Agatha Christie disappeared for eleven days in 1926 but (from what I've read) the real truth as to how and why was never fully revealed. This historical fiction novel, which is light on the historical part, serves to fill in the blanks.

Even though I am not an Agatha Christie fan, I thought this was a great premise for a book. The first set of chapters drew me in as they alternated between Agatha's early relationship with her husband, and the reimagined events during Agatha's disappearance. The problem is I didn't really find any of the characters to be especially likeable but the story is portrayed in a way that is far more sympathetic to Agatha's plight. I quickly grew tired of the chapters filled with the husband's self-centered thoughts and endless police questioning, that almost felt like filler material to me. The conclusion to the mystery was intriguing though and I commend the author on that point.

Overall, I am giving the novel a rating of 3 stars. It was a decent story and not really difficult to get through. I am also adding the book to my historical fiction 'lite' shelf, as the author doesn't delve very deeply into the historical aspects of the war during the time period this novel covers. ( )

A fun read. Author writes her narrative of what may have occurred when Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days in Dec. of 1926. A very clever story. Kirkus: In December 1926, mystery writer Agatha Christie really did disappear for 11 days. Was it a hoax? Or did her husband resort to foul play?When Agatha meets Archie on a dance floor in 1912, the obscure yet handsome pilot quickly sweeps her off her feet with his daring. Archie seems smitten with her. Defying her family?s expectations, Agatha consents to marry Archie rather than her intended, the reliable yet boring Reggie Lucy. Although the war keeps them apart, straining their early marriage, Agatha finds meaningful work as a nurse and dispensary assistant, jobs that teach her a lot about poisons, knowledge that helps shape her early short stories and novels. While Agatha?s career flourishes after the war, Archie suffers setback after setback. Determined to keep her man happy, Agatha finds herself cooking elaborate meals, squelching her natural affections for their daughter (after all, Archie must always feel like the most important person in her life), and downplaying her own troubles, including her grief over her mother's death. Nonetheless, Archie grows increasingly morose. In fact, he is away from home the day Agatha disappears. By the time Detective Chief Constable Kenward arrives, Agatha has already been missing for a day. After discoveringĄand burningĂ‚ÂĄa mysterious letter from Agatha, Archie is less than eager to help the police. His reluctance and arrogance work against him, and soon the police, the newspapers, the Christies? staff, and even his daughter?s classmates suspect him of harming his wife. Benedict concocts a worthy mystery of her own, as chapters alternate between Archie?s negotiation of the investigation and Agatha?s recounting of their relationship. She keeps the reader guessing: Which narrator is reliable? Who is the real villain?A compelling portrait of a marriage gone desperately sour.

Agatha Christie disappears in 1926. This is an historical fiction as to what happened.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the dual time frames. The one beginning in 1912 which gives the back story. The one in 1926 focuses on the mystery. I like that Agatha gets herself back to who she was before her marriage. I liked as it is all laid out in the end as to why she disappeared and how it all worked out. Archie, her husband, was a jerk--well, he was worse than that, but I have to keep it clean. I was glad she did what she did. He got what he deserved.

Well worth reading. ( )

Mystery writer Agatha Christie is the world’s best-selling fiction writer, with estimated sales of over 2 billion books. In December 1926—at a time when she began garnering a large fan base—Agatha left her home in London without a trace, the same day she and her husband, Archie, have a loud argument during breakfast.

Her disappearance without a clue, save for the discovery of her abandoned car, had the police and thousands of civilians comb the British countryside in search of her. Even Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, was brought in!

Agatha Christie went missing for eleven days. The Mystery of Mrs. Christie is Marie Benedict's version of what might have happened in those eleven days based on the research she has done.

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie tells Christie’s story through parallel constructs, alternating times and points of view. The "Manuscript" is told by Agatha, recounting her love affair with her husband, their marriage, the start of her writing career, and the challenging social norms of the day.

The novel’s second and more intriguing POV, is told by Archie. The timeline starts at the time of Agatha’s disappearance. In these chapters, Benedict alludes to the secrets the cruel and manipulative Archie is hiding from the police, including his engagement to another woman.

In 'Part Two', as the novel winds down, Archie and Agatha’s stories intertwine.

More than the mystery surrounding Agatha's disappearance, I felt like Marie Benedict gives more importance to revealing the famous author's upbringing, her relationships with the women in her family, her early career as a writer, as well as her deeply conflicted personality, specially when it comes to trying to be the perfect wife for her manipulative husband.

But while there are several theories about what happened to Agatha Christie in those eleven days she was “missing”, no one really knows the truth. She never spoke about it nor mentioned it in her biography. Being the unmatched mystery master storyteller that she was, I suppose Agatha wanted these 11 days to remain a mystery forever.

This book, however, gives us quite an interesting speculation on what may have happened. If you have read any of Agatha Christie's novel or love historical fiction, I highly recommend this book.

PS: Was it truly necessary for the author to spoil the plot for The Murder of Roger Ackroyd? I'm sure not everyone who is reading this book has read all of Agatha Christie's novels.



( )

Benedict's novel explores a what-if scenario regarding Agatha Christie's stint as a missing person in December 1926. The disappearance of the young, newly-successful author attracted worldwide attention and searches unlike the country had seen before--and also revealed that her husband Archie was engaged in an affair and was preparing to divorce Agatha.

Chapters go back and forth between the present, wherein Archie looks increasingly more suspect in his wife's disappearance, and the past, where Agatha's experiences are laid out in a manuscript. The book intimately focuses on the relationship of Agatha and Archie, and to my frustration, largely focused on Archie. He's a repugnant person. His nastiness is clear right away, and it made the repeated emphases on his awfulness feel tedious. Without delving into spoilers, the end fell flat for me because it set up an expectation for Archie that just didn't make sense with the pressure he's under because of the investigation. The book is manages to be a fast read, helped along by very short chapters. ( )