woman is perfect in the book, I found myself getting angry at them at various times. They make mistakes, they're selfish at times. But they're also very strong women, one very successful, the other, a little broken, but both incredibly determined and stuck in a situation they don't want to be in. By the end I loved them both.

Two of the men are also fantastic characters: Chilton and Finbarr. They highlight the different ways men were impacted by WWI back then. And how the war shaped the men and the society as a whole.

This is also a mystery book. And I thought the various mysteries were woven very well together by the different timelines. And how they were revealed. Slowly showing us the full picture. I was not able to guess most of the mysteries, so I was surprised many times along the way as well. However, this also causes one of the things I liked less about the book. As the mysteries are unfolding, there are some timelines, that while reading I didn't know why I needed to care, since I didn't know how they fit into the big picture. So during those chapters, I found that they dragged a bit.

If I had to point out a nit, I'd say that there was one mystery (not the main one) that wasn't fully answered for me. And I don't know that I agreed with the in-story explanation of why that had to stay a mystery, and I as a reader, wanted to know the answer to it. I'm not opposed to open ended books, but with a mystery style book, I personally feel better when all questions are answered.

Overall though, with or without my nitpicks, I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved all aspects of it, the mysteries, the underlying messages, the characters, the way the story was told... And for the audiobook, I loved the narrator. I'd recommend this book to fans of Agatha Christie and to fans of cozy mysteries.

I really enjoy historical fiction, and I've always found the story of Agatha Christie's disappearance interesting, so I was excited to see them combined in this title. I found the premise of the story unique, being told from the perspective of the woman having an affair with Christie's husband. I also loved the idea of a mystery inside the story, because of course there should be a mystery with Agatha Christie involved! I did find the plot and pacing a bit slow however. There were a few times where I found myself zoning out and not remembering what I read. The switching between the past and the current time was a bit confusing as well, but that could be from the audiobook format. I also felt that most of the action happened within the last hour and a half of the book. It felt like a very slow buildup, then it all went downhill very fast. I wish it had been a bit more even. I did like Nan's character, she seemed well developed. It was fun that she would vreak the 4th wall and speak to the reader every now and again. I thought Archie was very flat, but I also think that was the point of his character. I wish that there would have been more of Agatha in the book, it felt like she was in very little of the story. I did love the character of the woman who owned the hotel, she was fantastic. The narrator was brilliant. She was pleasant to listen to, and told the story well. She was effective in conveyong the emotions of the story. Overall, I think it is a solid story, there were just a few elements that I thought didn't work well. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries, is a fan of Christie, or is just looking for a good story.

I am so happy to finally listen to The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont!

This story is a fictionalized account of the time that Agatha Christie went missing in 1926. In December, Christie’s car was found crashed at the edge of a chalk pit with a bottle of poison in the backseat and Christie no where to be seen. She was found 11 days later in a hotel, claimed amnesia, and never spoke of it again.

This story, told in part from the perspective of Mr. Christie’s lover, Nan O’Dea opens with,

“A long time ago in another country, I nearly killed a woman. I’s a particular feeling, the urge to murder.”

This book has all the makings of an Agatha Christie novel… except of course, the mystery stays unsolved.

I loved the historical aspect of this book. There were lots of expected aspects - such as information about Agatha Christie’s life - but a lot of unexpected aspects - such as life for young women staying at a home for pregnant, unmarried girls.

I loved the insights into Christie’s life. In fact, this is where the novel surprisingly could have gone into more depth. Much of the novel centres around Nan O’Dea’s life, which although interesting on its own, almost made Christie a supporting character. I think I would have appreciated the story better if the entire book was fictionalized rather than being so loosely based on Christie’s life.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ALC! Lucy Scott’s narration was very well done.

Nina de Gramont uses the famously unexplained mystery surrounding Agatha Christie’s disappearance in 1926 as her inspiration for this most delicious tale, spinning a uniquely fascinating imagination about what transpired during those eleven days and why. I absolutely devoured every bit of it!

Told from the voice of Nan O’Dea, a fictional character loosely based on Archie Christie’s mistress and second wife, the author masterfully intermingles fact with fiction in this seductively addicting tale, more than once I had to remind myself that this was in fact a piece of fiction.

I had the opportunity to read an eARC and listen to and advance copy audiobook. Much of the story is told in the first person perspective of Nan, but switches to a third person omnipotent narration, and with this format, I found the audio narration really enhanced the storytelling. Lucy Scott’s narration was phenomenal.

This one had it all, mystery, murder, mischief and love. Recommended for Christie fans, fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, bookclub groups and historical fiction lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press and the author for the opportunity to read and listen to advanced copies of this fantastic story. #netgalley #thechristieaffair #macmillanaudio

𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕖 𝔸𝕗𝕗𝕒𝕚𝕣 ~ Nina de Gramont
Published 2/1/2022
Listened to 1/31/2022

🅾🆅🅴🆁🅰🅻🅻 🆁🅰🆃🅸🅽🅶 = ⭐⭐⭐.5
👩🏻👨🏼‍🦰Characters = 7/10
🗺🎪Setting/Atmosphere = 7/10
✍🏼🧬Style/Structure = 5/10
🎞🔮Plot = 5/10
💡💌Themes = 5/10
🎯🔎Purpose/Focus = 5/10
🧠🫀Internal Response = 7/10
👍🏻👎🏻Enjoyment/Satisfaction = 7/10
🗣💬Recommend to Others = 7/10
👄🎧Narration = 8/10

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audioARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions shared are my own.

As a young reader, I collected and read all of Agatha Christie’s mystery books. I admired her as a female author and story teller. Therefore, when I learned of this book about Christie’s mysterious 11 day disappearance, I was intrigued. However, the book only earned 3.5 stars from me due to several weaknesses in my eyes as a reader.

One of the aspects of historical fiction that I love are the true stories they are based on. That influence wasn’t as noticeable in this book due to the unknowns around those 11 days in Christie’s life. The “what if?” aspect was interesting, but I wish there was more of a focus on Agatha during that time instead of Archie Christie’s mistress, Nan O’Dea, who was the unreliable omniscient narrator of most of the story.

The author creates an atmospheric feel with the way she describes 1920’s Harrogate and WWI Ireland. I felt like I was in the story experiencing the sights, sounds, smells, and emotions along with the characters. While hearing the backstory of Agatha's and Nan's lives through the dual timelines was fascinating, it left me confused at times, due to the numerous storylines that were criss-crossing in time and place, I enjoyed the twists and turns that were revealed.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to readers who enjoy multiple stories and timelines and who enjoy learning about a part of history with many unknowns.

Lucy Scott was an incredible narrator who made the characters come to life.

Did you know that in 1926, Agatha Christie went missing for 11 days? Of course she was found, otherwise we wouldn’t have so many of her books now. No one knows what happened in those eleven days, but Nina de Gramont has created her own version of the story.
The story is a sad and beautiful tale of young love, loss, the devastation of the Great War, and how women were perceived during the era. There is a the mystery of Christie’s disappearance but also a murder mystery to solve. The story reads like one of Agatha’s great who dun it books, with a lot of unusual suspects and circumstances bringing them together. To say the story was well thought out is an understatement. It was brilliantly done with a mega huge unexpected twist.
But the love story…omg the love story.. You will want to hate Nan O’Dea, but won’t be able to. She is a broken woman who is driven while running away from her soulmate. Prepare to cry. Her story is tragic. When she gets caught up with Agatha, the story becomes something else.
The Christie Affair is an affair like no other. You will get swept up in the characters, which take on more life in audio. The narrator has a lovely voice that changes for each character we meet. At one point she sings a sweet and sad song, adding emotion to the story. Through her voice I felt like I was transformed into 1920’s England.

I am a huge fan of Agatha Christie so obviously I picked this. The plot is set around the disappearance of Dame Christie right before her separation with her husband Archie. It is written from the point of view of Archie Christie's paramour, Nancy. Along with the disappearance, there is a murder to be solved and a dark secret to be revealed. I thoroughly enjoyed it with its ups and downs, its whirlwind romance and the aftermath of certain events.

The narrator did a really good job!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen to this.

“Indulge Yourself Instead and Close the Book on a Happy Ending”, “One May Smile and Smile and Still be a Villain”, “I placed both hands around her neck. How satisfying her gasps-first of shock and then of pain” -Nan O’Dea

Nan O’Dea is the mistress of Archie Christie. He says he is hopelessly in love with her and tells his with Agatha he wants a divorce. When she realizes he is serious, she suddenly disappears for 11 days.

I loved this book and that the retelling is done by Nan. This is a magical story, filled with true love, heartbreak, desire, grief, pain, friendship, revenge, mystery, the bonds of marriage, living with hard decisions, and the lengths one can be driven to in order to meet those needs. Once Part II of this book started, I just could not put it down until I finished. The book was different then I was expecting, but that added to it for me. Definitely, a tremendous tale of two women and how their lives merge together and threaten to tear their worlds apart. Fantastic, highly recommend.

I had the audio 🎧 Version of this book and thought the reader, Lucy Scott did a great job. I found the story easy to understand and very entertaining to listen to. There was often much going on and I could always follow along well.

Thank you NetGalley, Nina De Gramont, and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this Audio Book.

I am fascinated by Agatha Christie. What happened those 11 days she was “missing??””

The Christie Affair is a reimagining of those 11 days with an added murder mystery.

The basics are the facts as they happened. December 1926 Christie’s husband declares his intent to leave her and marry his mistress. He then leaves the house for a weekend away. Agatha goes missing and her car is found abandoned. After 11 days and a huge manhunt, Agatha is found and claims she can’t remember a thing.
The rest of the story is an imagined story of what could have been. The novel is narrated by the mistress, Nan O’Dea. She has so many secrets that my head was spinning. I absolutely grew to love her. This is definitely a novel to savor.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an audiobook ARC.

In 1926 Nan O'Dea became Archie Christie's mistress, luring him away from his devoted and well-known wife, Agatha Christie. This leads to eleven mysterious days that Agatha Christie went missing after Archie asks her for a divorce. This book is part truth and part fiction. First of all, Nancy Neeley was Archie's paramour's name. The book is written from Nan's point-of-view and she is a bit unreliable. I've read other books about this situation and there is a mystery about what really happened when Agatha went missing. When Agatha is found, she claimed amnesia and has never admitted to what really happened. In this book there are a couple twists at the end which I enjoyed and I like the spin that was put on this story. If you enjoy missing person books, then I believe you will enjoy this one. I would like to thank MacMillan for a copy of the audio for an honest opinion. I enjoyed the narrator who made listening to this book a pleasant experience for me.

Told from the point of view of Archie Christie’s mistress, The Christie Affair delves into 11 days that Agatha Christie was missing. While this is entirely a fictional account, deGramont tells a tale of love, loss, and trauma that you won’t soon forget.
deGramont weaves together the past and present in ways that are seemingly unconnected, but that come together over the course of the book. deGramont delves not only into the 11 days that Agatha was missing, but also into the impact of The Great War and abusive treatment of unwed mothers by the Church. The story is poignant on so many levels, and served as a reminder of the terrible ways that we treated (and sometimes still treat) our fellow humans. The characters were well-developed and it was easy to root for them to have their happy endings. And of course, a story about Agatha Christie wouldn’t be complete without some mystery thrown in for good measure 😊
I enjoyed the ALC version of this novel (thanks @netgalley and @macmillianaudio!). The narrator @lucyscott has a wonderful voice and is very pleasing to listen to. This book dropped on 2.1.22, so it’s available for you to enjoy now!

I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator for this audio book and had a great time taking a sneak peek into Agatha Christie's life, even if it was more fiction than historical. It was a wild ride and a fun take on the her disappearance. 4/5 stars!

The 11 days Agatha Christie is missing is told through Nan O'Dea in 1925. Nan becomes Achie's mistress. Revenge, love, children, murder and tons of secrets are throughout this book. The last quarter of the book takes unexpected twists. The narration was excellent! I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Thank you #NetGalley, #STMartin'sPress, #NinadeGarmont and #LucyScott for the advance copy for my honest review.

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont is an outstanding listen! I have so enjoyed the books that Agatha Christie wrote, that i jumped at the chance to hear more about the author. Nina wrote a wonderful book that gave insight into AC. I enjoyed the perspective of "the other woman" in this story. Thank you #NetGalley and #MacMillan Audio for letting me review this book. Lucy Scott really impressed me with her performance! Her singing in the book was great too.

The Christie Affair is a fascinating novel that takes the mystery of what happened to Agatha Christie and completely turns it on its head. Most novels look primarily at Christie and what she planned, but this novel takes a completely different approach that I loved. It's a great mystery that any Christie fan will love.

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont is an interesting imagining of what happened during the 11 days that Agatha Christie went missing in 1926. No one knows where she went during those days of being missing, but the author spins an interesting tale. The story is told from the point of view of Nan , the mistress of Agatha's husband , Archie. A mystery in the style of an Agatha Christie novel develops. It kept me in suspense and I really enjoyed how the story was woven together. I highly recommend The Christie Affair.
I was given an ARC of the audiobook version of The Christie Affair by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
#netgalley
#ninadegramont
#audiobook
#thechristieaffair

"The greatest mystery wasn't Agatha Christie's disappearance in those eleven infamous days, it's what she discovered." 🧐💍📚

This book was excellent. While it was a bit of a slow burn, I found myself hooked and wanting to read more! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was given an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion. I was so excited to be able to listen to this book. It went straight to the top of my books to be read now pile.. this was narrated from the mistress’ POV. Fabulous insight. This deals primarily with the eleven days that Agatha Christie went missing. It began when Archibald Christie, Agatha’s husband of 32 years demands she ask for a divorce. He announces he will be going to their friends home for a couples retreat and she won’t be attending. He is taking his mistress of three years.it will be an engagement party for him and Nan Neele. She has been his golfing partner. When they started playing golf Agatha enjoyed playing with Archie. Agatha even won a tournament. But Agatha would return to her all consuming writing. When she is into her writing., she demanded no noise. Archie would spend the day at his work, quietly come home, make teapot not to whistle, and make no noise while placing her teacup nearby otherwise feel the wrath of Agatha. Archie had been introduced to a young woman with glowing recommendation from his business assistant who Archie thought quite highly of. The young woman, Nan became his golfing partner this Agatha had been made aware. However she did not know that Nan would also become his mistress. One day Archie would come home a demand a divorce. His attorney felt it best for Agatha to file on the grounds of his infidelity. But Nans name must be kept out of the press.. with her latest book just published there was a great possibility the press would go for this information to sensationalize the whole thing and they wouldn’t want that. He and Nan had been an item for three years and he would be taking her with him for a couples weekend at a friends house.Agatha was distraught finding out their attorney knew before she did and now all their friends would know it is beyond embarrassing.Agathastormed from the house just driving to get away. Her car just dies alongside the rode next to what appears to be an abandoned home. Agatha goes in looks around. There is no one in the home she makes herself at home. Yes, I enjoyed this book immensely and will definitely recommend as a very enjoyable time well spent listening to this audiobook. There is so much more to this story and it can’t be an Agatha Christie without a murder can it? So which woman will Archie pick? I ended up almost rooting for the mistress. Special thanks to #NetGalley,@MacmillanAudio #NinadeGramont, #TheChristieAffair for giving me an early read.