Mystery writer Agatha Christie (1890-1976) famously disappeared for 11 days in December 1926. Her husband Archie had just asked her for a divorce. He was already out of town, perhaps spending time with his mistress. Agatha left her daughter in the care of her household help and drove away alone. After her car was found, abandoned, a full-fledged search for her was initiated by the British authorities. She was eventually discovered at a spa in Harrogate and was reportedly confused. She may have developed amnesia. In any case, Agatha never revealed what had happened.

Such a mystery surrounding a noted mystery-weaver herself, makes for prime wonderings for our imaginations. Where did she go? What did she do? And why? Nina de Gramont explores a series of possibilities in this novel.

This version of the disappearance is told in first person by perhaps the unlikeliest of narrators: Nan O'Dea, the mistress of Archie Christie. This choice may seem like an odd and bold one, at first. Wouldn't readers (especially the female and/or married ones) automatically think ill of the mistress and want to stand on the side of the wife? Why would we agree to listen to someone we couldn't trust? The answer: Because we still want to find out what happened during those 11 days, that's why. And if this woman can shed light on the truth, so be it. We will read and listen to whatever she has to say.

Nan unravels the story of Agatha and Archie Christie, as she knows and understands it. She also shares bits of her own history, in which a young Irish man named Finbarr features prominently. Now we begin to see how Nan landed in the spot she is in. As is the way of many a mystery, the gap narrows between the separate lives of Agatha and Nan, until eventually their threads intertwine. And placed smack-dab in the middle of it all is a fresh double murder! This is the kind of book where you think you know all of the relationships and can predict where the story is heading ... only to turn some pages and to be fully surprised. A pretty nifty trick, done well.

If you look up the real details of Agatha Christie's life, you understand some of the liberties taken here by author Nina de Gramont. She keeps true to the basic facts about Agatha, Archie and Agatha's disappearance. But she changes the names of the other key characters, including even the mistress and the Christies' daughter. What we have here then, is really a kind of alternative reality. Which is another way to approach the genre of historical fiction.

The Christie legend is so juicy that it continues to attract literary attention. Another recent novel covering it is The Mystery of Mrs. Christie (Sourcebooks, 2021) by Marie Benedict. This treatment toggles back and forth between two characters: Agatha, recounting her history and her relationship with Archie, from 1912 forward; and Archie, dealing with the ramifications of her disappearance in 1926. No real-life names were altered in the telling. Do we have room for multiple interpretations about the Christies? Certainly. Will readers want more? Yes. Will more writers in the future offer their own versions? Probably.

The Christie Affair is one writer's theory for explaining Agatha's missing days. It is an original and imaginative one. It captivates and engages the reader, and it makes sense. Is it at all close to the truth? We have no way of knowing. Isn't this part of the fun?