The Mystery of Mrs. Christie

“A good mystery author writes mysteries. A great mystery author creates them. While this may not always be true, it definitely is in the case of Agatha Christie. For several days in December 1926, Christie disappeared from her home, leaving behind her husband and young daughter. When she was found, she had no memory of the days she was gone. What happened during those days has been explored in various media, from other books to Doctor Who. It’s possible we may never know what really occurred.

That doesn’t mean people will stop speculating. The Mystery of Mrs. Christie looks at the matter from two angles: Agatha’s point of view during the years of her unhappy marriage, and her husband’s in the days after her disappearance. It doesn’t solve the mystery so much as illustrate it. In some chapters, the novel feels slow, but at its best it is poignant and quietly aching. When a woman vanishes into the life that early twentieth century England expects for her, as a wife and mother and nothing else, is it really any surprise when she vanishes completely?

Marie Benedict’s novel is beautiful and sympathetic, a far less traditional look at mysteries and a fresh look at one of the most famous writers in the world.”