Entertaining, mystery and romantic, the Christie Affair gives a historical fiction look into the disappearance of Agatha Christie as told by her husband’s mistress. Though Nan’s backstory was often a little difficult to keep account of, I did enjoy this book and the mystery. Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’m grateful for the review copy.

I found The Christie Affair an enjoyable read but not very engaging overall.
I couldn’t get used to the authors writing style and the mistress was annoying.

This book was all over the place! I appreciated the insight into Agatha Christie but the point of view changes were sometimes dizzying to follow. Well researched and at times heart breaking, the story took many twists and turns. Engaging and compelling.

The Christie Affair, while it has an interesting premise for what happened when Agatha Christie disappeared without a trace, comes off as way too convoluted. The story is told by Nan O'Dea, who is having an affair with Agatha's husband Archie. But it goes back and forth between Christie's disappearance and her own time as a young woman in Ireland. Then it goes further in making a mess by telling the story from multiple points of view, but sometimes as presupposes by Nan. And because the story is (kind of) about Agatha Christie, there has to be a mysterious death or two in the hotel Nan is laying low at while everyone in England is looking for Agatha. The only problem is that the detective on the case, figures out the motive with information that I don't ever remember being disclosed to him or that he would have gone digging for. It provides an aha moment for the reader, but doesn't for within what the characters should know. While any person could know what ends up happening with Christie, de Gramont discloses what happens with Nan at the end multiple times throughout the story, which leaves the ending both uninteresting and unsatisfying. Finally, at least in the ARC that I read for review, there are no historical notes that provide any context for a plot so ridiculous it's hard to believe anything but the flimsiest of details provided the basis for this story.

This is a wonderful homage to British style mysteries- the writing deftly brings you into Agatha's world.

The characters are detailed, their personalities 'real' and believable. You feel the wonderful fabrics of their clothes, the comfort of their overstuffed chairs, the smokey peat take of their cocktails.

This is a historical mystery that is suspenseful and told from multiple points of view.

This one missed the mark with me. Too much back and forth with Nan was getting me mixed up with where Agatha was in the story.

There have been so many books lately about Christie and this one didn't add anything to her tale.

Such a beautiful feat of imagination. A story worthy of the legendary mystery author, The Christie Affair is written with a precision of psychology and a foundation of compassion. More than just homage, this book will be a classic in its own right.

A joy to read. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Publishing for giving the chance to have an early read.

An excellent telling of what possibly happened when Agatha Christie disappeared and claimed not to remember where she had been.. Well-written, well-told, and very creative. Definitely reminiscent of Agatha's books. I often think these fan fiction novels fall short, but this one was excellent. A mystery, a couple of love stories, a slice of life in the period. I can't say enough good things about it. I love how it took an unsympathetic character and unveiled her truth. It shows how so often we only see a person through our own filters and never go deep enough to find their pain and motivation for their actions. Challenges one's morals and judgments.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
In December of 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days and was presumed dead. Her soon-to-be ex-husband was the primary suspect in what police felt was a murder. Colonel Christie had reason to be nervous since he had asked his wife for divorce right before she vanished. It didn't look good for him. But, interestingly, she was not dead and lived a long life; it was just a devious way to torture her soon-to-be ex. Over the years, many theories had been gossiped about and motives considered. But, in the end, no one but Agatha Christie knows what went on for the 11 days she claimed to have amnesia. Leave it to Agatha, a well-respected writer and heartbroken wife, to get away with the amnesia defense. The Christie Affair includes some of the actual people involved, yet additional characters in this book are fictional. Having studied this topic in the past, I felt the fictional embellishment of this story to be a challenge to accept. If you read the story as mostly fiction, you will enjoy this book because I believe very little is based upon factual evidence. The Christie Affair is a nifty historical novel about a missing wife, a smothering mistress, and a lecherous husband. How fun. By the way, this cover is beautiful. #author #agathachristie #womanscorned #missing #mistress #mystery #historicalfiction #thechristieaffair
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⚜️ Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read this book which absolutely delighted me.

#reading #books #bookstagram #book #booksofinstagram #booklovers #bookish #lindaleereads2021 #mmdbookclub #idratherbereading #readinglife #mmdsummerreading #summerreadingguide @modernmrsdarcy #mmdchallenge #September

I loved the writing and the story kept me turning pages. If it hadn’t been so completely outlandish in its conjectures about the disappearance of Agatha Christie, one of my favorite writers, I would have enjoyed it more.

I love when an historical fiction book makes me google to see how much was real and how much was author’s license. This one had me so curious to know if Agatha Christie really did disappear and how much of the details the author provided were true. Such an interesting read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 3.5 stars rounded up.

This one caught my eye right away due to the gorgeous cover and when I read the synopsis, I knew it needed a place on my TO READ list!

The story is "told from the point of view of Miss Nan O'Dea, a fictional character but based on someone real. In 1925, she infiltrated the wealthy, rarified world of author Agatha Christie and her husband, Archie. A world of London townhomes, country houses, shooting parties, and tennis matches. Nan O'Dea became Archie's mistress, luring him away from his devoted wife. In every way, she became a part of their world--first, both Christies. Then, just Archie. The question is, why?

And what did it have to do with the mysterious eleven days that Agatha Christie went missing?

The answer takes you back time, to Ireland, to a young girl in love, to a time before The Great War. To a star-crossed couple who were destined to be together--until war and pandemic and shameful secrets tore them apart.

What makes a woman desperate enough to destroy another woman's marriage?

What makes someone vengeful enough to hatch a plot years in the making? What drives someone to murder?"

I CANT WAIT to read this one! How about you? If you love historical fiction, you might one to add this to your #TBR list too.

I had head such amazing things about this book, that when I was given an opportunity to read and review it, I jumped on it and started it right away! Although I am familiar with Agatha Christie, I haven't ever read her books.

This is my first book by Nina de Gramont and I have to say that her writing was elegant and the plot of this book was amazing! The pacing of the book lows, carrying you seamlessly from one scene and one point of view to the next. The characters are complex, believable, and interesting.

I can't wait to read more from this author!

As other reviewers have mentioned, this book takes a fictional look at the 11 days Agatha Christie went missing. Was it amnesia? Was it a nervous breakdown? Was it a publicity stunt? To this day, no one really knows what happened and Ms. Christie never said.

This book is told through the lens of Nan O’Dea, Christie’s husband’s mistress, which was an interesting twist. I liked this idea a lot. As the plot progresses, it takes on the feel of a Christie mystery, which was another bonus.

What didn’t quite work for me was the timeline jumps, combined with the omniscient narrator and changing points of view. I also didn’t care for all of Nan’s backstory - while it helps establish more information about Nan I didn’t always care for the detail it went into. There wasn’t an Author’s Note, which I would’ve enjoyed reading to learn more about the Author’s take on what inspired her to write this book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the gifted digital copy from NetGalley.

This novel is narrated from the POV of Nancy Neele, named Nan O'Dea in this story. I found Nan to be an unlikable character.

This novel was well written. However, the name changes threw me off. Agatha Christie's daughter was named Rosalind and I do not know if she was ever called Teddy.

It does not make sense for Archie to have two daughters named Rosalind. In real life, his daughter by Agatha was named Rosalind. In this novel, Nan had a daughter with Archie named Rosalind. Again, this threw me off.

Readers who enjoy soap opera type of stories may like this novel.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Digressing from the usual retellings, this one is from the eye of Agatha Christie's husband's mistress. Sounds cool? YAS! It was absolutely amazing that I think an audiobook of this novel would also be best listened to. I finished it in few hours because it was unputdownable.

This book revolves around Agatha Christie’s disappearance. It’s actually told mostly by her husband’s mistress, which at times could be confusing. There’s more of a mystery going on besides Agatha’s disappearance too. It does make for some interesting reading. I enjoyed the story
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

I loved the narrator's voice and the way the narrative moved fluidly back and forth through time. The passages in the home for unwed mothers were grueling and I kept track of how many I had left to steel myself for the misery. The narrator's feelings were nuanced and seemed honestly rendered. I enjoyed spending time with most of the characters and would read this author again.

***Spoiler***
Blowing up the dog, Alby, was a bit much. I would have rated this a star higher if that over the top narrative choice had been left out.

CW: sexual abuse, child death, animal death

The Christie Affair takes the true disappearance of novelist Agatha Christie and imagines what happens during those 11 days. It is told from the perspective of Nan O'Dea, a fictionalized version of Archie Christie's mistress and later, his wife.

I appreciated the suspense and unexpected twists and turns; that's the positive side of completely fictionalizing an event from the past. I did not have trouble transitioning back and forth between Nan's days as a young woman and the period of Agatha's disappearance. However, after awhile, I found some of the plot points a bit outlandish, and I had trouble suspending my disbelief. I will not go into detail since I do not want to spoil it for anyone. I believe this is worth reading, especially if you are an Agatha Christie fan and/or a fan of historical fiction with strong female characters. This is the first book I have read by Ms. de Gramont, and I will definitely take a look at some of her other titles.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced e-reader copy of this book!

I'm probably one of the only people who hadn't realized Agatha Christie infamously disappeared early on in her career or that no one knows what happened during those eleven days. This book details one of many possibilities. While the title suggests it's about the Christies, but it's really a fictional account of Archie Christie's mistress, Nan O'Dea, and her involvement with the Christie family.

There are definitely many unexpected twists and turns in this book that spans Nan's life from young girl, her life during the 1st World War, until she becomes involved with Archie Christie. It's an interesting look at life pre and post WWI and the insecurities women faced during that uncertain time. I admired Nan, even though I didn't much like her. The same goes for Agatha Christie's character.

But, though the concept was intriguing, I couldn't get past the narrative style which often led to confusion. It was the first people narrative intrusion in scenes that Nan could know nothing of that put me off and pulled me out of the story.