Author’s Note
I am a writer on a mission. I love nothing more than to excavate an important, complex woman from history and bring her into the light of the present day where we can finally perceive the breadth of her contributions as well as the insights she brings to modern-day issues. It is this desire to rediscover historical women, their stories, and to write their legacy back into the narrative that inspired this book. But as you may now know, the woman at the heart of this novel is different from anyone else I’ve written about, and consequently, so is this book.
Unlike many of the women I champion, the heroine of this book is certainly known. In fact, she’s famous. I have been reading her stories since I was a teenager. She is the most successful novelist of all time—more than two billion copies of her books have been sold worldwide—and she’s credited with both creating many of the essential tenets of the modern mystery novel and defying those tenets to deliver some of the most compelling, unorthodox mysteries ever. Decades after her death, her books still sell, versions of them continue to be made into blockbuster movies, and her puzzles often remain unsolvable.
The very fact of Agatha Christie’s fame nearly deterred me from writing about her. I kept asking myself whether I should focus instead on a woman whose legacy we benefit from every day but whose identity is entirely hidden. But then I learned that a compelling, unsolved mystery surrounds Agatha the real-life woman, and I had a sense that the resolution of that mystery might help explain how she became the most successful writer in the world. I knew I had to turn to her story next.
When I learned about her 1926 disappearance—seemingly torn from the pages of one of her own books—I became even more fascinated with the bestselling writer. I couldn’t help but wonder: What happened to her during the eleven days she was missing? Did she disappear by her own hand or someone else’s? Was she running from her life or creating an entirely new one? I couldn’t shake the question of what role Agatha might have played in her own disappearance and why.
After all, even though she was not yet the famous Agatha Christie we know now, she was a mystery novelist on the rise who had just published her groundbreaking The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. As I reread this mystery, I was struck by the mastery of its plotting, especially the deft use of an unreliable narrator. Surely a writer this talented in the art of plotting could not have been a victim in her own vanishing. How could she have suffered from amnesia or gotten herself into some sort of fugue state, as some have theorized? She had to have crafted her disappearance as skillfully as she crafted her mysteries, as a vehicle to serve her own ends.
This speculation about Agatha Christie, the writer and the woman, was the genesis of The Mystery of Mrs. Christie. To my way of thinking, Agatha was that rare example of a woman who used her skill and talent and moxie to escape from the confines of her era—with the limitations it placed on women—and wrest control of her life. So, instead of writing a forgotten woman back into history, as my other books have done, this book explores one strong woman’s successful endeavor to take her history into her own hands and write herself back into the narrative.
Reading Group Guide
1. Agatha Christie is one of the most celebrated mystery writers of all time. What did you know about her personal history before you read The Mystery of Mrs. Christie? Did the book challenge any of your preconceived notions about her life?
2. Agatha Christie was a successful writer within her lifetime, quite unusual for a woman of her time. How did her desire for independence shape the course of the story, both obviously and more subtly?
3. Do you think Agatha Christie is a good representative of the issues that women faced in her era? Did she have any privileges or responsibilities that set her apart from other women of her period?
4. Describe the night Archie and Agatha first met. How did their relationship change over time, and why? Do you think Agatha’s manuscript told the full story? What details do you think she changed or left out? Why do you think she might have altered the “truth”?
5. Archie spends much of the story trying to protect his reputation. Do you think that would be the case if the story took place today? Would it be easier or more difficult for him to deflect guilt in the modern news cycle?
6. What differences did you see between the Agatha within the manuscript and the Agatha who appears at the end of the book? What creative licenses did she take with her own personality and story? Were they justified?
7. Toward the end of the book, Agatha mourns the mother she could not be for Rosalind. What forces dominated their relationship? Do you think Agatha’s struggle to balance husband and child was common in her historical period? How do you expect her relationship with Rosalind to evolve after the events of the book? How does this compare with parental struggles mothers face now?
8. Which characters, if any, did you find to be most relatable? Did you connect with Agatha? Were there any characters you wished you knew more about?
9. Agatha left an enormous mark on the mystery community and on the world of books more generally. Do you think her marriage had an effect on her success? Or her disappearance? If so, what was it? How would you characterize her personal and professional legacies?
A Conversation with the Author
Unlike a few of your previous heroines, many readers are familiar with Agatha Christie. What prompted you to look into her less public life?
Actually, the very fact that Agatha Christie is so famous and successful—she’s sold more books than any other writer!—nearly stopped me from writing The Mystery of Mrs. Christie. I questioned whether I should focus on excavating from the past a lesser-known woman who has made important contributions. But when I started to research the circumstances and history around her 1926 disappearance, I had the uncanny sense that it played a key role in her journey to becoming the most successful writer in the world, and I felt compelled to explore that idea. One of the questions I like to explore in each of my books is how a woman at the story’s core transformed into the person who made such an extraordinary bequest, one that continues into modern times.
What were the most surprising details you uncovered in your research process? Was there anything you found particularly fascinating that didn’t make it into the final book?
Oh, there are so many astonishing facts I learned about Agatha! I particularly loved the fact that she was one of the first Europeans to learn surfing, and I had to include that little nugget in the book, even though it wasn’t really necessary for the story! The same applies to her extensive knowledge of poisons, which she acquired from her World War I work in a hospital dispensary; I knew I needed to find a home for that in the story, as that experience turned out to be useful in many of her mysteries. Some of the intriguing particulars that did not make it to the page are, of course, the many hypotheses proposed about her disappearances, ranging from amnesia to a fugue state to a plot against her husband’s alleged mistress, among many suppositions. That, and the fact that Agatha wrote a series of romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott.
At what point in the research process do you decide who will be your supporting cast? How do you develop characters like Detective Chief Inspector Kenward or Agatha’s mother?
In writing historical fiction, I am constantly encountering fascinating period details and people that I would adore adding to my books. But I always have to pause and ask myself whether the detail or person is important to either creating the setting or moving the story forward. In the case of Agatha’s mother, I knew that Agatha’s attachment to her was key not only to the development of her personality but also to her emotional state around the time of her disappearance, and thus really needed to be included. As for Detective Chief Inspector Kenward, I believed that Archie needed an antagonist to propel forward Agatha’s version of her disappearance, even though Kenward did not realize he was doing so.
How did you balance the dual timelines of t
he manhunt and the manuscript? Was it difficult to write about the early blushes of Agatha and Archie’s attraction knowing where the two were headed?
Crafting the dual stories of the manhunt and the manuscript certainly meant that my office was papered with timelines and lists of dates and flow charts! And I certainly experienced some painful moments knowing what history had in store for Agatha and Archie—and what Agatha had in store for Archie! But I thoroughly enjoyed the plotting and the intricacy of writing this unusual sort of historical fiction. I’ll never be as masterful at suspense and mystery as Agatha, but it was fun to try, and I viewed it as an homage to her.
Agatha’s manuscript is critical for her to triumph over Archie. Did she ever write a manuscript that bore such a resemblance to her own life?
In terms of writing her own life story, Agatha did publish her autobiography, which was enormously helpful in my own research and an inspiration for her voice. It provided some interesting insights into her upbringing and her early writing, but it says nothing about the disappearance. Nothing. She skips over it entirely, much as she refused to talk about those eleven days for the rest of her life. So her autobiography shares only selective pieces of her past.
How did you feel investigating the societal expectations that Agatha’s mother continuously flung her way? Do you think the demands of husband and child are still at odds in the modern day?
I really felt for Agatha when I learned about the sort of messages her mother imparted over and over again about the sort of relationship she needed to foster with her husband—namely, putting her husband first above all else. Given the closeness of the mother-daughter relationship they shared, I knew that advice would have an enormous impact on Agatha’s relationship with Archie—and consequently on Agatha’s relationship with her own daughter—and would affect Agatha’s feelings about pursuing her career. While I think modern women struggle with the demands of balancing work and family, I do not think it necessarily stems from the sense that women must put their husbands first, but that women still bear much of the burden of both work and home.
What advice do you have for other historical fiction writers, especially those who are just starting out?
I would suggest that, as with all writing, aspiring writers focus on topics for which they have a real and abiding passion, rather than pursue presumed fads in readers’ tastes. The enthusiasm for their subject will be clear and appealing to the readers, and may even start its own trend!
How would you describe Agatha Christie’s legacy, both for her contemporaries and for women today?
The most obvious aspect of her legacy is her role at the center of the Golden Age of mystery fiction, where she was central to the creation of the classic mystery novel. Her astounding skill and talent is such that her books continue to sell today, stemming in part from the elusive nature of her puzzles. Those enigmas, coupled with her morally ambiguous characters and the alluring settings often placed in that critical but sometimes overlooked period between the two world wars, make the books compelling and justifiably bestselling. But in order to achieve that success, Agatha had to overcome the limitations imposed upon women of her era, and it is her act of leaping over that hurdle that I explore in The Mystery of Mrs. Christie.
Acknowledgments
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie would have remained in the shadows without the efforts and encouragement of many, many people. As always, I must begin my thanks with Laura Dail, my incredible agent, whose wise counsel and unflagging support were critical in bringing this idea to the page. I am so appreciative of the talented folks at Sourcebooks, who have tirelessly championed this book, in particular my masterful, wonderful editor, Shana Drehs; Sourcebooks’s inspiring leader, Dominique Raccah; not to mention the accomplished Todd Stocke, Valerie Pierce, Heidi Weiland, Molly Waxman, Cristina Arreola, Lizzie Lewandowski, Heather Hall, Michael Leali, Margaret Coffee, Beth Oleniczak, Tiffany Schultz, Ashlyn Keil, Heather VenHuizen, Heather Moore, Will Riley, Danielle McNaughton, and Travis Hasenour. And I am deeply grateful to all the remarkable booksellers and librarians and readers who have enjoyed The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, as well as my other books.
I am incredibly fortunate in my family and friends, especially my SISTAS, the Sewickley crew, Illana Raia, Kelly Close, Laura Hudak, Daniel McKenna, and Ponny Conomos Jahn. But it is Jim, Jack, and Ben—their love, confidence, and sacrifices—to whom I am most thankful.
If the life of the inimitable Agatha Christie is of further interest to you, beyond the fictional version of her life I’ve created in these pages, I can recommend the following books, among many wonderful choices: (1) An Autobiography by Agatha Christie; (2) Come Tell Me How You Live: An Archaeological Memoir by Agatha Christie Mallowan; (3) The Grand Tour: Around the World with the Queen of Mystery by Agatha Christie, edited by Mathew Prichard; (4) Agatha Christie by Laura Thompson; (5) Agatha Christie: The Disappearing Novelist by Andrew Norman; and (6) Agatha Christie and the Eleven Missing Days by Jared Cade. But for those intrigued by her legacy, nothing can compare with reading the actual mysteries written by Agatha Christie, those timeless puzzles and conundrums that have no parallel.
About the Author
Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years’ experience as a litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms and Fortune 500 companies. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston College with a focus on history and a cum laude graduate of the Boston University School of Law. She is also the author of the New York Times bestseller The Only Woman in the Room, Carnegie’s Maid, The Other Einstein, and Lady Clementine. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family.
The Other Einstein
In the tradition of The Paris Wife and Mrs. Poe, the story of a relationship as fascinating as it is troubling
What secrets may have lurked in the shadows of Albert Einstein’s fame? In 1896, the extraordinarily gifted Mileva “Mitza” Marić is the only woman studying physics at an elite school in Zurich. For her, science seems like an easier path than marriage, until she falls in love with fellow student Albert Einstein. Charismatic and brilliant, Albert promises to treat her as an equal in both love and science. But as Albert’s fame grows, is there room for more than one genius in a marriage?
The Other Einstein reveals the forgotten woman whose light was lost in Einstein’s enormous shadow.
“Superb…the haunting story of Einstein’s first wife who was lost in his shadow.”
—Sue Monk Kidd, New York Times bestselling author of The Invention of Wings
For more Marie Benedict, visit:
sourcebooks.com
Carnegie’s Maid
The mesmerizing tale of the woman who could have inspired an American dynasty
Clara Kelley is not who they think she is. She’s not the experienced Irish maid who was hired to work in one of Pittsburgh’s grandest houses. She’s a poor farmer’s daughter with nowhere to go. But the other Clara has vanished, and pretending to be her might be her best option. If she can keep up the ruse, that is. Serving as a lady’s maid in the household of Andrew Carnegie requires skills she doesn’t have, answering to an icy mistress who rules her sons and her domain with an iron fist. What Clara does have is a resolve as strong as the steel Pittsburgh is becoming famous for, coupled with an uncanny understanding of business, and Andrew begins to rely on her. But Clara can’t let her guard down, even when Andrew becomes something more than an employer. Revealing her past might her ruin her future—and her family’s.
Carnegie’s Maid tells the story of the brilliant woman who may have spurred Andrew Carnegie’s transformation from ruthless industrialist to the world’s first true philanthropist.
“Downton Abbey fans should flock to this charming tale.”
—Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan’s Tale
For more Marie Benedict, visit:
sourcebooks.com
The
Only Woman in the Room
She possessed a stunning beauty. She also possessed a stunning mind. Could the world handle both?
Hedy Kiesler’s beauty almost certainly saved her from the rising Nazi party and led to marriage with an Austrian arms dealer. Underestimated in everything else, she overheard the Third Reich’s plans while at her husband’s side, understanding more than anyone would guess. She devised a plan to flee in disguise from their castle, and the whirlwind escape landed her in Hollywood. She became Hedy Lamarr, screen star. But she kept a secret more shocking than her heritage or her marriage: she was a scientist. And she knew a few secrets about the enemy. She had an idea that might help the country fight the Nazis…if anyone would listen to her.
A powerful novel based on the incredible true story of the glamour icon and scientist whose groundbreaking invention revolutionized modern communication, The Only Woman in the Room is a masterpiece.
“An engaging and thought-provoking fictional telling of the poignant story of an overshadowed woman.”
—Booklist for The Other Einstein
For more Marie Benedict, visit:
sourcebooks.com
Lady Clementine
An incredible novel of the brilliant woman whose unsung influence helped shape two World Wars: Clementine Churchill
In 1909, Clementine steps off a train with her new husband, Winston. An angry woman emerges from the crowd to attack, shoving him in the direction of an oncoming train. Just before he stumbles, Clementine grabs him by his suit jacket. This will not be the last time Clementine Churchill will save her husband.
Lady Clementine is the ferocious story of the ambitious woman beside Winston Churchill, the story of a partner who did not flinch through the sweeping darkness of war, and who would not surrender either to expectations or to enemies.
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