BOOK OF THE MONTH

The Christie Affair

Nina de Gramont's The Christie Affair is a stunning novel that reimagines the unexplained eleven-day disappearance of Agatha Christie that captivated the world.

"Sizzles from its first sentence."––The Wall Street Journal

A Reese's Book Club Pick

Why would the world's most famous mystery writer disappear for eleven days? What makes a woman desperate enough to destroy another woman's marriage? How deeply can a person crave revenge?

In 1925, Miss Nan O’Dea infiltrated the wealthy, rarefied world of author Agatha Christie and her husband, Archie. In every way, she became a part of their life––first, both Christies. Then, just Archie. Soon, Nan became Archie’s mistress, luring him away from his devoted wife, desperate to marry him. Nan’s plot didn’t begin the day she met Archie and Agatha.

It began decades before, in Ireland, when Nan was a young girl. She and the man she loved were a star-crossed couple who were destined to be together––until the Great War, a pandemic, and shameful secrets tore them apart. Then acts of unspeakable cruelty kept them separated.

What drives someone to murder? What will someone do in the name of love? What kind of crime can someone never forgive? Nina de Gramont’s brilliant, unforgettable novel explores these questions and more.

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Published Feb 7, 2023

400 pages

Average rating: 6.91

445 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

The Little Library
Sep 01, 2024
9/10 stars
Excellent !
Carson McLaughlin
Jun 29, 2025
9/10 stars
Intriguing none the less!
Heatherlpotts
Apr 18, 2025
10/10 stars
Great read, really clever plot line
Yaya25
Mar 05, 2025
8/10 stars
Great book! I loved the way the author took a real event and created a fascinating story for Agatha's disappearance. Very well done and enjoyable. It provided some very thoughtful discussions in our book club
thebooktroup
Jan 30, 2025
8/10 stars
Thank you NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for early copies in exchange for my honest review.

The Christie Affair is an imaginative telling of not only Agatha’s missing days but also the life of Archie’s mistress ‘Nan O’Dea’ and a pair of mysterious deaths that could have been plucked straight from one of Dame Christie’s novels. Told from Nan’s POV, I initially was annoyed with Nan (I mean, she IS the other woman!) but found a soft spot for her by the end. I thoroughly enjoyed the historical aspects, specifically the Magdalene Laundries - Roman Catholic institutions in Ireland where “fallen women” were housed. With well-developed characters and clever plot twists, The Christie Affair is a brilliantly creative story that will hold your attention from beginning to end and maybe make you wish that you could spend a few days in my posh spa-town. Excellent to see some book recommendations from her research in the Acknowledgments at the end which I’ve added to my TBR.

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