The Christie Affair

A Novel

By: Nina de Gramont

Narrated by: Lucy Scott

Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

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

©2022 Nina de Gramont (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

2022, Reese's Book Club x Hello Sunshine, Long-listed

2022, Washington Post Best Books of the Year, Long-listed

2022, Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year, Long-listed

2022, Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, Long-listed

2022, Chapters Indigo Best of the Year, Long-listed

One of the BEST books I’ve read in years!

One of the best books I’ve read in years! So beautifully written such well developed characters and twists and turns so eloquent. The fact that it’s based on truth is also fun to be able to look back at the actual newspapers from the event. Beautifully narrated I cannot recommend it enough!!

Unique take on Christie's disapearance.

I might have liked the unique perspective (from the "other woman's" point of view) if the writer hadn't written such a shallow, uncharitable version of Agatha. Fun use of some of Christie's plot devices, but didn't care for the ending.

Brilliantly written

This reimagining of the events surrounding Agatha Christie’s famous disappearance sucks you in and keeps you riveted from start to finish. The plot is wonderfully executed and suitably full of twists and turns befitting Agatha Christie’s legacy.
LOVE the narrator. Her voice is melodic and compelling and her accents are great.
I could listen to her forever.
Highly recommend!

I’m only halfway thru, but…

I’m only about halfway thru, but this is a good ‘ole “can’t put it down” kind of story. Just started it yesterday and have no doubt I’ll finish it tonight.

Sooooo good!

Couldn’t put it down and when I had too, I couldn’t wait to get back to it!!

Touching

What a clever and touching twist. I appreciated the excellent reading and final words while I managed through tears.

confusing yet clever!

a bit confusing, but still clever nonetheless! It could have gone so many different ways.

Looking back and making connections

Starting with the title referencing a well loved writer, this novel takes the reader on a journey of heartbreak, romance, unfortunate circumstances and leads to a happy ending. I absolutely enjoyed the twists and turns down this path. One critical comment is Nan’s or the narrator’s constant intrusion and information about how she ends her journey before it is over. As a reader, I always hope for the best for the characters and she “burst my bubble” of hope a few times throughout the story. Even so, there were enough surprises to keep this reader wanting to know what would happen next.

Enjoyable story.

I enjoyed this novel very much. I was a little sad that there was a spoiler alert about 3/4 thru the story.

Quite engaging, thoughtful, unexpected and fun,

I liked the story. It wasn’t predictable and had a number of surprises. The performance and writing were excellent.