We disappeared form schools, from our hometowns. It had begun long before Christie hopped into a car and motored away from Newlands Corner.And it would continue for quite a bit longer. 'The age of disappearing women did not begin with Agatha Christie. The author's style of writing is fresh, richly detailed and spiky. I liked that the story focused on Agatha but also on Nan herself and that Archie was a background to the story rather than at the forefront. Whereas Archie simply wanted to cheer up and have the order followed.' Poirot could absorb and assess a person's sadness then forgive it. There was never an emotional cue Poirot missed, nor any wayward emotions for which he didn't feel sympathy. 'I've sometimes thought Agatha invented Hercule Poirot as an antidote to Archie. Archie is what can only be described as a cad, but without the charm that word can sometimes imply. I can't discuss the book without discussing Christie's husband, Archie. 'Agatha was upper crust and elegent, but perfectly willing to dispense with manners and social mores.' I felt by the end of the book like I knew a little more about the author's character. I would recommend this book for fans of the author, but it also works for people like me who previously knew next to nothing about her. 'Agatha Christie had a fascination with murder. The use of her to tell the story is genius and her own story is as important as Christie's and as absorbing. The Christie Affair is written from the point of view of her husband's mistress Nan O'Dea, a charcter you would presume to dislike but actuallly for the purposes of the book I found myself quite fond of her.

Also, even I had heard of Agatha Christie's famous disappearance. I have never read any Agatha Christie, I simply enjoy books about the lives of authors. The Christie Affair by Nina De Gramont was not a natural choice of book for me.

Reviews of the christie affair