Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library

By: Amanda Chapman

Narrated by: Patti Murin

Book conservator Tory Van Dyne and a woman claiming to be Agatha Christie on holiday from the Great Beyond join forces to catch a killer in this spirited mystery from Amanda Chapman.

Tory Van Dyne is the most down-to-earth member of a decidedly eccentric old-money New York family. For one thing, as book conservator at Manhattan’s Mystery Guild Library, she actually has a job. Plus, she’s left up-town society behind for a quiet life downtown. So she’s not thrilled when she discovers a woman in the library’s Christie Room who calmly introduces herself as Agatha Christie, politely requests a cocktail, and announces she’s there to help solve a murder— that has not yet happened.

But as soon as Tory determines that this is just a fairly nutty Christie fangirl, her socialite/actress cousin Nicola gets caught up in the suspicious death of her less-than-lovable talent agent. Nic, as always, looks to Tory for help. Tory, in turn, looks to Mrs. Christie. The woman, whoever or whatever she is, clearly knows her stuff when it comes to crime.

Aided by an unlikely band of fellow sleuths —including a snarky librarian, an eleven-year-old computer whiz, and an NYPD detective with terrible taste in suits—Tory and the woman claiming to be her very much deceased literary idol begin to unravel the twists and turns of a murderer’s devious mind. Because, in the immortal words of Miss Jane Marple, “murder is never simple.”

Critic reviews

"The first in a new series that I know is going to be a delight. Clever, funny, sharp, surprising — Amanda Chapman delivers!"

– Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of City of Girls and Eat, Pray, Love

“Amanda Chapman's Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library has everything a reader could want in a mystery, including the (possible) ghost of Agatha Christie, the queen of puzzle solvers. Add a whopping good mystery, engaging characters, a little romance, glamorous New York, and you have the perfect cocktail. It's a sparkling, witty gem with heart, and I can't wait for the next installment!"

– Deborah Crombie, McCavity Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James Scotland Yard mysteries.

“Chapman intrigues and delights with this twisty and funny must-read tale featuring (it appears!) the Queen of Crime herself. Narrator Tory Van Dyne is at first mystified by Mrs. Christie but ends up marveling at how she unravels myriad clues to solve two homicides. Prepare to lose sleep -- you won't want to put this book down.”

– Maddie Day, Agatha Award-winning author of Scone Cold Dead and Murder at Cape Costumers


“Witty, twisty, and utterly enthralling, Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library pays homage to Dame Agatha and is a love song to New York City. I fell in love with the Mystery Guild Library and can’t wait to pay it another visit!”

– Ellen Byron, USA Today bestselling author and Agatha Award winner

"Chapman has a blast with her contemporary New York setting, resettling British mystery tropes among Manhattan’s rare books community, theatrical circles, and eccentric Upper East Siders. Uncovering a killer, it turns out, can be just as fun in the Big Apple as it is in St. Mary Mead. Fans of classic detective fiction are in for a treat."

– Publisher’s Weekly starred review

“Fans of the Queen of Crime will delight in this modernized classic mystery, heavily laden with Christie lore.”

– Kirkus

Great mix of old and new!!!

An excellent listen. I really hope there will be other books in the series!!!! I like the thought of the Mystery Guild Library. I am not familiar with NYC, but anything is possible!!!!

So much fun

Loved this mystery! The characters are wonderful and so real. And all the wit, humor and heart about Agatha Christie about this story.

More Please!

Throughly enjoyed this listen. Engaging characters that I want to hear more from. Especially enjoyed the 'wee one' being a part of the group.

Agatha Christie helps solve a mystery

Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman has easily moved into one of my top favorite cozy mysteries! I loved, loved, loved every minute of it! The characters are very likable, relatable and well developed. They immediately felt like new friends. Mrs. Christie was such a fabulous character and is portrayed in a fun and enchanting way. Mrs. Christie is the little nod to paranormal and she is so well interwoven into the story I didn't think of her as a ghost or paranormal element. Tory Van Dyne inherited her building and apartment and the Mystery Guild Library. Mrs. Christie shows up in the Christie Room of the library to help Tory and her friends solve a murder. The Agatha Inc group is made up of Tory, her cousin Nicola (Nic) who is an actress, Tory's coworker Adrian, 11-year old Mairead Butler, and Detective Sebastian Mendez-Cruz. They all work together to solve the death of Howard Calhoun who is Nic's agent. They each have knowledge and abilities that make it interesting and they all become close. Nic is a suspect especially after more of the story unfolds. I really like the relationship between Tory and Nic and the burgeoning relationship between Tory and Sebastian. Of course, Agatha Christie is the star and is perfectly portrayed which must have required a great deal of research. The Van Dyne family dinners that Tory and Nic are expected to attend are funny. There are so many things that I loved. The story moved along at a very good pace and the mystery was intriguing and kept me guessing. The audiobook narrated by Patti Murin is extremely well done and I want to listen to it a second time, and I never do that! This book was extremely enjoyable and I loved every minute of it! #MrsChristieAtTheMysteryGuildLibrary #MrsChristieMystery #BerkleyPublishing #cozymysteryaudiobooks

Just OK

Liked the concept of Agatha Christie coming back to modern times. Liked the concept of the characters, setting - book lover, librarian, cozy nyc apt, etc.

The unfolding of the story was anticlimactic to the concept. Not engaging. Pretty obvious and less cunning unravelling of real killer vs how the real AG books do it. Tried a bit too hard to build background stories of the characters to make them 3D - they couldve done without the life dramas which did not affect the main story so much - should just focused more on the killer motives, background, twists, etc

Narration was good - the voice changes, pace and intonation fit the different characters. Though i find the enunciation sometimes a bit forced, like the reader was reading a book in class vs just voicing the characters and letting them live thru narration.