Benedict’s story weaves a fictional tale of what led up to, and happened during, Mrs. When found, she claimed amnesia and emotional distress.

Almost everyone knows of Agatha Christie, the world-famous author known for her mystery & detective novel, but not everyone knows she went missing for eleven days in her early career. Christie unlocked a fictional rendition of what happened during a mysterious period of the real Agatha Christie’s life. And makes it worth slogging through the book to the very end.The Mystery of Mrs. It turns the tables thoroughly, suggesting just how capable Dame Christie's mind was of twisted, almost fiendish logic. I have to admit, the ending is diabolical, worthy of one of Dame Christie's own novels. Reading that salvaged the book for me, because I couldn't accept the version of Agatha Christie that was conveyed throughout the book until that point. As I continued to read, bringing the book to the discovery of Agatha at the Harrogate Hydro Spa, Benedict reveals the 'mystery' behind the disappearance and how/why it unfolds, reconciling the timid, meek, and subservient version of Agatha with the strong, creative, and successful writer she was known for being. I persevered when I discovered there were six chapters remaining, and told myself just to finish it, get it over with. Not necessarily enjoyable, considering how easily I recognized the pattern from experience.īut. It slowed me down because I was reluctant to see where it was going, revealing Archie to be a flaming, egotistical narcissist, the marriage turning abusive, and how trapped Agatha was in it.

I have to admit, I was growing uncomfortable with how Benedict spun the story out - she divides the chapters between the present time investigation from Archie Christie's point of view with the developing history of Agatha through her marriage with Archie, told from Agatha's perspective. The entire book is Benedict's theory of what happened. During the investigation, Archie Christie, her husband at the time, was openly suspected of murdering Agatha and concealing her body due to an ongoing affair with his secretary at Austel, a woman named Nancy Neele.

Initially, the book concerns the eleven day disappearance of Agatha Christie in December 1926, and the nationwide search for her. I'm very fond of her books, especially the Hercule Poirot mysteries (Death on the Nile remains my favorite), so I was wary of this book. It took me a little longer than usual to finish this book - I generally enjoy Marie Benedict's books, having read Lady Clementine (about Clementine Churchill) and The Other Woman in the Room (about Hedy Lamarr) - despite my long-standing love of Agatha Christie. This post may contain a few spoilers, but I do not reveal the ending!

The mystery of mrs christie ending