January 29 is National Puzzle Day (who knew?!) and when I spotted that on my calendar, I searched for a great puzzle book. The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict is such an enchanting puzzle to solve. If you like historical fiction, if you like a slow build-up, if you like digging in to the lives of famous individuals pre-paparazzi, this is your book!
Full transparency here: I have two other Marie Benedict books in my bookshelf to be read and haven’t gotten around to them. After reading The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, I’m wondering what in the world is wrong with me for sitting on these gems for so long!
Set Me Up
Agatha Miller has been raised with very Victorian customs. Her mother and family have chosen someone fitting (i.e. the right upbringing) for Agatha to marry. Sure, she has a solid friendship with this man, but she’d doesn’t feel the zing. They’ve agreed that she can date other people while he is at war.
Agatha catches the attention of Archibald Christie one night and there’s no denying the chemistry. He is exciting and intelligent and most importantly, he adores her just as she is.
Both Agatha and Archie are involved in the war. While it opens up Agatha’s perspective and softens her heart, it does a number to Archie.
That Doesn’t Seem Like a Book Plot
It’s no secret that Agatha went missing for 11 days in 1926. After a massive manhunt involving a LOT of volunteers and police agencies, she was found, claimed amnesia and got back on with her life (can you imagine if that happened in today’s age?!).
The book goes back and forth from the beginning of Agatha and Archie’s relationship to the search. I didn’t want to ruin the experience by googling any information (I legit know nothing about Agatha Christie), so I devoured this book!
I knew she wasn’t in any danger (I probably would have read about that by age 40, I think, maybe?) and that Archie hadn’t killed her (she went on to write a ton of books). So this really felt like a puzzle: how did they get to this tricky place in their relationship? Were his infidelity rumors true? How did Agatha feel about motherhood? How did she call all the plays in this mystery?
My Kinda Book
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie was perfect for bedtime reading. A mystery, yes. But no murders, no creepy characters, nothing to keep me eyes-wide-open at night. I have the scaredy cat tolerance as my 4 year old.
This book only made me that much more interested in this woman. Clearly, intelligent based on her books, right? But holy hell, this gal has some moxie. And she seemed like such an enchanting dame. And I’m here for it!
Don’t wait on this book. You’ll be so happy you read it!