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著名英國女偵探小說家阿加莎．克里斯蒂（Agatha Christie）寫下無數本經典偵探小說，包括《東方快車謀殺案》和《尼羅河謀殺案》等。然而，她在現實生活的神秘失踪事件，就跟她的小說一樣懸疑。《紐約時報》暢銷書作者Marie Benedict為這個謎創作一個精彩懸疑故事。

1926年12月的某天，英格蘭警方展開史上最大規模的搜索行動，這次搜索的對象不是逃犯或戰犯，而是作家阿加莎．克里斯蒂。

當這位作家的車被人發現停在空無一人的廢墟、鄰近名為｢沉默池｣的天然泉時，整個國家陷入一陣震驚。即使總理本人親自請來亞瑟柯南．道爾爵士幫助調查也徒勞無功，直到兩周後，阿加莎神秘地出現，並聲稱失蹤理由毫不記得，因為自己有健忘症。究竟這位小說家發生什麼事？她是自己失蹤還是遭人綁架？她是從自己的生活中逃脫，還是創造另個全新的生命？

這部小說以阿加莎的神秘失蹤開場，追隨員警的調查。當中穿插看似心煩意亂的丈夫克里斯蒂上校（Colonel Archibald Christie）的聲音，他是一個可靠的敘述者嗎？他是否有隱瞞真相呢？阿加莎留給他、且他聲稱已燒毀的信到底寫些什麼？

在小說一開端，克里斯蒂上校提及阿加莎的｢手稿｣，一本關於他們兩人早期關係的回憶錄。劇情緊接著描述員警、眾人和讀者的懷疑，一律指向克里斯蒂上校。當第二份｢手稿｣出現後，赫然發現兩份手稿的內容與克里斯蒂上校的敘述截然不同，很顯然這對夫妻的婚姻關係早已出現嚴重的問題。在不忠、背叛、憤怒的驅動下，有人為了達到目的不擇手段，同時隨著阿加莎在北部一家酒店被人｢發現｣，並以｢健忘症｣結束的案情，誰才是最後的利益者？

 

Marie Benedict，曾是紐約的一名律師，長時間夢想成為一名考古學家或歷史學家，認為能揭開歷史上的重大謎團。現是一名作家的她意識到，可以從小說創作的方式，進一步挖掘隱藏在歷史中的可能真相，於是撰寫小說《The Other Einstein》，一部關於愛因斯坦的第一任妻子暨物理學家Mileva Maric的故事。隨後，她出版《Carnegie’s Maid》，描寫一名激勵卡內基走向慈善事業的聰明女人故事。她最新小說《The Only Woman in the Room》已於今年一月出版。作者畢業於波士頓學院（Boston College）和波士頓大學法學院（Boston University School of Law）。

 

[A] clever reconstruction of Agatha Christie's mysterious 11-day disappearance in 1926. - E! News

[A] gripping historical fiction tale of true mystery. - Good Morning America

[Marie Benedict] keeps the reader guessing: Which narrator is reliable? Who is the real villain? A compelling portrait of a marriage gone desperately sour. - Kirkus Reviews

Benedict shines as a suspense writer. - Christian Science Monitor

Girl power advocates will find satisfaction in the solution she crafts to her man problem. - Booklist

If you're an ardent Agatha Christie fan, don't miss The Mystery of Mrs. Christie. - HuffPost

It's not a whodunit or even a whydunit, but a sort of how-the-hell-did-he-do-it? As Christie's first and best-known detective, Hercule Poirot, might say: Patience. All will be revealed. - The Los Angeles Times

Mystery lovers, especially fans of Christie's works, as well as those who enjoy period pieces, will find this an engrossing fictional answer to a real historical mystery. - Library Journal

The clever premise here is that Christie vanished deliberately so as to ensnare Archie in a trap as payback for his infidelities... the story makes for good fun. - Publishers Weekly

With elements of a classic mystery novel, The Mystery of Mrs. Christie is gripping, making it possible to believe that, with her real-life disappearance, Agatha Christie surpassed herself and pulled off the perfect, unsolvable mystery. - Foreword Reviews

A winning whodunit from the thrilling life story of the mistress of whodunits, Agatha Christie herself, THE MYSTERY OF MRS CHRISTIE is a deft, fascinating page-turner replete with richly drawn characters and plot twists that would stump Hercule Poirot. - Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network, The Huntress, and the upcoming The Rose Code

Agatha Christie went missing for 11 days in 1926 and this novel tells Christie's story, building the events of her life and her disappearance to a crescendo right at the end of the book. This is an amazing story of one woman who subjugated herself to the benefit of her husband and the detriment of herself and her daughter, but eventually stood up for herself to the benefit of all who read her novels. I loved this book. - Beth Carpenter, The Country Bookshop (Southern Pines, NC)

Brilliantly constructed and richly detailed, THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE is both a twisty mystery and immersive portrait of the domestic and professional life of the legendary Agatha Christie. This is a must-read for fans of Agatha Christie. - Chanel Cleeton, New York Times & USA Today bestselling Author of The Last Train to Key West and Next Year in Havana

THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE is part domestic thriller, part Golden Age mystery-- and all Marie Benedict! An absorbing and immersive plunge into the disturbed private life of one of the world's most beloved authors, who confounded police, journalists, and generations of biographers when she disappeared from her home, like something out of one of her own novels. But you just might find a solution to the puzzle here.... (No Belgian detectives required. Knitting spinsters sold separately.) - Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author

What a read! Agatha Christie is so beautifully drawn, you could easily believe Benedict knew her intimately. Each page uncovers fresh layers of pain, rage, genius and suffering, culminating with a firecracker of an ending. I loved it. - Stuart Turton, bestselling author of The Devil and the Dark Water and The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Whether you love Agatha Christie novels or a good historical mystery, this book is for you! Did you know Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days in 1926? That disappearance has never been explained but Marie Benedict does her usual amazing job of delving into the hidden corners of the past to come up with a satisfying explanation that is just as much of a puzzle-box mystery as Agatha Christie would have written herself. - Carrie Deming, The Dog Eared Book (Palmyra, NY)

With twists, surprises, and an ending that packs a punch in more ways than one, THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE is a whodunit infinitely worthy of its famous heroine. Benedict's exploration of Agatha Christie's life and mysterious disappearance will have book club discussions running overtime. Quite simply, I loved it! - Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours and The Book of Lost Friends