Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy of Kelly Oliver's novel 'The Case of the Christie Conspiracy' in exchange for my review.

This is a fun, light hearted murder mystery which draws some of its plot from the real life mystery of Agatha Christie's disappearance. A murder at a gathering of the Detection Club throws suspicion on Agatha Christie and her subsequent disappearance does nothing to reduce doubts of her innocence. Club assistant Eliza Baker and budding mystery author Theo team up to solve the mystery. I enjoyed the story but was slightly frustrated for it to end on a cliffhanger as I don't think I want to read another book entered around their will they won't they relationship.

After some dark and unsettling reads, I was in dire need of something light and fun but still entertaining. And this author delivered just what I needed ! I didn't read the first book that featured the fierce Eliza and her sister Jane, but it wasn't a problem to read it as a standalone.

The writing is swift and pleasant, and somehow the author managed to create a whole cast of characters but they are all easily discernible and it never gets chaotic. The main character Eliza is savvy and strong, although tactless in her interrogations, but that makes her even more likeable. The mystery she has to solve is quite fun and a tad predictable (I knew, haha!), but it still ends with a surprise. There must be a next volume in the making, as this was quite the cliffhanger.

The only thing that I didn't like so much is the romantic aspect, something is brewing between Eliza and Theo, and I'm just not into romance-induced thrillers, but that is just my personal view and I'm sure many readers will love it.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

1926 – Troubled by her past and lack of funds, Eliza Baker gets a job as a secretary for Dorothy Sayers, the secretary for a club of mystery authors, the Detection Club. A firm believer in the truth and cold hard facts, Eliza begrudgingly listens to the rambling of the authors who spin stories of murder and mystery as if it were a mere game. But when a member of the club is shot to death, the illustrious Agatha Christie is the prime suspect, as are the rest of the distraught members who were present. Teaming up with her handsome friend and fellow chess player, Theodore Sharp, Eliza travels the streets of London to find the murderer, wondering who she can trust, who is lying, and who is the killer. It might be more complicated than it seems…

Being an avid fan of mysteries (Sherlock Holmes is still my favorite sleuth), I was excited to read this book about Agatha Christie since I have yet to read a book of hers. However, if you expect Christie to be a major character in this novel, I’m afraid you’ll be sorely disappointed. She is a suspect, yes, but that is all. We get glimpses of her character and how cool she is, but that is all. Eliza Baker is the main character/the main point of view, along with bits of Theodore Sharp’s point of view scattered in chapters. I also loved the allusions to chess and how the two used their skills as chess players to help them solve the mystery.

I really appreciated that the book wasn’t long. I don’t mind long books at all, but the middle portion of the novel was dragging just a bit, so if it was any longer, I would’ve been bored. It did seem, though, that when you start the book you are reading the sequel that never existed, but as the story progresses, it begins to flow. The end was the best part! I was left with mixed emotions because I was excited that I was right about my suspicions about who the killer was, but I was not expecting the book to leave me hanging on a cliffhanger. I’m not mad about it, though.

The characters themselves were likable, for the most part. I liked Theodore, even if he was a bit of a simp, lol! Eliza? Well, it’s complicated. She reminded me of Enola Holmes, it being a good and a bad thing. I love strong female characters that kick butt, but–good grief girl!--have some tact! The problem with strong characters, male or female, is that they turn off the emotional part of the brain that reminds them to be discreet, cautious, and sensitive to other people’s feelings. Like Theodore, but not everyone can be like Theodore. Eliza is headstrong, firm in her beliefs, and blunt to the point of being cruel. All those are good things, don’t get me wrong. Truth is something we all should strive and fight for and I love reality the same as the next person, but goodness gracious, balance is good, too, girlfriend! She drove me crazy, lol! But the hint of romance sprinkled in was nice and it made the plot so much more interesting, besides the hunt for the killer.

In the end, I liked the book and I’ll be stoked if Kelly Oliver comes out with a sequel for this one!

I received a free ARC from the publishers via NetGalley. All opinions and statements are my own.

This book centers on the Detection Club, a group of mystery writers (that includes Agatha Christie), who are suspects in the death of one of their members. The main character, Eliza, has a past that involves briefly working for the police and doing something during WWI that allowed her to acquire skills such as ju Jitsu and lock picking and having a dog trained to track people. I found it slightly annoying how the information about her past was either not explained or explained in a rush but still without a lot of explanation. Her potential romantic interest, Theo, I initially thought might be a psychopath/murderer because of how intense his thoughts were. My first reaction was that he was scary and sounded like a stalker which made me never quite warm to him. I have a feeling the author was painting him somewhat dramatically as a writer with a poet’s heart but it came across differently. I got more interested in the storyline after the murder and was enjoying Eliza the Theo working together but then things got weird with Eliza’s drunken actions that felt out of nowhere. Overall, I saw potential in the characters and storyline but never really got fully into the book. The aspect of involving Agatha Christie was so minor and unexplained which was what made me select the book in the first place so that was a bit disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book

Almost anything involving Agatha Christie, the detectives club and the Golden Age of mystery writing is a yes for me. Historical events are skilfully woven into the story, although a few literary liberties are taken. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A mystery where Agatha Christie is a part of the cast? A detective club full of writers? Sign me up! The premise was so very promising, and it nearly fully delivered. The characters are well-thought-out and built, and the potential to launch a series is obvious. Overall, it made for an entertaining read, but the ending (that I guessed right a bit too early) was a bit disappointing. There was better to do with that cast of characters and with all this criminal potential. Also, more Agatha Christie and less chess would have been nice. Maybe next time! I'll definitely give Eliza, and Theo another try if they come around again, though.

I read this one on @netgalley so thank you for the opportunity. It has been on my radar for a while. I enjoyed this cosy crime book; I liked the year setting (1926) & the main character Eliza in particular. The ending was not how I expected so I really liked that! I thought it read well at quite a fast pace..

An interesting premise - a Detective Club made up of famous crime authors, including Dorothy L Sayers, GK Chesterton and Agatha Christie.

One of the Detective Club members is murdered at the time of Agatha Christie's well-documented real life disappearance. Can club secretary Eliza and friend Theo solve the crime, and find Agatha?

The story is very cleverly put together, typing in real authors and their fiction. It was very easy to read, and I am definitely interested in a second in the series, to see if it works again!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A gorgeous 4 star read book from me. What an exciting plot, vivid storytelling and relatable, rich characters. I could put this book down – absolutely loved it.

A concept that Agnes Christie and the members of the Detection Club are being accused of murder and of possible letting out state secrets is a
captivating tale. The book’s allure, however failed when both main characters developed discrepancies in their personal backgrounds, skills and traits. The characters became unrelatable and not realistic for the plot. Discovering that the Detection Club did exist was a real surprise for reading the book.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher Boldwood Books for the eARC to review

I will read any golden age murder mystery with a female protagonist as the detective- they’re my cosy guilty pleasure and this one didn’t disappoint.

A murder mystery set in London’s Cafe Royal centred around the real life detection club, a collection of golden age mystery writers. On the eve on an induction for new member Theo, one of the members is shot dead, the clues point to various members of the club and the next day Agatha Christie is missing. Eliza , the clubs assistant to the secretary, is determined to find the truth, maybe with a little help from Theo along the way.

The main characters are likeable and sweet, with a ‘will they won’t they’ romance running alongside this murder mystery. I love period murder mystery’s and enjoy them even more when they’re set in London. The incorporation of real life characters and events such as Agatha Christie’s disappearance is done really well. The background theme of chess running through the book is a fun unusual edition but works well.

I would say I did feel at parts that I might have missed something significant in the back story of Eliza as she seemed to have a complicated past that wasn’t fully fleshed out and the apparent reason for her joining the club/ to find state secrets is only brought up again at the end of the book despite the fact that she doesn’t really seem to investigate the allegations as she’s sidetracked with the murder.

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

***advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review***
There’s a surprisingly large genre of “Agatha Christie in fiction”, and I’ve read quite a few of them - some which are truly fantastic, and some less so. Unfortunately this falls into the latter category for me.
That said, for a book whose title and marketing leans heavily on the Christie name, this is only fleetingly related to Agatha Christie and her 11 day disappearance. The plot revolves around a murder set in the famous Detection Club, of which Christie was a member.
For me some of the background details don’t hang together - Christie’s disappearance was national news at the time, and a genuine mystery. That, in this plot, she disappears the day after the murder occurs and it is never considered particularly suspicious and little weight is placed on that feels off.
The main character is - in today’s parlance - something of a pick-me. She’s great at everything, seems to know everything from lock picking to jujitsu to medical terms and diseases, with no real explanation as to why. There’s a half-hearted romance subplot which at times threatens to overtake the main plot. Some of the speech and settings don’t feel quite right for the time period of 1926.
The actual murder mystery is - fairly - interesting, though I’d argue if you’ve read a few Christies in your time then you, like myself, will probably guess the outcome when a certain piece of information comes to light.
The ending suggests that this is likely to become a series. I’m not confident that I would be interested in reading more, however.

Eliza has had a rough life but must earn a living. Her sister encourages her to apply to be the secretary of the newly formed Detectives Club.. one of her first assignments is to oversee a dinner meeting - and murder occurs. A fun book filled with characters both real and fictional. First in a series (I hope)

I loved the coziness of this mystery, from the games of chess to the living room fires, even down to the dismal weather references! I did have a little bit of a slow time picking up on who was going to be the main characters to follow; at first I thought it would be Eliza and Jane and Agatha, but Jane hardly featured at all and Agatha was missing for most of it. I also had difficulty parsing out the details of what each sister was up to- espionage? Undercover police work? It felt as though this were a sequel that to a novel I hadn't read; and maybe that's the case! Even so, I could have used a better pre-amble to the setting and time period and characters since there were so many to keep track of. Going into reading, I did know that Agatha Christie had disappeared for a time at the height of her career, but I didn't know that the writers' club was a real group and that most of the writers were real as well! That was a fun detail to learn in the author's note and I'm motivated to check out their work now! Thank you, NetGalley, for this advanced reader e-copy and the opportunity to provide this review.

The Case of the Christie Conspiracy is an entertaining and well-plotted Golden Age crime mystery, with the addition of many of our favourite Golden Age Crime authors as suspects.

The set-up for the murder mystery is excellent, and our two main characters, Eliza and Theo, are both fierce chess players (thank goodness I learned a bit about chess last year, although it isn't necessary) and love solving mysteries. Luckily, one such mystery occurs right before them: the murder of one of the Detection Club writers. Eliza, fiercely independent but with a real soft spot for Theo, determines he can help her solve the puzzle but that it must be a competition, the prize being that he will play her at chess.

What ensues is quite a wonderful tale set during the infamous period of Agatha Christie's disappearance. Eliza and Theo battle to uncover what happened, employing all their detection skills and occasionally getting a little muddled along the way.

A fabulously entertaining novel. I enjoyed the references to the Fiona Figg series and imagine readers of Kelly Oliver's books will devour this new endeavour with delight.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy.

"The Case of the Christie Conspiracy" is a captivating historical mystery that will keep you guessing. When a fellow author is murdered during a secret society meeting, the legendary Agatha Christie vanishes, leaving everyone suspicious. This clever novel follows Eliza Baker, a sharp-witted assistant, as she investigates the crime and clears her idol's name, delivering a thrilling and entertaining read.

The Case of the Christie Conspiracy is an engaging and clever mystery that blends fact and fiction in a fascinating way. The book explores the infamous disappearance of Agatha Christie, weaving a compelling story around one of literature’s greatest unsolved mysteries.

The narrative is fast-paced and filled with intriguing twists, keeping me hooked as the layers of the conspiracy unraveled. The characters were well-crafted, and I especially enjoyed the interplay between the investigators and the rich historical backdrop of the story.

While some elements stretched believability, the book's charm and creativity more than made up for it. Fans of historical mysteries and Agatha Christie herself will likely find this a very enjoyable read. A fun and inventive take on a real-life mystery!

Oliver's latest is an Agatha-worthy cozy mystery that feels like a game of Clue played using the rules of chess. Based in part on Christie's historical circle and their supper club, the story unfolds in ways that confidently blur the boundaries between fiction and fact, not just in the author's style but in the heroine's relentless pursuit of truth as a defiance of mystery tropes. Former Scotland Yard detective Eliza teams up with a novelist who might just be in love with her--but who certainly can't beat her at chess or her own games of wit--to solve a case implicating Christie herself in murder. This is a playful page-turner that brings up some thoughtful ideas about the uneasy tension between the stories we make and the lives we live that will keep readers guessing. Hopefully, this will be a new take on books like Stephanie Barron's Jane Austen mysteries and will let Christie continue to show up in 1920s mysteries layered with refreshing themes.

An interesting book that is the start of a new cozy crime series which features mystery authors of the time who form a club to discuss their work, disparage the work of others and generally have a great time. In this book the great Agatha Christie is a suspect in the murder of a fellow author, which ties in with her famed mysterious disappearance.

A good start to the series with some interesting and funny characters with a light hearted tone and a touch of romance thrown in with the sleuthing.

I am looking forward to reading more books in the series and would definitely recommend to those who enjoy this genre and a mixture of fiction and reality.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.