Publication-February 1, 2022
“Nina de Gramont’s The Christie Affair is 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. St. Martin’s Press”
“Nina de Gramont lives in coastal North Carolina with her husband, the writer David Gessner. She teaches at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and is almost always in the company of her two dogs, Missy and Isabelle. She’s the author of the acclaimed Meet Me at the River, Every Little Thing in the World, Gossip of the Starlings, The Last September, as well as The Distance from Me to You, which has recently been optioned for a movie. ”
The Grateful Reader- Dorothy Schwab
I’ve been travelling the last two weeks, visiting bookstores and reading all along the way. One of my stops was in Houston at the Blue Willow Book Shop, which I enjoyed immensely. The review I’m adding here is from the Blue Willow newsletter, Shelf Awareness-I love that name! As I was reading the newsletter today I came across Shahina Piyarali’s review of The Christie Affair. Since I’m still in the middle of the mystery, I though I’d share Shahina’s review with you. Enjoy!
“The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont is an ingeniously plotted historical mystery in the style of an engrossing Agatha Christie thriller–except the character at the center of the mystery is the beloved lady novelist herself. Bringing to glorious life the more intimate roles Christie played, including as a mother, wife, loyal friend and passionate lover, de Gramont’s graceful novel will enthrall Christie fans of all persuasions.
The story is set in 1920s England, during the early days of Agatha’s rise to literary fame and the implosion of her marriage to Archie Christie. In real life, Agatha’s devastation over her husband’s demand for a divorce led her to flee her Berkshire home and disappear for 11 days; no one knows where she went, and she took that secret to her grave. Here, de Gramont (The Last September) offers a skillful reimagining of what transpired when Agatha vanished in the dead of night with her typewriter, setting off a media-driven scandal and a country-wide police manhunt. The result is a particularly gripping story, brilliantly embellished by the enigmatic narrator, Nan O’Dea, who also happens to be Archie’s mistress.
Although Agatha is at the heart of Nan’s narrative, The Christie Affair is a story of two women from vastly different backgrounds struggling to control their own destinies. An accomplished author, de Gramont takes a page from the great mystery writer herself and makes swift work of tying up loose ends as the story reaches its boiling point, leaving readers marvelously entertained and breathlessly connecting the dots. ” –Shahina Piyarali, reviewer
Discover: This gorgeously written mystery reimagines Agatha Christie’s real-life disappearance after the collapse of her marriage and the intriguing story of the woman responsible for the breakup.
Here’s a link to Shelf Awareness from Blue Willow Book Shop- Great interviews, book suggestions and recommendations. https://bluewillowbookshop.shelf-awareness.com/?issue=1017 My blog post from my Blue Willow visit was posted in late January.
The Grateful Reader 