Title: The Mystery of Mrs Christie
Author: Marie Benedict
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Historical
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Date published: December 29, 2020

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review.

In December 1926, Agatha Christie goes missing. Investigators find her empty car on the edge of a deep, gloomy pond, the only clues some tire tracks nearby and a fur coat left in the car—strange for a frigid night. Her husband and daughter have no knowledge of her whereabouts, and England unleashes an unprecedented manhunt to find the up-and-coming mystery author. Eleven days later, she reappears, just as mysteriously as she disappeared, claiming amnesia and providing no explanations for her time away.

The puzzle of those missing eleven days has persisted. With her trademark exploration into the shadows of history, acclaimed author Marie Benedict brings us into the world of Agatha Christie, imagining why such a brilliant woman would find herself at the center of such a murky story.

What is real, and what is mystery? What role did her unfaithful husband play, and what was he not telling investigators?

⤖ My Review ⬻

The Mystery of Mrs Christie was one of my most anticipated releases for late 2020! Ever since I watched the episode on Doctor Who that focused on Agatha Christie and her mysterious disappearance (The Unicorn and the Wasp, Season 4, Episode 7…yes. I used to be a very big fan), I’ve always been curious about what might have actually happened.

So, when I heard that a book focused on said disappearance would be coming out, I just knew that I had to get my hands and read it. I was so happy when Raincoast Books was able to send me an ARC of The Mystery of Mrs Christie for review purposes, and I couldn’t wait to read it–I was prepared for a thrill ride.

I will say that my expectations were partially to blame for my experience with The Mystery of Mrs Christie. I expected a high-stakes thriller with a good amount of action…and while I can’t go into detail about what I was actually delivered through this book because spoilers (hehe, another Doctor Who reference for my fellow fans). But anyway, I think that I can say that I didn’t get what I expected.

That being said, the book had me feeling curious and wanting to find out more while reading it. The Mystery of Mrs Christie also had me feeling a lot of things, with the primary emotion being pure rage at the patriarchy and what was expected and not expected of women (especially in Agatha Christie’s time).

Also, I forgot to mention that the ARC came with a tube or “Red Herring” lipstick that was designed by the brand Finding Ferdinand and the author to accompany The Mystery of Mrs Christie! It’s a beautiful shade of red and smells like Cabernet! You can see the shade and product design in my Instagram post here.

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years’ experience as a commercial litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms. While practicing as a NYC lawyer, Marie dreamed of a fantastical job unearthing the hidden historical stories of women — and finally found it when she tried her hand at writing. She embarked on a new, thematically connected series of historical fiction excavating the stories of important, complex and fascinating women from the past with THE OTHER EINSTEIN, which tells the tale of Albert Einstein’s first wife, a physicist herself, and the role she might have played in his theories. She then released CARNEGIE’S MAID, the story of a brilliant woman who may have spurred Andrew Carnegie toward philanthropy, followed by the NYTimes bestseller THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM, the tale of the Golden Age of Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr who made a world-changing invention, and LADY CLEMENTINE about Winston Churchill’s wife. Her latest book — THE MYSTERY OF MRS CHRISTIE — focuses on the real-life disappearance of Agatha Christie and the role it played in shaping her into the world’s most successful novelist.

⤖ Places to Purchase the Book ⬻

⤖ Let’s Chat ⬻

Thank you for reading my review! Have you read this book? What did you think? And if you haven’t read it yet, do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!