I love everything about this book! The narrator read the author’s story at a tempo that made it easy to feel like you were there in the time, in the classic cars and the elegant hotels and venues.

This side explains so much about AC and how she developed her independent style which opened the doors for strong characters in her stories and novels. I would have liked to know more about her wealth at the time, but learning of her family and the continued dynasty was so interesting.

I’ll be looking for more from Nina de Gramont. I’m sure there are interesting stories she has to tell. Thank you NetGalley for the Advanced reader copy f this novel. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audiobook.

I thought this was well done! A little bit of everything- historical fixture, romance, mystery & intrigue. I liked the characters, and found the idea of why Agatha disappeared intriguing. Narrator was great as well.

I expected more about the disappearance of Agatha and not about the mistress of her husband Archie. Nan the mistress seems like a likable character, but as “the other woman” her story is at the forefront and not the disappearance. Good story overall, just not what I expected.

This historical fiction book is surprisingly full of suspense, mystery, romance, star crossed lovers, and happy endings. If you like a good mystery and historical fiction, you should check it out.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this audio ARC.

#NetGalley #thechristieaffair

This was not what I expected!
First, this story is from the perspective of Archie Christie's mistress and later wife, a fictionalized Nan O'Dea (real life name was Nancy Neele). The story involves Agatha and involves her mysterious disappearance for 11 days, but this is not the central voice. Nan is the narrator, and this is HER story.

I did not know how to feel at first to be in the perspective of the mistress. Quite cleverly, Nina de Gramont addresses this early on and invites the reader to hear her (Nan) out. Thus begins the dual timelines of Nan's youth and the days leading up to and during the famed Agatha's disappearance. All of the depth that this allowed was at times hard to follow and understand where it was leading, but then the ending perfectly placed all the pieces together. I was surprised to find the level of understanding I had with Nan.

Did I mention there was murder involved in the story? No?! Well. There is. Along with plenty of other emotional and historical issues. My only "hmmmm" was the depth of Agatha's emotions and thoughts presented from Nan's perspective. Some of this could only come from the one feeling it, not observed or retold later, but this didn't distract me much!

I was excited to win a physical copy of the ARC from St. Martin's Press via a Goodreads Giveaway and also listened to the audio via NetGalley, and I thank you all for this delightful story in all its forms! Lucy Scott did a phenomenal job in her narration. I felt pitiful in my head while reading and loved going back to the audio! Please go get this one when it hits the shelves on February 1, 2022!

This is a historical fiction retelling of Agatha Christie’s disappearance in 1925. Told by her husbands mistress, Nan, which proved to be a very unique viewpoint. This was a good mix of historical fiction, romance and mystery. And while I did get confused often of what was going on and who was who, I enjoyed it overall.

I really enjoyed the audiobook version of this story over the written version. The narrator helped bring me right to the England and kept me listening.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I wanted to like it, and I gave it until 40% before I made the decision. Very disappointing, and I felt very bored.

Although I am not an avid AC fan the premise of this novel absolutely intrigued me, and I was so glad to get a copy of the audiobook. I am convinced that you need not be a fan to enjoy this book, and I am the proof.Lucy Scott does a great job, narrating Nina de Garmont's spin on the 11 day disappearance of AC. The story takes twists and turns, until 11 days after she disappears, Agatha reappears (and that is NOT a spoiler).

Thank you #netgalley and @macmillanaudio for my copy of #thechristieaffair in return for my honest review.
5 stars!

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

This is a historical fiction retelling of Agatha Christie’s disappearance in 1925. Told by her husbands mistress, Nan, this is an interesting story filled with twists and surprises. I liked Nan’s backstory and perspective a lot more than Agatha’s story, but I loved how all the twists came together in the end. It did lose my interest a bit in the middle, but I’m grateful I also had the audiobook to listen to so it was easier for me to get through.

Anyone interested in historical fiction and memorable characters would enjoy this one! Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for my advanced copies! This story is out on February 1st.

What is your favourite decade to read about? I love the 1920s!

#netgalley #ninadegramont #thechristieaffair #books #ebooks #kindle #audiobooks #bookreview #bookrecommendations #mybooks #historicalfiction #reading #1920s #agathachristie #booked #canadianbookstagrammer

Oh how I wanted to love this book.
I love the idea of it, but the layout and narrator dialogue was hard to understand.

Lots of things had to “fall into place”. It was a bizarre ending. I like the head nod to an AC twist, but it fell a bit short.

The Christie Affair covers the 11 days in 1926 that Agatha Christie went missing. Agatha disappears after getting the news that her husband is leaving her for his paramour of two years. In an interesting turn, the story is told from the perspective of Archie Christie’s mistress. The Christie Affair should have been entitled The O'Dea Affair. The story is told from Nan O'Dea's perspective. She's a fictional character, but based on someone real. This story is part fiction, part truth. We learn of Nan O'Dea's early life in Ireland and England, in the care of the nuns and the priests. This character-driven novel shows the fragility and cruelty of human nature. This novel touches on a lot of tough subjects that may be triggering in an attempt to reveal human suffering in its intimate form, but also on a larger scale with the war that occurred around this time period. Gramont creates characters that are morally gray, who do terrible things because they feel it’s their only option or because they’re desperate. While some characters are easy to hate, readers will sympathize and root for most of them. Historical fiction fans and Agatha Christie fans will enjoy this book very much. It will also be enjoyable for those who didn’t know the facts about Agatha Christie's disappearance and her husband’s infidelity. My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

A fascinating fictional attempt at explaining the eleven-day disappearance of Agatha Christie. I was not informed of this historical event at all, so I enjoyed starting the book with a clean slate. A very creative spin on what could have happened, and the characters involved. Even if it is all speculation, it is a great romantic mystery to lose yourself in for a few hours. I don’t want to give any of it away, so instead, I encourage you to give it a try for yourself. An extra special treat was the audiobook version with Lucy Scott as the narrator. I was able to tune in and imagine myself there in the midst of it all. All the characters were well represented and vocalized with great emotion and tone.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

THE CHRISTIE AFFAIR is a clever reimagining of the mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie. After learning of Archie's notorious affair, Agatha's whereabouts were unknown for 11 days sparking worldwide curiosity and concern.

The narrative is primarily told from Archie Christie's mistress, Nan O' Dea. Her character was well-drawn with complex motives. The pacing did slow a bit during the middle of the story as readers explored Nan's past growing up in Ireland. Overall, I appreciated the unexpected direction Nina de Gramont took the novel and how she incorporated true events with her imaginative vision.

This is an eloquently-written novel that historical fiction and Agatha Christie lovers will enjoy. I did a combination of print and audio which always adds to my reading experience. Beautifully narrated by Lucy Scott, her crisp British accent was a perfect fit.

RATING: 4/5 stars
PUB DATE: February 1, 2022

A big thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan audio for electronic and print ARCs of this novel.

Review will be posted to www.instagram.com/kellyhook.readsbooks/ in advance of publication date with link to post provided via NetGalley.

Wow. Wow. Wow. This was an unexpected wild and crazy ride!

This historical fiction novel covers the 11 day period in December of 1926 when Agatha Christie mysteriously disappeared which launched one of the largest missing persons endeavors of that time (over 1,000 police officers).

While this novel is based around a real occurrence (AC's disappearance), most of the details are fiction as no one really knows what ACTUALLY happened during the 11 days she was missing.

I instantly loved the premise and did a ton of research on AC and her family, but the story itself was STUNNING!

This would be a great book club pick because I think a lot of people will walk away asking "What did I just read??"

4.5/5

Thanks to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the advanced listening copy of this book! The narration was perfect in every way! This will be published February 1, 2022!

The Christie Affair. Such a simple title, but one that has so many layers, especially considering the events that take place in this book.

Let's start with the premise. I love Agatha Christie's books, and so I was intrigued to read one about her life. The premise of filling in her 'missing days' was intriguing, and it was fascinating to get a glimpse into the events that shaped her life. The author did a phenomenal job of making it read like one of Christie's novels in both voice and plot, which I really admire. Overall, it was excellently written and enjoyable to read.

The part that lost me was in how many details were added or changed in rather drastic ways. Personally I feel that, if a book is going to novelize a part of history, all aspects of the story should be kept as close to accurate as possible (skip the rest of this paragraph to avoid spoilers). There is nothing to suggest that Nan O'Dea (or Nancy Neele as she is known to history) had an unnatural fascination with Archie and Agatha's daughter, spent time in a corrupt convent, or was involved in a complicated murder of former Catholic church leaders. Her entire character appears to be fictionalized apart from the basics of being Archie Christie's mistress and then, after his divorce, his wife. Agatha, while more accurate, also participated in an intense dalliance with a virtual stranger over the course of her disappearance, and then only saw him one other time before marrying someone else. It just seemed rather like a soap opera, especially since - while it technically could work solely due to the fact that there is no record of what Agatha did during her disappearance - it wasn't based on any solid facts.

Other than this, I didn't love that it was told from Nan's point of view. It seems highly implausible that Agatha would (even hypothetically) confide in her ex-husband's mistress/new wife, especially when it comes to details she refused to talk about with others. I personally think it would have been better if the narrative had switched perspectives instead of giving Nan an unnaturally large amount of knowledge surrounding other characters' private thoughts and actions.

Overall, I loved the premise, but the execution fell short for me. In the story itself they say that the simplest answer to a mystery is generally the right one, and yet it felt like this story broke that rule and was injected with drama and scandal solely for the sake of doing so.

Content warning: There are references to rape and sexual abuse, as well as descriptions of intimate moments between some of the main couples. Nothing is described explicitly, but it is still clear what is going on.

I thought the novel started off strong but sagged in the middle and completely drooped in the end. I enjoyed Marie Benedict's book a lot more.

2.5 rounded up
I guess I was expecting something different and this ended up being a letdown. It is told in a few different timelines and doesn't always flow smoothly. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

Really interesting and well done. A fun, speculative read.


Review copy provided by publisher.


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Agatha Christie's famous eleven-day disappearance in 1926 continues to be a popular subject for historical fiction. Nina de Gramont presents this incident from the point of view of the “other woman”, in this case the fictional character Nan O’Dea who served as Archie Christie’s secretary and subsequently became his second wife. The chronology of Agatha’s disappearance alternates with flashbacks of Nan’s story beginning with the teenage years when she spends summers in Ireland. She becomes pregnant by her Irish sweetheart who has gone off to the Great War. Disoriented by injuries he sustained in the war the couple are not reunited. Nan is sent off to the Sisters of Mercy convent in Sunday Corner. Much has been written about the abuse of pregnant women who spent time under the iron rule of the nuns that included visits from priests who paid unwanted attention to the young girls. Many of these young girls languished in service while pregnant and eventually their babies were removed and given up for adoption without their consent. After Nan O’Dea’s child is removed, she escapes the convent and goes in search of the family that adopted her daughter. It is at this point that she enters the Christie’s sphere. Did Agatha Christie feign amnesia? In the end she could not explain how she ended up at a spa where she had registered under the name of her husband’s mistress. De Gramont creates a fascinating account of how this might have happened. Even though this is definitely Nan’s story we are introduced to a younger, passionate Agatha who must come to terms with the behavior of her cheating husband. There is also a Christie-like mystery introduced when a newly married couple die within hours of each other at the inn where Nan O’Dea and Agatha have reconnected. I did have some issues with the author’s jumping around switching mid chapter between the chronology of Agatha’s disappearance and Nan O’Dea’s very compelling story- this was especially confusing since I began by listening to the excellent audio recording. Because I had the Net galley version as well I ended up switching to print for the final chapters. Putting any confusion aside I accepted the possibility of the story’s extremely interesting and creative ending. From several books read over the past year, Death at Greenaway, Murder at Mallowen Hall and The Mystery of Mrs. Christie it would seem Agatha’s subsequent separation and divorce from the self-centered Archie was a brilliant decision.

The Christie Affair is a story about the 11 day disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926. The story is told from Nan O'Dea's perspective; Nan was Agatha's husband's mistress.

I adore Agatha Christie and was really looking forward to this novel. It's an excellent idea, but telling the story from Nan's point of view didn't actually work for me. All we get is Nan's imagination and assumptions of what happened and where Agatha is. I don't care about Nan. I would have LOVED this if it was told by Agatha. The character's all fell flat. Great idea, poor execution.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the arc.