What a marvellous book that keeps on giving. I couldn’t put this down once I started reading it. A story told in three parts by Nan O’Dea. Mistress to Archie Christie, love of Finbarr, mother to Genevieve and in some strange way friend to Agatha.

The story is so much more than an account of Agatha’s days missing. It is a lesson in the harsh and sad reality of young women forced to give up their babies, treated as nothing more than dirt for believing in love, the harshness of war and its impact on those who came back. It is a love story, a murder mystery - but above all else it is a masterpiece that pulls you in and doesn’t let you go.

You and help but love each of the characters in their own way. You feel their pain and as the story unfolds you feel a sense of justice that they should not be denied.

This was the last book I read in 2021. I started it with a few days to go and wasn’t sure I would finish it before the new year. How foolish of me to have that worry. Once I started it - there was no way of putting it down. Nina de Gramont has excelled in writing a book so easy to read and full of twists and turns - a true talent and a book that you must read.

I was lucky to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It truly is a wonderful book and I will be buying a copy for my mother as a gift.

Nan O’Dea was the mistress of Archie Christie. The husband of Agatha. In 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days

This book gives you an insight into what happened in those 11 days. From Agatha's glamourous life to Nan's harsh upbringing and tragedy that befell her in Ireland. These two women were bound together but not by Archie.

This book is an interesting take on what could have happened in the missing days. No one ever really knew but this book gets the brain cells working. Could this be true?

I spent the day curled up with this book and was transported back to another era.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC

Interesting story devised around the famous 11-days when Agatha Christie disappered. Told from the point of view of Agatha's first husband, Archie Christie's mistress, Nan.

Archie tells Agatha that he is leaving her for his mistress, and Agatha disappears. The main characters include, Nan, Archie, Agatha, Nan's lover from the past, and the policeman looking for Agatha. The locations include London, Ireland and Harrogate. Topics covered include love, adultery, adoption, convents and murder.

An enjoyable read, with mystery, twists and turns, several coincidences and a POV narrator who alternates chapters between telling her story from her POV and telling other people's stories while still in her POV. It would have been better for me if the other people's stories were told in the third person or from their own POVs.

Really enjoyed this unusual book which mixes the true stories of Agatha Christie’s disappearance and Archie Christie’s complex love life with a Christie style mystery. Very original and a good page turner.

Well the plot had promise...covering the 11 days of Agatha Christie's disappearance. A mystery about a mystery writer, surely that writes itself. But alas, it just didn't quite cut it for me. It was readable, and slightly enjoyable. We are introduced to two very distinct characters between Mrs Agatha Christie and Nan O'Dea (the mistress of Agatha's husband). Whilst it is completely historical fiction it gives an interesting twist to why Agatha Christie disappeared all that time ago. 3 1/2 Stars for me.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

We all know Agatha Christie. She's the Queen of Crime. We all know or are aware of at least one of her creations and one of her mysteries. And we all know that, in 1926, the author vanished for 11 days and no one knows the truth about what happened to her as she never spoke of it. Even in her autobiography, Agatha Christie: An Autobiography, she brushes those days and never speaks of it. The only thing she says about that time is the two books she wrote around that time - The Big Four & The Mystery of the Blue Train - are the two stories she had difficulty writing and most disliked.

And main people are curious over those missing days as, before she vanished, her husband told her he was leaving her for his mistress - Nancy Neele - and her beloved mother died months earlier. And the fact that Agatha never spoke about it has us still puzzled to this day. Did she have a nervous breakdown? Did she vanish to spite her husband, hoping he will leave his mistress and return to her? Did she vanish to frame him of her murder and start a new life?

And many authors/films/TV shows have tried to guess. We have Andrew Wilson's A Talent for Murder, suggesting Agatha was being blackmailed to commit murder. We have the movie, Agatha (starring Dustin Hoffman and Vanessa Redgrave), that suggests that Agatha was planning to kill herself and frame her husband's mistress. We have TV movie, Agatha And The Truth of Murder, an alternative history, that suggests that she was solving the real life murder of Florence Nightingale's goddaughter, Florence Nightingale Shore. Hell, we even had a Doctor Who, episode - The Unicorn and the Wasp - that suggested aliens were involved in her disappearance (it's a delightful episode, FYI). And, more recently, The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict and now The Christie Affair.

Told from the point of view of Archie Christie's fictional mistress, Nan O'Dea (not Nancy Neele), we see what happened and we look into Nan's past and wonder...

Now, let me be honest: I can't help feeling as if I was missold this book. I was expecting mystery, twists, turns with an edge of heartbreak. I was expecting something very Christie in tone. Maybe this is my fault, but when you use Agatha Christie has a huge selling point, you expect a fiendish plot, right?

So, why do I feel as if I've been tricked somehow?

On the surface, this was a good story. Well-written, well-plotted (though slow in places), with fleshed out characters (Nan could have been so easily written as an unfeeling mistress, but that wasn't the case). Everything, on the surface, is good.

And yet... it isn't. This book has many issues that we simply can't get away from.


The first is who is telling the story? Nan, as this is first person narration. And yet, multiply times, she takes us away and talks about characters, situations, conversations, events that she has no idea about, but gets the general understanding of after the fact. So, at times, the reader goes "But she did she really know this? Is she making this up? How can we honestly know?"

The second is this book can't seem to make up its mind what it wants to be. Is this a book about Agatha Christie's disappearance? Is this a book about Nan and her past in Ireland? Is this a murder mystery (a murder that happens a good 60-odd way through the book)? These, at times, felt like three very separate plots that are pulling the reader away and come together near the end (90%) and then, we don't get to see the fallout as one or two details/plotholes are brushed aside.

I keep coming back to the idea that this was missold and, instead of this book being sold of "What happened to Agatha Christie?" and make readers think this is a mystery (it's a little lacking for my tastes), this book should be sold as "This is about two women - the wife and the mistress".

This is a hugely enjoyable book and I devoured the audiobook over the Christmas period, but I can't get away from the fact that I feel a little conned over what I promised and what was delivered...

Sadly this book is telling me it has already downloaded on to my phone but it is no where to be found. Cannot download it to Kindle either. So cannot read and cannot give feedback other than this.

In 1925, Nan O'Dea, infiltrated the wealthy, rarified world of the author Agatha Christie and her husband Archie. A world of London town homes, country houses, shooting parties and tennis matches. Nan O'Dea became Archie's mistress, luring him away from his devoted wife. In every way, she became part of their world - first, both Christies. Then, just Archie.

This story is told from Nan O'Dea's perspective. She's a fictional character, but based on someone real. The story is part fiction, part truth. We learn of Nan O'Dea's early life in Ireland and England, in the care of the nuns and the priests. The story also covers the period of the eleven days when Agatha Christie went missing.

What a complex tale this is. I like the authors style in writing this book. Filled with intriguing characters, we also get the backstory to why Nan was set on getting her claws into Archie Christie. This is a story full of lust, secrets and revenge.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #PanMamillan and the author #NinadeGramont for my ARC of #TheChristieAffair in exchange for an honest review.

For much of this book I felt it was good/ok, but then towards the latter half it shifted and I found I was really gripped by what was going on.

Where the book struggles, I think, is in the narration. It isn't always clear what's happening, with time shifts, but also where Nan is imagining/retelling what's happening with other characters there's a feeling of displacement and confusion. I think perhaps if Nan hadn't been the narrator of the whole thing, it would have hung together better. But then, we need Nan to narrate much of it, because it is her story - more than Agatha's - that we are being told. But somehow I wanted more of Agatha - real Agatha, not Nan's interpretation of her. And I wanted more of Chilton too.

I don't want to throw in spoilers, but the parts of Nan's history with the nuns are terrifying and moving (and this was when i really started to like the book). I liked when it turned detective story too, and would have enjoyed even more of that. But really, this was a good, engaging read and I'm sure other readers won't feel as nit-picky as me over the telling of the story!

Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for a free e-copy.

This story fills in the mysterious 11 days Agatha Christie went 'missing'

The book follows Nan (Archie - Agatha's husband) mistress. Its set between Ireland, London and Harrogate in the early 1920's onwards. We get to know more about Nans history and heartbreak and how they may be more connected than just a love affair.

Topics cover - War, death, love, child loss and adoption,

In true Agatha style there is of course murder, mystery and everything ties up quite nicely at the end with far more coincidences than I would normally allow in a book, but this seemed fitting,

I enjoyed this book and would recommend.

I agree with other reviewers that this seemed to be a mixture of two different books, and would have been better separately presented. And the narrative style made reading it confusing.

There were plot twists equal to that of Christie herself, and the period detail was well researched. I particularly liked that the consequences of the First World War were so present in everyday lives, as would indeed have been the case.

As a dramatic period mystery story, it sort of works. Christie’s characters are often pretty two dimensional, pieces to be moved around to suit the plot. And these were often well adapted to the screen, small or large. I think this one could be as well, and perhaps better for it.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4401565296

Interesting fictional view of what might have happened while Agatha Christie went missing for 11 days. As the back stories unfold for the characters involved, the story comes to life and I did want to continue to the end to find out what had happened.

The Christie Affair is a brilliant mystery, well-written, fascinating and compelling. It’s important to remember that it is a work of fiction and doesn’t claim to be a historically accurate account of the disappearance of Agatha Christie. Actually, it is much more than that. This book is a gripping drama, with several complex intertwined story lines, written in a powerful and effective writing style. It is loosely based on some real characters and true events, which adds some authenticity in places. As well as reading the story,

I’ve always enjoyed Agatha Christie (wouldn’t be Christmas without Death On The Nile) and as soon as I saw this, I was immediately intrigued.
I’d not heard of the disappearance of AC before, and this story around the 11 days she was missing intertwined with the narrators own back story is brilliant. I’ve googled a lot whist reading, and found out so much about her life i never knew before. The area she lived and disappeared isn’t far from me so it would be interesting to visit her old home and other landmarks mentioned.
Overall, a well researched, well written story of love, life and relationships, both before and after The Great War. The way everything comes together is just amazing, you’d need to read it a second time to pick up on some of the clues dropped throughout.

What's the book about?

Nan O'Dea (a fictitious character based on a real person) is the mistress of Archie Christie. She narrates the time Agatha vanished after learning that Archie is leaving her for his girlfriend of two years. The Christie Affair follows Agatha Christie's disappearance for those 11 days in 1926.


My thoughts:

I liked that the novel contains elements of a whodunnit murder mystery, a love story and a heartbreaking plotline too. I felt De Gromant evokes the atmosphere of an Agatha Christie novel during the murder portion of the book. I didn't expect there to be a theme of abuse throughout the book though. I guess it threw me off a little. I also found myself comparing the writing against Sophie Hannah who has attempted Christie's style of writing and her plot twists.

What I wished there was more focus on though, was Agatha's point of view instead of it being narrated through Nan e.g. A journal entry or a conversation with someone else about how Agatha felt.

This was a slow burner, but I found myself completely gripped. The narrative shifts along the way, the characters are totally believable and the author creates empathy throughout. Although this is a well known story, there is a brilliant twist , real Agatha Christie style! well worth reading!

This is a really interesting read, and I loved the concept. Once I started reading it though I found it quite difficult to read as it was about one of the most famous writers in the World (and one of my favourite), and her private life and if made me feel a bit uncomfortable because I suddenly realised I didn’t want to see that side of her! I also kept getting distracted and wanted to know what was true and what wasn’t, anyway, I decided to put all that to one side and just forget it was about Agatha Christie and enjoy the story, once I did that I really did enjoy it. It is a really well written story and I loved the way two timelines were woven together especially Nan’s story.

In 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days. Only I know the truth of her disappearance.
I’m no Hercule Poirot.
I’m her husband’s mistress.

Being a huge Agatha Christie fan, I had high hopes for this book, Agatha’s disappearance has always been a mystery so to read this authors version of what might have happened was something I was really excited about. After finishing it I am now a little deflated, it is hard to describe what genre this story falls into, there is a bit of everything scattered throughout, murder, romance, loss, mystery and for me the flow of the story is lost because of it, the narrator keeps taking us back to her younger days then to the present and even though the chapters are titled it didn’t help.
If you are looking for a story which gives its views on what Agatha got up to in those 11 days she disappeared then this isn’t it, she is a secondary character, this is all told from the point of view of Nan, the husbands mistress. I feel this story would be better told without using Agatha Christie, it touches on some serious issues such as unmarried mothers in Ireland and the effects of the First World War but these get lost a little in my searches for the bits about Agatha.
Overall it was an interesting read but just not what I was looking forward to.

Really enjoyed this. A really riveting read and I loved that the story was from different women’s’ point of view at such an important time in history.. The characters all inspired great empathy . As well as being a gripping whodunnit this story gave a real feeling of the era following the Great War with the contrasting experiences of different classes and generations.. Interesting cameos of other mystery authors from the same time. An all round page turner that I thoroughly recommend.

This book feels a bit like the author wanted to write 2 different books and decided to put them together. There is very little of Agatha Christie in this book. She is missing from the story as well as in the story.

The main character, Nan, is self pitying, scheming and unlikeable. Unlikeable is fine but a lot of effort is made to explain & justify her actions by seeking sympathy and I don’t have any for her.

Don’t read this book expecting it to be about Agatha Christie’s disappearance. It’s almost irrelevant.

For me, it was obvious that this book was written either by an American or by someone who lives in America. The language and behaviour in the book is not that of early 20th Century England and Ireland. We do not have “airplanes”, for example (just one of many). I found the lack of “Englishness” in a quintessentially English story a bit grating. Obviously I’m not saying Americans can’t write about England but if they do and are writing about real people and events then they should take the trouble to recreate how they spoke and how they acted.

This book wears its historical research heavily. It’s scattered with (burdened by) references to contemporary events and literature but there is little feeling of Agatha Christie or her life. The author makes too much of Agatha’s class, with a seemingly poor understanding of the nuances of the English class system, as opposed to wealth. Also, the honours system, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle being referred to specifically as OBE. In the book Agatha mentions several times that she hates romances. Perhaps the author has forgotten Mary Westmacott. Same goes for Agatha’s declared disinterest in the afterlife. In reality the afterlife and certain aspects of the occult fascinated Agatha and her mother.

Just under halfway there is a shot of whodunnit injected into what is, to be honest, otherwise a rather dull story. This added some excitement for a chapter or two and then it disappeared for several chapters. It is picked up again later in the book and then ties things together very well. I enjoyed this aspect.

Perhaps it isn’t the books fault but mine. If I weren’t such a huge Christie fan and if I were into romance, even slightly then perhaps I might have enjoyed the book more. I couldn’t see Agatha Christie in her Agatha at all.