THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE begins in 1912. Pre-career Agatha meets the man she will marry, Lieutenant Archibald “Archie” Christie. Fast forward to 1926 and Agatha has disappeared into thin air. As this story spins its web between past and present-day, readers get a rare glimpse into the possible who, what, where, when, and why of her disappearance. Was it amnesia? Was it another brilliant plot by one of the greatest mystery writers of all time?
In the “past” chapters set in 1912, we see Agatha and Archie fall in love, face war, start a family, and get a glimpse of how Agatha started her writing career. In the “present” chapters beginning in 1926, we see their relationship in a new light. A woman wanting it all and struggling with the best way to achieve that. A husband with a wandering eye and maybe a heavy hand. An investigation into their lives that they have desperately tried to keep private but is now making headlines. As the story unfolds, their perfect lives do as well.
THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE by Marie Benedict is a masterfully crafted tale of historical perfection. I am not usually a fan of the historical genre, but Agatha Christie is the queen of mysteries and a major influence on my favorite genre of cozy mysteries, so I had to grab this one and dig in. Besides her bestselling books that continue to fly off the shelves, perhaps the greatest mystery surrounding Mrs. Christie is her disappearance that she never talked about. For eleven days she vanished without a trace with no explanation when she finally resurfaced. This take on her disappearance may be the best explanation based on the time and values of that era.
The writing itself was engrossing. I loved the past and present aspects as the story unfolded. It kept me engaged and wondering how a seemingly perfect love story could go so wrong. While this is a work of fiction, it reads like this is the answer to that fateful disappearance. And if it did happen as Marie Benedict portrays in THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE, I say more power to the greatest plotter of all time. Well done.
The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Only Woman in the Room returns with a thrilling reconstruction of one of the most notorious events in literary history: Agatha Christie's mysterious 11-day disappearance in 1926.
In December 1926, Agatha Christie goes missing. Investigators find her empty car on the edge of a deep, gloomy pond, the only clues some tire tracks nearby and a fur coat left in the car — strange for a frigid night. Her World War I veteran husband and her daughter have no knowledge of her whereabouts, and England unleashes an unprecedented manhunt to find the up-and-coming mystery author. Eleven days later, she reappears, just as mysteriously as she disappeared, claiming amnesia and providing no explanations for her time away.
The puzzle of those missing eleven days has persisted. With her trademark historical fiction exploration into the shadows of the past, acclaimed author Marie Benedict brings us into the world of Agatha Christie, imagining why such a brilliant woman would find herself at the center of such murky historical mysteries.
What is real, and what is mystery? What role did her unfaithful husband play, and what was he not telling investigators?
Agatha Christie novels have withstood the test of time, due in no small part to Christie's masterful storytelling and clever mind that may never be matched, but Agatha Christie's untold history offers perhaps her greatest mystery of all.
Fans of The Secrets We Kept, The Lions of Fifth Avenue, and The Alice Network will enjoy this riveting saga of literary history, suspense, and love gone wrong.
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