The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

April 27, 2022

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

In 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days. When she re-surfaced at a spa resort called The Old Swan Hotel under another name, she had no memory of where she had been or what she had done. Shortly before her disappearance, her husband Archie told her he wanted a divorce so that he could marry a woman named Nancy Neele, who they both knew from their social circle. After Agatha reappeared, she and Archie divorced, and both re-married. This novel is a reimagining of that story.

Meh. This story has been done before, and it's been done much better. If the author had stuck a little closer to the facts, it would be less like a fantasy and more like historical fiction. Gramont changes everything from Archie's mistress' name (to Nan O'Dea, and it's unlikely that Nancy was Archie's mistress given her background and upbringing), changes her social standing (from upper class woman to a working class secretary), and her reasons (to a revenge plot against both the Christies instead of Archie and Nancy falling in love). Slow moving and a little too re-imagined. I'm not sure why authors have a need to "re-imagine" a story that already has enough drama to fill a book. I've read other authors who have done the same thing about other historical figures (such as Grand Duchess Anastasia).

I'm getting to the point that when I see one of those book club stickers on the cover (e.g., "Jenna's Book Club" or "Reese's Book Club"), I'm hesitant to pick the book up, no matter how good the reviews are. These are books that are aimed at people who don't read much. It's like Oprah's book club: it's a good thing that people who are not readers are actually turning off the TV or logging off social media for a while to read a book for a change, but there are better books out there.

Nancy Neele - she was definitely prettier than Agatha

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict

April 9, 2021

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict

In December 1926, mystery writer Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days without any explanation. She had discovered that her husband Archie was having an affair with a woman named Nancy Neele and wanted a divorce. Christie was eventually located at a hotel/spa in Harrogate, Yorkshire, and she never disclosed where she had been for the previous ten days.

Agatha's true life mystery was a huge news story. She never referred to her disappearance and doctors who examined her determined that she was suffering from memory loss. No one knows where she was for the ten days she was missing. She and Archie subsequently divorced, and both remarried.

This was an okay fictional biography of Christie. Marie Benedict writes historical fiction about women - previous books have focused on Albert Einstein's wife and Andrew Carnegie's maid, among others. She does stick to historical facts (which other novels about Christie have taken great liberties with), but it wasn't as good as Benedict's earlier books.

Agatha Christie

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

July 19, 2019

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

Roger Ackroyd was a well-liked philanthropic businessman who lived in the village of King’s Abbott.  After dining with friends and family including his secretary and the local doctor, Ackroyd is found stabbed to death in his locked study.  Servants and household members overheard conversations held in the study throughout the evening, including someone asking for money and Ackroyd's refusal.  Ackroyd’s adopted son Ralph is suspected of the murder, until Hercule Poirot is enlisted to investigate.

Along with And Then There Were None, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is considered to be Christie’s best mystery, with an intricate plot and unexpected twist at the end.