Nina de Gramont

When Agatha Christie was asked why/where she disappeared, she said she couldn't remember and stuck to that for the rest of her life. What an opening, then for a book like this, a complete imaging of what transpired during those 11 days. And to make the narrator be the mistress of Christie's husband and a woman you come to truly care about (at least I did) was a brilliant stroke. The effect was a romance, historical fiction, a detective whodunit, and a revenge novel. Anyone who was hoping for show more the truth behind Christie's disappearance should have done their homework; there isn't any news. She never said ANYTHING about it. So, yes, one must suspend her disbelief when reading this because it is FICTION extremely and loosely based on a few facts. That's why I enjoyed it for what it was. In reading some of the reviews, I'm amazed how many people wanted a REAL book. Without Christie or her husband or the real "Nan" saying much, the speculation door is wide open. show less

This book was an intriguing reimagining of the days Agatha Christie disappeared in 1926. It is told from the viewpoint of Nan O'Dea - the Other Woman - who was Archie Christie's mistress and second wife.

As the story develops, we learn about Nan's past and her reasons for pursuing Archie. Along the way there is romance and murder and revenge for a great wrong. The murders were not center stage and seemed to be almost a throw away detail in the bigger picture when they were first described. I show more liked the echoes to some of Agatha's stories - very MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS.

The story was not fast paced but unfolded in a leisurely manner that still managed to be intensely gripping. Revelation after revelation build a strong picture of Nan and, peripherally, Agatha Christie and Archie Christie who doesn't fare well in this story.

The story also illuminates the time period between the first and second world wars when mores are changing and there is more than a social revolution going on. Nan's history includes horrific details about the fates of unwed mothers and their babies during that time period and in that place. Agatha's own growth, as depicted in this story, is also an example of social change.

This story was an interesting imagining of those missing days in Agatha's life told by a woman who is just a footnote in Agatha's story but a strong main character here. show less

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont is a 2022 St. Martin’s Press publication.

The eleven days that Agatha Christie went missing is one of the most debated 'unsolved' mysteries of all time.

While the frantic search was on for Christie, the possible catalyst for her disappearance was her husband Archie’s infidelities. Archie had apparently fallen in love and asked Agatha for a divorce, not long after the passing of her mother. Who had Archie fallen so hard for that he was willing to show more break up his marriage? Who was ‘Nan O’Dea’ and why did she set out to lure Archie away from his wife?

This novel is a very crafty imagining of what might have happened during the eleven days, in 1926, when Agatha Christie vanished. Here, Agatha must share the spotlight with 'Nan', who recounts her life leading up to Agatha’s disappearance, her upbringing, her life in Ireland, and the sad circumstances of war that disrupted her life and future, which has led her to this point.

This narrative will take readers by surprise as one goes from disliking the calculating femme fatale who had the audacity to steal Agatha’s husband, to becoming a sympathetic character one is tempted to root for- but only cautiously.

The mystery of Agatha Christie’s disappearance is endlessly fascinating to me. I admit, though, that I have never found myself all that curious about Archie’s second wife and have never considered what her personal circumstances might have been.

This story reveals ‘Nan’s' motive for going after Archie- and it's one you might not suspect- though the clues are there all along. The mystery within a mystery, and the drama surrounding Agatha’s lengthy disappearance, combined Nan’s personal story meshes together to make a fascinating and compelling, and simply fabulous story.

I got all wrapped up in this story. It is very well written, though one will have to stay focused to keep up with the timelines and narratives. The characters are well-drawn, with police inspector Chilton being a personal favorite.

I knew this was going to be a good book before I even read the first page. I just had a good feeling about it. But I had no idea I would step into a world this rich and luxurious. Wow!

I was absolutely riveted to the drama, so entrenched in Nan and Agatha’s competition that it took me by surprise when I found myself mired in a novel of suspense. Well, duh! We are talking about Agatha Christie here. How very diabolically clever!

The author did a fantastic job of approaching this age-old mystery from a fresh perspective and handled the material with much respect, while ending the story in a slightly bittersweet, but appealingly pleasant way.

I couldn’t help but love every single delicious page of it!!

4.5 stars show less

This novel is based on Agatha Christie's 11-day disappearance in 1926. At the time, she was just becoming popular for her mystery novels, and many thought her disappearance was a publicity stunt. She had quarreled with her husband after he told her that he wanted a divorce so that he could marry his mistress, and she drove off in her beloved Morris Cowley. The next morning, the car was found parked near an abandoned chalk pit with clothing and an expired driver's license inside.

Nina de show more Gramont takes this as the jumping-off point for The Christie Affair's rather convoluted plot. Many of the chapters are narrated by Nan O'Dea, the name the author ascribes to Archibald Christie's mistress. De Gramont imagines her to be an Irish woman who had cultivated a highbrow London accent and adapted her personal style for the purpose of seducing Christie and convincing him to marry her. The author creates a lot of background for Nan, both to add romantic interest and to give her a reason for pursuing Archie--a reason I won't give away here, but let's just say that all this is highly imaginative. At 19, Nan had fallen in love with a young man named Finnbar Mahoney while on one of her summer visits to her aunt and uncle's farm in Ireland. Alas, World War I breaks out, and the lovers are separated. By chance, they meet again in London on Armistice Day, their encounter leaving Nan pregnant. When she returns to Ireland, sure that Finnbar will marry her, she learns that he is deathly ill from having inhaled mustard gas. His father drops her off at a home for pregnant women run by the Catholic Church.

That's the backstory on Nan (with more details about her time in the home), and if you are guessing that this novel is more her story than Agatha's, you would be correct. The two women know each other, and surprise! They meet again while Agatha is in hiding. De Gramont throws in some more romance for both of them--and that is when I started to get a bit annoyed with this novel turning into a rather cliché bit of "women's fiction." And of course, she has to include a few murders, since this is, after all, supposed to be a book about Agatha Christie. It was all just a little too ingenious and too "girly" for my personal taste.

Be forewarned that the only "facts" behind this novel are that Archie Christie had a mistress and wanted a divorce; that Agatha left for 11 days, during which time the press had a field day; and that Agatha was discovered in a spa in Yorkshire. The rest is based more on romantic imagination than on logical speculation. show less