In December 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared. What happened during that time is still unknown. This is an historical fiction recreation of the events. Agatha’s disappearance was triggered by her husband Archie telling her that he was leaving her and getting divorce. Archie had been having an affair with Nan O’Dea. He planned to marry her In reality his mistress and second wife was Nancy Neele.
The story is told from Nan’s point of view. In the opening she is presented as a scheming home-wrecker, a rather unattractive character. However, Nan has a backstory. It’s tragic and it drives her desire for the kind of life Archie offers. Of course, since this is a Christie story there is a mystery that is solved at the end.
The book is well written. However, there were several aspects that were not what I expected. The period was true to life, but I had expected more about Agatha. Instead the novel focuses on Nan. Although Nan becomes more sympathetic as we learn more of her story, I never completely got over my initial dislike.
This story is more than a murder mystery. The novel is character driven and explores the strength of love and loss.
I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.
No comments:
Post a Comment