This was a delightful read - especially for Christie fans. Benedict plays with the known facts of a real-life, unsolved mystery: Agatha Christie’s disappearance in 1926. Benedict gives us a plausible and mostly satisfying solution to the puzzle that Christie herself never answered herself.
As Benedict notes, Christie’s disappearance was highly sensational at the time, and probably did push along Christie’s rising star. But regardless of what happened during her absence or the reasons for it, Christie emerged from those eleven-days prepared to unleash her maximum creative talents; much to our benefit as readers!
Benedict crafts her novel with alternating timelines: 1912-post WWI is told from Agatha’s first person point of view. The present day, 1926 timeline is told from Archie’s POV in the third person.
Be warned that Benedict interlaces a number of Christie’s early novels (i.e. “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” and “The Man in the Brown Suit”), some with spoilers, in the plot of this novel.
What I liked the most is that Benedict acknowledges many of the theories behind Christie’s disappearance, and neatly debunks them in favor of her version of events. She writes deliberately to give her fictionalized Agatha full control of her disappearance; she is not a victim to chance, mental illness, or amnesia. This Mrs. Christie had two objectives: achieving fabulous publicity, and personal vindication before the world (particularly before her daughter).
This version of Archie Christie is a loathsome, self-absorbed tyrant. Agatha doesn’t seek to ruin him; she wanted the truth to be known unequivocally. Benedict slyly underscores his alienation from Agatha by having him continuously refer to her as his wife, and never by name.
What I didn’t like, was that Benedict was a touch heavy-handed in places; Agatha dubs her treatment by Archie, a murder. I also wish that Benedict had played up one of Christie’s favorite literary devices - the unreliable narrator - more. This felt like a missed opportunity.
If you liked “Mrs. Christie,” I’d recommend:
- “The Paris Wife” - Paula McClain
- “Mrs. Poe” - Lynn Cullen
- “The Other Einstein” - Marie Benedict**
- “Lady Clementine” - Marie Benedict**
**on my TBR
Also, fictionalized Agatha has a few of her own book recommendations:
- “The Leavenworth Case” - Anna K. Green
- “The Mystery of the Yellow Room” - Gaston Leroux
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