The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont 

What a marvellous book that keeps on giving. I couldn’t put this down once I started reading it. A story told in three parts by Nan O’Dea. Mistress to Archie Christie, love of Finbarr, mother to Genevieve and in some strange way friend to Agatha. 

The story is so much more than an account of Agatha’s days missing. It is a lesson in the harsh and sad reality of young women forced to give up their babies, treated as nothing more than dirt for believing in love, the harshness of war and its impact on those who came back. It is a love story, a murder mystery - but above all else it is a masterpiece that pulls you in and doesn’t let you go. 

You can’t help but love each of the characters in their own way. You feel their pain and as the story unfolds you feel a sense of justice that they should not be denied. As I read on I found myself viewing them differently. Nan changed from a young and foolish mistress to almost a child in need of care and back to a women in control of her destiny. 

The Murder mystery of the hotel really kept me guessing until the answers were revealed- it was such a clever plot and it gave me a sense of satisfaction and justice for all involved.

This was the last book I read in 2021. I started it with a few days to go and wasn’t sure I would finish it before the new year. How foolish of me to have that worry. Once I started it - there was no way of putting it down. Nina de Gramont has excelled in writing a book so easy to read and full of twists and turns - a true talent and a book that you must read.

I was lucky to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It truly is a wonderful book and I will be buying a copy for my mother as a gift.