The Case of the Christie Conspiracy by Kelly Oliver is a captivating mystery novel that blends history with suspense. The story centres around a detective named Sophie, who delves into the enigmatic disappearance of famous crime writer Agatha Christie in 1926. Oliver’s skilful use of historical details and a modern twist on the classic whodunit formula makes for a highly engaging read.

The novel is both intriguing and thought-provoking, as it questions the true motivations behind Christie’s mysterious vanishing act. Sophie’s journey takes readers through a series of carefully constructed clues and red herrings that keep the suspense high. Oliver also crafts a strong sense of atmosphere, transporting readers to the 1920s and painting a vivid picture of Christie’s life during that time.

One of the book's strengths is its character development, particularly Sophie, whose personal struggles and determination add depth to the narrative. The plot is well-paced, with just the right amount of tension to keep readers hooked until the very end.

While the book occasionally drifts into moments of heavy exposition, The Case of the Christie Conspiracy remains an enjoyable and intelligent read, especially for fans of historical fiction and mystery enthusiasts. Oliver’s writing brings a fresh perspective to the Agatha Christie legend, making it a compelling mystery that will satisfy both casual readers and genre lovers alike.

The publisher blurb states that this new cozy historical mystery is “perfect for fans of Helena Dixon, Verity Bright and T E Kinsey,” and I think that’s a wonderful comp! Fans of historical mysteries – especially from the Golden Age of Mysteries – will enjoy this new take on the famous and mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie.

Eliza is a determined amateur sleuth – rather blunt and not fearful! She made a wonderful pair to the more gentle Theo. I loved that Eliza was hired as an assistant to Dorothy Sayers – it was fun to imagine what that job would be like!

This was a fast paced plot with lots of twists and turns, and I did not solve it on my own! This was a fun start to a new series that I’m looking forward to reading more of in the future!

I typically like the plotting of a Kelly Oliver novel, but not the characters so much. That did not change with her newest novel. I do not like Eliza Baker, and her sister Jane. I felt Eliza was too flighty, didn’t think through somethings, and let’s be honest, she got lucky at the end. Jane was pushy and came off a bit paranoid. I did, however, like Theodore, but wanted him to be more assertive. And just because it has Agatha Christie’s name in the title, she is actually merely a glance in the overall structure of the novel.

This is mystery with a hint of romance, but the romance was stilted in my opinion. There is a cliff hanger at the end, but I think it keeps the reader wanting to know what’s next.

Overall, I rate this novel 3.5 out of 5 stars.

THE CASE OF THE CHRISTIE CONSPIRACY by Kelly Oliver
The First Detection Club Mystery

Tragedy has left Eliza Baker listless and unmotivated, living and being supported by her younger sister, Jane. Forced to find a job, Eliza has an interview for the position of secretary to the secretary of The Detection Club. While Eliza thinks these crime writers are a bunch of silly people, her sister believes someone in the group is selling state secrets and wants Eliza to find out who the traitor is. All Eliza finds are a dictatorial boss in the person of Dorothy Sayers and a bunch of squabbling writers playing games. But on the night of her friend Theo's initiation to the club another member winds up dead. The next day Agatha Christie goes missing. A sign of guilt as the victim was trying to expel her from the club? Eliza is determined to not only solve the murder, but find the missing author.

I love historical mysteries and one in which Agatha Christie as a murder suspect? Yes, please. Being somewhat familiar with the Detection Club and its rituals, I was delighted seeing it and them in action...and enjoyed watching Eliza having to gather some of the rather unusual props. Eliza is a unique protagonist. She's smart with a scientific and logical mind. She finds the authors childish and their books just as bad. I like the relationship between her and Theo Sharp which could be likened to a chess match, except each player thinks they're playing a different game!

While I found activities surrounding the Detection Club and its members pretty much spot on one comment did throw me. A character was described looking just like Santa Claus. But this is England, he should be described as looking like Father Christmas! Still, I enjoyed being in England in the 1920s and am looking forward to watching Eliza evolve.

THE CASE OF THE CHRISTIE CONSPIRACY brings together some favorite authors from the golden age of detective fiction along with some memorable new characters in a devilishly clever mystery.

I almost didn’t finish this book. I enjoyed the story and the characters but felt like it needed to go into the detail of things a little more. I wanted to know more about the history of the two main characters as it was alluded to an awful lot but never really scratched the surface. There were quite clearly two story lines going on at the same time, but one was neglected until the very end and then picked back up what seemed to be quite sporadically and just not really done justice. I just struggled to feel engaged and felt like it needed a little more *something*..

I adore this authors stories and when I saw the start of this new series, I was intrigued.

What could be better? Set in 1926 with Agatha Christie and many golden age authors have formed a Detection Club.

When a murder happens and Christie seems to have disappeared, the fun journey begins! Cannot wait for more!

A fun read. The characters are interesting and enjoyable. The love story is there, but not omnipresent. The murder case follows the good Agatha Christie tradition. "Meeting" Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers is delightful.
I'm looking forward to reading more books about Eliza Baker and the "Detection Club".

EXCERPT: Eliza Baker tossed the book into the bin. She was no expert on detective fiction, but she knew the author was expected to 'play fair' with the reader. And Mrs. Agatha Christie was not playing fair.
Standing at the stove, she tapped the side of the coffee pot with one finger. Still warm. She lifted it and gave it a swirl. Not much left. She poured herself half a cup and saved the rest for her sister. After all, Jane had made the coffee, not to mention, it was Jane's percolator on Jane's stove in Jane's flat. And although Jane's sister insisted it was a 'pleasure' to have Eliza living with her, Eliza couldn't help but feel like a burden. She was the older sister, after all. She should be providing for Jane, and not the other way around. Hustling chess at The Gambit was not exactly a steady income. She absolutely had to get this job with the Detection Club, even if it meant complimenting Mrs. Christie on her unreliable narrator.

ABOUT 'THE CASE OF THE CHRISTIE CONSPIRACY': Agatha Christie is about to embark on a new, gripping murder case. But this time, she’s not the author – she’s a suspect…

1926 – Christie is a darling of the literary circuit and the most desired guest in London’s glittering social scene. She can often be found at meetings of the Detection Club – where mystery writers come together to share ideas, swap secrets and drink copiously. But then a fellow author's initiation ceremony takes a gruesome turn, and one of the group ends up dead. Now, Agatha is no longer just the creator of great mystery plots – she’s a player in one.

And when Agatha disappears the day after the murder, she’s widely assumed to be guilty. Only Eliza Baker, assistant to the Club’s enigmatic secretary, Dorothy Sayers, is interested in investigating the case. But in a world where murder is the ultimate plot device, can Eliza piece together the evidence and find the killer before it’s too late?

MY THOUGHTS: I almost DNF this at 18%. I struggled with the insufferably pompous and arrogant characters, with the exception of Mrs. Christie who is portrayed as rather weak and feeble. Which I am sure that, in real life, she was not.

However, as I try not to DNF a book before at least one third of the way through, I struggled on. Things do take a turn for the better once there is a body and an ensuing investigation, but only marginally. It was enough though to carry me reluctantly through to the end.

So, where do I start? Eliza comes across as either incredibly flippant or totally gung-ho. She has an amazing range of 'skills' including jujitsu and lock-picking and is a font of knowledge on almost every subject imaginable. I really didn't like her attitude towards mystery writers in general and Mrs. Christie in particular - she is dismissive and disparaging. Her interrogation techniques are abysmal, especially considering she has previous experience in the field. She is abrupt, accusatory and rude. What Theo sees in her is totally beyond me.

Mrs. Christie's real life disappearance and subsequent discovery at a luxury Harrogate Hotel and Spa is woven into the story, but it serves more as a distraction than an aid to the plot.

I quite liked the mystery. There is a large pool of suspects for Eliza and Theo to wade through and I enjoyed the resolution. The big reveal is done Agatha Christie style, at a Detection Club meeting with all the possible suspects (and the police) present.

The book continues on for several more chapters after the denouement, setting up for a series. This book would have had more impact had it stopped after the solving of the mystery. The ensuing chapters did nothing to entice me to read the next in the series.

Lovely cover art.

⭐⭐.3

#TheCaseoftheChristieConspiracy #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: Kelly Oliver grew up in the Northwest, Montana, Idaho, and Washington states. Her maternal grandfather was a forest ranger committed to saving the trees, and her paternal grandfather was a logger hell bent on cutting them down. On both sides, her ancestors were some of the first settlers in Northern Idaho. In her own unlikely story, Kelly went from eating a steady diet of wild game shot by her dad to becoming a vegetarian while studying philosophy and pondering animal minds. Competing with peers who’d come from private schools and posh families “back East,” Kelly’s working-class backwoods grit has served her well. And much to her parent’s surprise, she’s managed to feed and clothe herself as a professional philosopher.
Kelly lives in Nashville with her partner, Benigno Trigo, and her furry family, Mischief, Mayhem, and Mr. Flan. (source: kellyoliverbooks.com - abridged)

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Boldwood Books via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of The Case of the Christie Conspiracy by Kelly Oliver for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

The Case of the Christie Conspiracy by Kelly Oliver is a delightful historical whodunnit that reimagines Agatha Christie not as the writer, but as a prime suspect in a murder case. Set in 1926, Christie’s involvement with the prestigious Detection Club takes a dark turn when an initiation ritual leads to a shocking death. When Agatha herself vanishes the next day, suspicion falls heavily on her.

The novel’s real star is Eliza Baker, assistant to the brilliant Dorothy Sayers, who refuses to believe in Christie’s guilt and sets out to unravel the mystery. With a sharp eye for detail and a wit to match, Eliza makes a compelling amateur sleuth. The story is packed with fascinating literary figures, rich historical atmosphere, and plenty of twists that would make Dame Agatha proud.

Oliver’s writing captures the spirit of the Golden Age of crime fiction while offering fresh intrigue. While the pacing slows in some places, the overall mystery is engaging, and the nods to real-life literary legends are a treat for classic mystery lovers.

Final Verdict: A must-read for fans of Agatha Christie and historical mysteries! Kelly Oliver weaves fact and fiction into a compelling, well-crafted mystery that will keep you guessing.

This was a cute historical cozy whodunit mystery. I believe that this will be part of a series based on the ending. I do plan on reading more if that is the case. This book is a fiction book but based on the real life Detection Club in London that was a group of mystery and crime writers. I think that some of the romance aspects were a little cheesy and I wish the author would have left it at tension or implied romance. But otherwise a good cozy easy read. Easy to follow and very enjoyable I can’t wait to read more in this series.

It's the night of Theo's initiation to the detective club, which the most famous mystery writers are a part of, including Agatha Christie. But when a shot is fired and someone ends up dead, this group are now not only writing about murders but are a part of one.

However, when Christie goes missing, is it because she is guilty?

This novel is written from the point of view of Eliza and Theo, a whodunnit mystery mixed with a little romance,

There were several red herrings in this novel, and I loved how everyone was a suspect.

I love anything to do with Agatha Christie's eleven missing days and had to jump on this read, this is a great cosy crime by Oliver and one I would recommend for anyone to read.

The Case of the Christie Conspiracy is a new historical mystery set in 1926. Eliza Baker goes to work as assistant to mystery author Dorothy L. Sayers. Eliza goes to a Detection Club meeting with Dorothy - attended by the most famous mystery authors in 1920's London - and there is a murder! Eliza works to solve the mystery with the help of aspiring author Theo. And then Agatha Christie goes missing ...

I wanted to read this book because I love historical fiction, cozy mysteries, and the 1920's time period. I have some familiarity with Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, and found myself happily googling other famous names mentioned in the book. (I love when this happens because of a historical novel!)

This is a wonderful start for a new series. I like Eliza and also like the detection team of Eliza and Theo working together. I love all their interactions with each other too.

The mystery aspect of this book was well written and there were a number of unexpected clues and twists in the book!

I look forward to the next book in this series, and recommend The Case of the Christie Conspiracy for other cozy mystery fans - especially for anyone who loves historical mysteries and classic 1920's mystery authors.

Agatha Christie was a very popular author in 1926 but the tables have been turned. She is now the first suspect in the death of Nicholas Lively. Her strange behavior at the meeting where Nicholas was killed, and her consequent disappearance for days does not help her case.

Nicholas Lively’s death had many points of interest. It took place at a meeting of notable detective genre novel authors, the best in the business at the time. One of the items on the agenda was the dismissal of Miss Christie from the group. There was dissension on this vote which added to the suspicions against Miss Christie. Apart from the Police investigation, we have Eliza and Theodore, both with issues of their own, join forces to try the solve the murder and in the process track down Miss Christie. They are successful in both, and the ending was surprising.

The book is a quick read, the romance is a bit too light with no depth but the story was a good one.

This wasn’t necessarily a bad book, I just felt myself somewhat bored by it and it took me a long time to get through it. I am a big fan of mysteries and Agatha Christie, so I figured this would be right up my alley. However, I have read two other books with overlapping plots lately (the Mystery of Mrs. Christie about Agatha Christie’s disappearance, and the Queens of Crime about the Detection Club) and this felt the least engaging to me of the three. Maybe it’s just too many books in the same vein and I would have enjoyed it slightly more if I hadn’t read the others first.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read it in exchange for my review.

Yay, I actually started a series on the first book and not on the second, or third!

I had absolutely no idea that the Detection Club was actually a real group. Founded in 1930 by a group of British crime writers and is still in existence today.

It's a cosy mystery that was an easily enjoyable and engaging read. Sadly it was over all too soon.

The characters include many of our renowned great authors, with none other than Agatha Christie finding herself on the receiving end of accusation rather than writing it.

A great start to a promising new series, brilliant plot and as we've come to expect from the greats plenty of red herrings and twists to throw us off the scent.

I couldn’t resist the double temptation of a book featuring Agatha Christie and the first instalment in (what I hope is) a new series by Kelly Oliver, the creator of the Fiona Figg mysteries. And neither should you, if you like a cosy mystery that blends fact and fiction, is set in the literary world and presents an adorable sleuthing couple, just as clued-up in the art of detection as they clueless in all matters of the heart!

A fun mix of fictional characters and some of mysteries favorite authors. A unique twist to a story. I really enjoyed it. I will definitely be looking forward to the next one.

I love any book set in the Golden Age of crime, be they contemporaneous or written today. Kelly Oliver has caught the mood of the time perfectly, and has taken me back to the era of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers and the like. I was captivated.

Agatha is a member of The Detection Club, where authors of crime and mystery novels meet. Eliza Baker, a chess whizz, is assistant to the club’s secretary Dorothy L Sayers, and feels compelled to investigate when one of the group dies a suspicious death. As suspicion falls on its most famous member, Mrs Christie, can the real culprit be found before anyone else has to die?

I adored the use of real life characters in this story. It brought an extra frisson of excitement and had me hooked from the start. Using the famous disappearance of Agatha as a plot point worked marvellously. The period detail was superb and makes me crave more of this new series.

A wonderfully told story, with the promise of more to come.

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

I'm a huge fan of classic cosy mysteries and detective fiction, so I was really excited when I heard about this, especially as I've enjoyed some previous books by this author. Set in the 1920’s, this is a Detection Club mystery. The Detection Club is a sort of regular meeting place for mystery writers. The protagonist is Eliza, who is Dorothy Sayers’ assistant. At the Detection Club meeting, Eliza is introduced to the members, including Agatha Christie. When events take an unexpected turn, the members of Detection Club find that they have a real mystery on their hands. Will Eliza be able to find out the truth?

This was so much fun to read. After just a few chapters, I found that I was smiling. I liked Eliza as a protagonist, and I appreciated the references to classic crime writers and novels dotted throughout the book. I can never say no to a cosy crime novel, and I have a soft spot for historical mysteries, so this was right up my street. It was entertaining, quirky, and the kind of book that I'd be likely to choose as a comfort read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, Boldwood Books, and to the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.

A new historical cosy mystery series, this time weaving fictional characters with the famous Golden Age Detection Club. The hook with this story being that Agatha Christie is about to embark on a new, gripping murder case but as a suspect after a member of the club is found dead at their initiation ceremony. Eliza Baker, assistant to the Club’s enigmatic secretary, Dorothy Sayers, is interested in investigating the case especially after Christie mysteriously disappears the next day.

This was a solid series opener and was a quick and fun read. As a fan of Helena Dixon, Emily Organ and Verity Bright this definitely fits in with those style of stories and the lead, Eliza is a different kind of character. A little Augusta Peel with her secret wartime work but as a working class orphan she stands out amongst the traditional middle/upper class leads found predominantly in this corner of the mystery world.

Despite the premise and the characters I never quite felt connected to this story. Even with the short page count it felt a little stretched and I think our fictional characters need more room to breathe and develop. It seems like there will be more stories to come so I hope that we get more of Eliza and sidekick Theo as they are more interesting than our historical figures who have already been well covered over the years.

Liked but not loved but well worth reading if you enjoy a solid cosy mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this digital review copy of "The Case of the Christie Conspiracy" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.