I love crime novels – especially Agatha Christie’s – so jumped at the chance to read this fictionalised account of the period during 1926 when Christie disappeared for 11 days. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy of this book, to be published in January 2022.
As Agatha Christie never revealed where she went in those missing 11 days, Nina de Gramont has plenty of scope to imagine a plot every bit as twisty as Christie’s own novels. This one is narrated by Nan O’Dea, mistress to Christie’s husband, Archie. The story becomes one of Nan’s own past and personal tragedy – an Irish lover and a dark secret – that has ongoing repercussions for all involved.
This isn’t the first time that a book has focused on this mysterious period in Christie’s life – I enjoyed Andrew Wilson’s ‘A Talent for Murder’ and I have my eye on ‘The Mystery of Mrs Christie’ by Marie Benedict. These might be a good next stop if you finish ‘The Christie Affair’ wanting more!
As for me, there was lots about this novel that I loved. The mystery set in the hotel was cleverly done and I enjoyed this strand of the book; it certainly felt closest to Christie’s own style and the pacing as the novel raced towards its denouement definitely gathered pace and held my interest. I liked how the pieces of the story fell into place and that there were some intriguing twists along the way.
I also liked a lot of the characters – especially the detective, Chilton, charged with finding Agatha in Harrogate. His easy manners but perhaps incompetent policing methods were entertaining and he was genuinely likeable. Similarly, I enjoyed the sections where we actually saw Agatha Christie – for a book that hangs on her famous name, I really had hoped to see her more!
The novel’s narrator, Nan O’Dea, is much more tricky. I think she is intended to be based on Archie Christie’s second wife, Nancy Neele, but this is where it got problematic for me. A lot of the action is constructed as imagined by Nan – a clearly unreliable narrator as she is telling a story about things she has not witnessed and is openly imagining the events.
This is an interesting idea, but makes for a story which is much more about Nan – including her foibles and limitations – than anyone else. If this had not been sold with the Christie link then I’d probably accept this more – as it is, I wanted more Christie and felt slightly uncomfortable because, if Nan is really based on a real person, as she doesn’t always read very sympathetically. I do wonder what Neele’s family would make of this.
Overall, I did enjoy the twists and turns of the novel, although I did find some strands more engaging than others – for me, the 1926 sections were the most intriguing. I found Nan’s past well-researched and sad, but slightly at odds with the Agatha Christie-based mystery I signed up for initially. I’d recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction and give this book 3.5 stars (rounded to 4) for its slightly uneven narrative.
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Header photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash
Great review!!
Thanks! Xx
I would absolutely love to read this too!
It is an interesting take – it definitely picks up when the mystery gathers pace!