The Christie Affair by Nina da Gramont.

First off I loved this book! I had expected it to be a thriller or a mystery and it wasn’t, or at least not in the way I expected it to be.
This is set in 1962 when Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days. This story is told from the perspective of her husbands mistress Nan O’Dea. So while it is about Agatha it is Nan O’Deas (and thousands of other women in Ireland) story.
I don’t want to say much about the plot as I’ll give too much away but this is heartbreaking, engaging and brilliantly written. It has the twists and turns of an Agatha Christie novel, and is evocative of its time and attitudes towards single ladies and unmarried mothers.
A mistress wouldn’t normally be the most lovable of protagonists but I loved and sympathised with both AC and Nan, first as enemies and then allies.
This was one of my most anticipated books and it’s doesn’t disappoint!

Such a fantastic book, with a plot worthy of Agatha herself! I really enjoyed it, a story that explained the missing days of Agatha Christies disappearance. Well written and evocative of the period. Poignant, sad and very thought provoking, you felt sympathy for Nan after finding out her back story, which led her becoming Archie's mistress. Twist and turns gallore!

Initially I thought I was going to get annoyed by the parts that filled in the known history of this point in Agatha Christie's life, because the Other Woman was so much more interesting - as the narrator, unreliable or honest, she would be. But as the action moves to Harrogate, the mixture of Agatha and Nan's storylines, blended to make me want to know more about them & the men in their lives. Except Archie. Archie can do one.The writing felt of the period, give or take the occasional 15 rated moment. Definitely a clever take on Agatha's missing days. Thank you to NetGalley for the eBook copy.

What a gem of a book .I’d heard the historical event of Agatha Christie going missing for 11 days and never telling where she went .This novel suggests what may have happened
I particularly enjoyed the sections of the book set in a home for unmarried mothers run by the Catholic Church .Having read some recent stories of women who had suffered in these mother and baby homes as recently as the 1970s I felt that this was covered extremely well
I loved the elements of murder mystery in the story true to the original novels of Agatha Christie and I didn’t see the twist coming ,magnificent I loved it
The book is beautifully crafted ,fast paced and exciting as well as having some poignant scenes
I would recommend to anyone who likes a good mystery novel and I’m sure AC herself would be proud to be associated with it

I am a newbie to historical fiction. For years I avoided it and could never get why it was such a popular genre for book lovers.

Books like this really reinforce why. Here we have an account of the 11 days in which Agatha Christie went missing following the death of her mother and her marriage. The story is told from the point of view of Nan, Mr Christie's mistress - a bold choice from de Gramont given the immediate lack of sympathy or empathy the reader will likely have for such a woman.

However Nan's story is heartbreaking and the choice to tell the story this way certainly pays off.

This is perfect for fans of historical fiction and perfect for fans of Agatha Christie.

Thanks to Pan McMillan and Netgalley for an ARC of this book

In 1926, after the death of her mother and shock of her husband asking for a divorce, Agatha Christie crashed her car and vanished for 11 days without ever giving an account of those missing days. The author begins with the facts surrounding the mystery writer’s unexplained disappearance and creates an alternative history to explain the circumstances.

The story is told from the perspective of a fictional version of the other woman, Nan O’Dea, and the plot itself is a wonderfully Christie-esque puzzle with elements of ‘Death on the Nile’ and ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ amongst others.

I absolutely loved ‘The Christie Affair’ – a brilliantly crafted combination of historical fiction, romance and mystery as well as a wonderful homage to Agatha Christie.

This novel is narrated from Nan’s POV. She is the woman having an affair with Archie, Agatha Christie’s husband. The premise is that this is a reimagining of Agatha Christie’s 11-day disappearance.
This was my average read. It starts of slow, but it does come together at the end. I think like a lot of readers I had issues with the narrative style, as the narrator narrated events but she wasn’t even there. It didn’t work for me, as I couldn’t suspend my disbelief. However, that aside the author does a good job of building that 1920s atmosphere and mood, and if you’re in a mood for a historical fiction that isn’t too heavy in terms of events then this would be the perfect holiday read.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc. Christie’s infamous disappearance has always been full of mystery and much speculation, so I was intrigued to read this and be transported to the 1920s.
In a nutshell this book is narrated from Nan, the other woman in Agatha Christie’s life. In the opening chapters we meet Nan as she’s in Christie’s husband’s office. And ends up having lunch with Agatha herself. Archie, Agatha’s husband has assured her that he will leave his wife. Despite Agatha’s many attempts to seduce her husband and get him to stay, he ends up leaving. Awhile after it’s heard that Agatha has drove off, but where...

Okaaaay. Let me honest here peeps. I so wanted to like this book, but the execution didn’t work for me. The prose was actually good, the author can write, and I adored the attention to details that completely made the setting come alive. But there problems with the narrative style and plotting.
- The entire book is narrated from Nan’s POV, yet she speculates and narrates scenes she didn’t witness and had no way of knowing how it happened. I couldn’t suspend my disbelief here. Furthermore I found Nan selfish and whiny. Her backstory diverted from the main story, and bogged the reading down for me. I wanted to move away from Ireland and her tragedy and go back to the main events of the disappearance.
- Many stories about affairs have been written. This is a crowded theme in literature. Some work, some don’t. Here it didn’t. I found Agatha’s reactions to her husband’s affair mawkish, hysterical and pathetic. I just couldn’t connect with Agatha’s character here at all.
In the acknowledgements the author says her agent sent her a link to Agatha’s disappearance and suggested she write this story. Well, I wish the agent and the editor had given the author more notes. Why on earth did they think this narrative style and characterisation was good enough to be published is beyond my comprehension.

A different and clever slant on the disappearance of Agatha Christie from the view point of the mistress! The characters, Nan, the other woman, Finbarr her lover from the past, Archie Christie, the husband, and Inspector Chilton were all convincing and sympathetically defined, the story full of intrigue with unexpected twists and turns! The idea was clever and well thought out however, it all became a little implausible when the author tried to convince us that Nan was privy to each of their thoughts and emotions both past and present! This just did not and could not work! A shame as, for me, it spoilt a very good Christie type plot!

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot - plenty of reviews like that out there already!

As a lifelong fan of Agatha Christie, I was delighted to be invited to read this novel - which, without giving anything away, covers the period of her mysterious disappearance - and a whole lot more.

I really enjoyed this book - it mixed facts (albeit somewhat altered!) with fiction, and created a believable background and explanation of the reasons behind Agatha's vanishing trick.

There were some excellent characters in this novel (favourite was the lovely policeman), and more than a few twists and turns in the multi-layered plot. The writing evoked an unexpected degree of sympathy for Nan O'Dea. I was happy at how events turned out for Agatha, and know that in real life she found happiness again.

The book evokes a real sense of the period, how people lived (at various levels) and society's views at that time, particularly in relation to divorce and the issues facing unmarried mothers.

I enjoyed the various nods to Agatha Christie's writing style - the pace, supporting characters and plot were all spot on. I did guess the plot twists, but then I'm an old hand at murder mysteries...

Fans of Agatha Christie and other mystery authors of the period will enjoy this I think. I will happily read other books by this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

📰 The Christie Affair 📰
I was very lucky to receive a proof copy of this from @panmacmillan and a digital preview on @netgalley. The book is published in January 2022.
This is a fictional account of what happened in 1926 when Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days, although this time the story is told by her husband’s mistress!
We see things from Nan’s point of view, starting with just before the disappearance, then learning some of her background. We flit between time as Nan tells us about her childhood and childhood sweetheart in Ireland and then the days of the disappearance.
We see things that Nan can’t possibly know as she is not there and yet she narrates them?!
I don’t want to give too much away, so, I enjoyed this book very much. I don’t think that this is in anyway what happened back then but I enjoyed it as a work of fiction. I finished it in a few days, it is written really well with some very likeable , and a few unlikeable, characters.
If you enjoy reading about Christie then definitely give it a go, I give it 4🌟🌟🌟🌟
Thank you again to PanMacmillan and Netgalley for my copies.

What better mystery to investigate than the disappearance of the Queen of Crime herself, Agatha Christie? The Christie Affair is one of the most charming and absorbing books I’ve read this year, I heartily recommend it! The year is 1926, when in real life, Agatha Christie really did go missing for 11 days, and to this day, no one knows why. De Gramont uses this as the inspiration for her own novel, a kind of ‘historical imagination’, as she puts it, to great effect. Initially we find ourselves reading from the point of view of Agatha’s husband’s mistress, Nan; the way in which Nan is closely embroiled herself in Agatha’s disappearance took many surprising twists and turns and I found Nan’s backstory to be really interesting. It’s a heart of the novel which I won’t spoil here but it goes much deeper than a simple mystery. This isn’t really a detective novel, although it has elements of one - however there is also a double murder to solve at the same time as Agatha’s disappearance, which isn’t even the main part of the story but cleverly inserts parallels with Christie novels. I don’t even really know how else to explain it except to say that I still feel giddy by how good it was :D

My thanks to #NetGalley and Pan Macmillan/Mantle for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have really mixed feelings about this book. I loved the idea it. I have always been a huge fan of Agatha Christie and the events of her disappearance have always intrigued me. Nina da Gramont has taken the woman who eventually became Agatha’s husband’s second wife and created a back story for her that includes Agatha’s disappearance and the huge hunt that took place for her in 1926.
The book is told from the viewpoint of Nan O’Dea and begins with Colonel Christie making preparations to leave his wife for her. I was enthralled by the story at first and enjoyed the first person viewpoint. However, this becomes a lot more difficult to maintain when you are recounting events that your narrator cannot possibly know anything about and so it becomes speculation. As the novel progressed, it became harder to believe her account.
It’s a shame as the plotting of the book is excellent and her suggestions about what might have happened to Agatha Christie during those 11 days work really well. The book is incredibly well researched and Nan’s previous life makes complete sense of her actions. I also liked the character of the retired police inspector who is still suffering the effects of fighting in the Great War.
There was a lot to enjoy in this book but the method of telling the story felt contrived to me and so not given such a high rating as I might otherwise have done.

I am a massive Agatha Christie fan, and saw this book over social media and knew it was one I needed to read so thank you so much NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this.

I really loved the premise of this book as what did Agatha do when she disappeared for those 11 days?! There are so many interpretations that writers could invent. Nina did a really good job as writing this book from the narrative of Agatha’s mistress. Great writing and this whole book was just amazing. Loved loved loved

A stunning new novel that reimagines the unexplained 11-day disappearance of Agatha Christie that captivated the world.
Fascinating read and fully recommend

I am a huge fan if Christie's novels and so was interested in this book that is a fictionalised account of what might have happened when she disappeared for eleven days. There is another novel based on the same event, but that is morenof a mystery featuring Christie herself as a sleuth.

This novel is different primarily because we see events unfold from the pov not of Christie, but her rival in.love, her husband's mistress. The novel imagines what might have happened in those eleven days of her disappearance and does so quite successfully. The women take a central place in the story while the men are relegated to the sidelines. And it is rightly so, because this book is the story of two women. I wnjoyed reading it and would recommend it to Christie lovers.

As a huge fan of everything Agatha Christie has written I was intrigued by the premise of this book as it has always been one of the biggest mysteries in the literary world as to just why Agatha went missing for 11 days with no explanation.
Nina has offered an excellent story of just what might have happened using Agatha's husband's real life mistress who eventually became his wife and Agatha herself as the two protagonists.
I feel Agatha Christie would applaud the red herrings and ultimate reveal of the secret at the heart of this story.
Even for readers who don't know the story of her disappearance, this book stands on its own merits as a page-turning mystery. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

'The Christie Affair' by Nina Gramont is a fascinating take on a short period in the life of one of the most celebrated authors, Agatha Christie. Set in December 1926, the author had reimagined the famous eleven day disappearance of Christie. To this day, we do not know the truth behind Christie's disappearance and although Gramont is adding to an existing body of stories about the topic, she brings a new and refreshing take to the tale.
It has long been suggested that Col. Archie Christie's affair (and the subsequent relevant of this affair), played a significant role in Christie's decision to vanish temporarily. And until now, Nan O'Dea has been relegated to the sidelines. In 'The Christie Affair', both Nan and Agatha play central roles and they both prove to be formidable women. The male characters pale in comparison and despite much posturing and demands, make a lesser impact- indeed, they are less likeable. With the possible exception of Chilton, who at least attempts to treat the female characters as more than objects to be played with.
Gramont provides an indepth and tragic backstory for O'Dea's character. I feel that this story was developed in order to explain O'Dea's actions and garner sympathy for her. I'm not entirely sure how well that plays out as O'Dea remains singular focused, regardless of the pain caused.
Despite my uncertainty towards O'Dea, I will enjoy her narrative and an alternative tale for the infamous disappearance.
Well worth a read.

A very interesting fictional representation of where Agatha Christie went during her disappearance. Interesting perspective choice with the narrator being her husbands mistress and her perceptions of Agatha. Those first few chapters hook you in. Took me a while to get into Irish back story of Nan's but once the story progressed I could see why so much story was provided. Less interesting for me personally though.
Agatha proves to be wonderfully enigmatic in this read and that I really like. I also like the honesty of the narrator who doesn't pretend to be revelatory with an ohmygoodness she was found. She knows the reader knows this and wants to fill the gaps.

This was an enjoyable read ,based loosely around the well documented ‘disappearance’ of Agatha Christie in 1926 .In this case it’s also used as a device for telling a different story of unmarried pregnant women in Ireland at the time of WW1.It’s well written but felt quite contrived ,as the author tries to tie in a lot of different threads, including a murder investigation ,to the real life disappearance of Agatha Christie.It’s told from the point of view of Nan O’Dea, the mistress of Agatha’s husband ,who he later married ,but as she wasn’t present for many of the events she recounts, a lot is surmised.If you’re prepared to suspend belief for certain parts of the story,it’s entertaining.Just one slight niggle-I know the writer is American but upper-class English people in the 1920s would never have said ‘Go collect your things’ ; it might be an idea to have a last check before publication to remove any Americanisms-I noticed a couple!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.