Joint Review of The Mystery of Mrs. Christie

Marie Benedict

Published: December 29, 2020 by Sourcebooks Landmark

Rating: 5 stars from Kate⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 stars from Courtney ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery

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.

Kate’s Thoughts:

This book could have been written by Agatha Christie herself. It was full of intrigue and suspense. A magnificent nod to the unsolvable mysteries that Christie herself set out to write. Benedict skillfully includes the limited knowledge of Christie’s disappearance with an entirely plausible story. It was magnificent being able to get a glimpse of Christie’s life in her youth while also uncovering the pieces of her disappearance. The merging of the two timelines at the end was very well done. The book is so fast paced that I read it in one afternoon. Thoroughly enjoyable read and I believe it is Marie Benedict’s best work to date. I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

Courtney’s Thoughts:

I thought this book was really well-written. It’s my first read by Marie Benedict, and I would definitely be interested in checking out more of her books. I had really high expectations going into this book which may have attributed to me rating it four stars instead of five. I wanted absolutely every detail to be in place and hook me from the very beginning. It didn’t quite reach that level for me. It had a bit of a slow start for me, but it was an enjoyable read. I have no doubt that fans of Agatha Christie will enjoy this book as much as I did.

Thanks to NetGalley, Marie Benedict, and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read and honestly review this wonderful book!