Author: Nina de Gramont
Publication Date: 1 FEB 2022
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Page Count: 320
Reading Method: Physical ARC [Thank you to the publisher!]
Dates Read: FEB 10-12
Review
What a rollercoaster of a read! The story is told through Nan’s perspective, the woman who is having an affair with Agatha’s husband, Archie. In a fit of distress, Agatha disappears without a trace and the events that unfold can only be described as something out of a Christie novel.
Told in dual timelines, the truth of Nan’s tragic past is slowly revealed to the reader. In the present, Nan spends her time distancing herself in a hotel from the drama surrounding Agatha’s disappearance. Past and present collide in an epic turn of events, with an ending that took me completely by surprise.
As a leading lady, I found Nan to be a bit dull. She’s always focusing on saying and doing exactly the right thing and working singularly towards her goal of coaxing her way into a permanent position by Archie’s side. The Nan of the past was much more interesting to read about. Though she faced many challenges, she met them all with strength, courage, and determination.
The Christie Affair is full of tragedy, mystery, and unbreakable and unconditional love. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more from de Gramont. While I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to a friend, I would proceed with caution, as there is a lot of this story that could be quite upsetting to some readers.
About the Book
In 1925, Miss Nan O’Dea infiltrated the wealthy, rarefied world of author Agatha Christie and her husband, Archie. In every way, she became a part of their life––first, both Christies. Then, just Archie. Soon, Nan became Archie’s mistress, luring him away from his devoted wife, desperate to marry him. Nan’s plot didn’t begin the day she met Archie and Agatha.
It began decades before, in Ireland, when Nan was a young girl. She and the man she loved were a star-crossed couple who were destined to be together––until the Great War, a pandemic, and shameful secrets tore them apart. Then acts of unspeakable cruelty kept them separated.
What drives someone to murder? What will someone do in the name of love? What kind of crime can someone never forgive? Nina de Gramont’s brilliant, unforgettable novel explores these questions and more.
About the Author
Nina de Gramont (also known as Marina Gessner) lives in coastal North Carolina with her husband, the writer David Gessner. She teaches at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and is almost always in the company of her two dogs, Missy and Isabelle. She’s the author of the acclaimed Meet Me at the River, Every Little Thing in the World, Gossip of the Starlings, The Last September, as well as The Distance from Me to You, which has recently been optioned for a movie.
