The Christie Affair: A Novel

Written by Nina de Gramont

Narrated by Lucy Scott

A Reese's Book Club Pick

Nina de Gramont's The Christie Affair is a stunning new novel that reimagines the unexplained eleven-day disappearance of Agatha Christie that captivated the world.

Every story has its secrets.
Every mystery has its motives.

“A long time ago, in another country, I nearly killed a woman. It’s a particular feeling, the urge to murder. It takes over your body so completely, it’s like a divine force, grabbing hold of your will, your limbs, your psyche. There’s a joy to it. In retrospect, it’s frightening, but I daresay in the moment it feels sweet. The way justice feels sweet.”

The greatest mystery wasn’t Agatha Christie’s disappearance in those eleven infamous days, it’s what she discovered.

London, 1925: In a world of townhomes and tennis matches, socialites and shooting parties, Miss Nan O’Dea became Archie Christie’s mistress, luring him away from his devoted and well-known wife, Agatha Christie.

The question is, why? Why destroy another woman’s marriage, why hatch a plot years in the making, and why murder? How was Nan O’Dea so intricately tied to those eleven mysterious days that Agatha Christie went missing?

A beguiling novel of star-crossed lovers, heartbreak, revenge, and murder—and a brilliant re-imagination of one of the most talked-about unsolved mysteries of the twentieth century

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Feb 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781250836694

Nina de Gramont

Nina de Gramont is a professor of Creative Writing at University of North Carolina, Wilmington. She is the author of THE LAST SEPTEMBER (Algonquin 2015) as well as several Young Adult novels.

Reviews for The Christie Affair

[Marta Em · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I didn't like it that much, some parts were just plain boring. The characters didn't grab my attention, parts of the book felt a little bit too far fetched. Very mediocre.

[Carol · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was so excited when I saw this story about the disappearance of Agatha Christie! Agatha leaves her husband and young daughter for eleven days; everyone in Britain is looking for her, and newspapers blast the story daily, 'What happened to Agatha Christie"? This should have been a great premise for a fictional account of what Agatha did during her disappearance, and reviews of the book claim it was not about the woman who broke up Agatha's marriage; it is! The story focuses primarily on the 'other woman, how kind she is to Agatha's child, and how Agatha's husband cannot get enough of her sexually; it is all about the other woman, while Agatha comes across as cold, a poor mother, and emotionally unstable, which we know that she wasn't, in other words, it is a hit job on Agatha Christie! Being an honest reviewer, I was disappointed by the fictionalized version of the disappearance of the most famous mystery writer the world has ever known—just my humble opinion.
carolintallahassee

[Grace Marshall · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good book! Unreliable narrator — and what felt like 5 different story lines. The story came together well in the end!

[Gloriana · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic fun! The audiobook was amazing. So captivating. I had no idea what to expect from this. I felt confused at first why I should even want to read a book from the pov of the mistress. But, I’m so glad I did! What a lark. A jumble of time & events that spins facts & legends. It’s witty, charming and ever so inviting. Plus great plot twists.

[Amanda Smith-Morse · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Superb! The narrator was amazing. I started reading the book and quickly switched to the audiobook. This was a great story!

[Diana Reese Puckett · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The narrator was fantastic.....however I'm being generous with this rating because the writing is skillful but the pacing and plot just didn't work for me. If the book hadn't been so loosely based on a true person and event in history it might have worked but I think Agatha Christie would find this reimagining a bit laughable. The focus was more on a fictional version of Archie's mistress, the dynamics between Agatha and Nan didn't feel genuine or realistic. There was an AG style murder mystery within the story that I thought was clever. Overall it was just a long drawn out dull story that took a ridiculous turn when compared to real life events.

[Georgia landau · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Good PLOT TWISTS, enjoyed very much Rèad
It soon .

[kathy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was a terrific story very satisfying with a bit of mystery left behind.

[Alanna · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliantly written! With everything one could want in a story—romance, mystery, great character development.

[jessicadabestica · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Incredible. Witty, poetic and soulful plus a terrific narration. My favorite book of the year

[Alice Grix · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good read, I do enjoyed the completely new slant on the story.

[Shawna · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is always a wonderful thing when a novel surprises me. Based in the true story of Agatha Christie's short disappearance. Two womens stories intersect to reach a beautiful end for women and the surprising bonds we can form. These two who at the beginning you would never believe would become allies. The background of this story being a tale of women and the mistreatment of them and their bodies through a wartime society. Beautifully told story with details that give a true picture of the time without taking over.

[ricki wagner · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was a bit slow. Nice twists and turns at the end but took too long to get there.

[mae · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Super: Part love story, part detective plot and history drama, exquisitely executed. I enjoyed every minute of it. (even Sherlock Holmes has an appearance).