海角大神

It鈥檚 quite remarkable that the third-bestselling author of all time 鈥� outdone only by Shakespeare and the Bible 鈥� wrote mystery novels and had no formal education. What鈥檚 even more incredible is that the 鈥淨ueen of Crime鈥� 鈥� Dame Agatha Christie (鈥淎nd Then There Were None,鈥� 鈥淢urder on the Orient Express鈥�) 鈥� became the center of a fascinating missing person鈥檚 case herself on Dec. 3, 1926, when she kissed her 7-year-old daughter, Rosalind, goodnight, then vanished for 11 days. The police found her car parked near the gloomy Silent Pool, igniting an extensive hunt, and Agatha鈥檚 unfaithful husband, Colonel Archibald Christie, was suspected of murdering her. It was a case fit for Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple.聽

Cue, instead, lawyer and bestselling novelist Marie Benedict (鈥淭he Only Woman in the Room,鈥� 鈥淭he Other Einstein,鈥� 鈥淐arnegie's Maid,鈥� 鈥淟ady Clementine鈥�). Her brilliantly inspired historical fiction, 鈥淭he Mystery of Mrs. Christie,鈥� boldly speculates on what could have happened during those unexplained days. Several other books and movies have tried fictionalizing this stretch of time, with mixed results, for example the 1979 film 鈥淎gatha鈥� with Vanessa Redgrave and Dustin Hoffman. But Benedict鈥檚 imagining stands out from the pack, cleverly positing that Agatha鈥檚 private tragedy was the genesis of the legendary author鈥檚 success.聽

The novel opens moodily with a letter written by Agatha and left for Archie before her disappearance. 鈥淔reeing myself of the shackles of your judgment and your malfeasance will be a delightful result of your duplicity, a result you never intended,鈥� she writes.

From there, a rich dual storyline unfolds. Alternating chapters portray both spouses鈥� perspectives; those titled 鈥淭he Manuscript鈥� illuminate Agatha鈥檚 voice and ebullient personality. Her story begins on the day she meets the debonair and mysterious Colonel, when she observes that she 鈥渃ould not have written a more perfect man.鈥�

On the other hand, chapters titled 鈥淎fter the Disappearance鈥� focus on an anxious Archie as he navigates the missing persons investigation in which he is the prime suspect: 鈥淥vernight, he is transformed from handsome war hero in an idyllic marriage to suspicious catalyst for his wife鈥檚 flight.鈥�

The rhythms of their courtship ebb and flow through WWI, during which Archie was a pilot and Agatha was a war nurse. (In real life, she gleaned knowledge of poisons from the hospital dispensary that eventually enhanced the plots of her novels.) Agatha鈥檚 burgeoning career as a writer often took a back seat to societal norms and her mother鈥檚 bidding, which demanded that she always put her husband first, regardless of her own needs.聽

Benedict shines as a suspense writer, paying excellent homage to Agatha鈥檚 novels with twisting motives and deftly described actions. Her vivid characterizations and sweeping prose transport the reader right back to the 1900s. News reports and event timelines from the era fit effortlessly into Agatha鈥檚 observations of the happiness and pain that fill her world.

The ending is a picture-perfect conclusion to the mystery of Agatha鈥檚 disappearance which reveals her uniquely intelligent soul. The real-life Agatha famously preferred privacy, never gave interviews, and dodged press inquiries. (Even her autobiography, published almost two years after her death, made no mention of the missing 11 days.) Yet Benedict convincingly zeroes in on that time, and even manages to create a healing message from it: One should be true to one鈥檚 self, cherish integrity, and always be ready for new adventures.聽

After the Christies divorced in 1928, it鈥檚 comforting to know Agatha went on to marry Sir Max Mallowan, an archaeologist, to whom she was wedded for 46 years. She loved accompanying him to exotic locations that sometimes became backgrounds in her books. Mallowan wrote in his memoirs, 鈥淔ew men know what it is to live in harmony beside an imaginative, creative mind which inspires life with zest.鈥�

In Agatha鈥檚 1940 novel 鈥淪ad Cypress,鈥� Hercule Poirot may have best summed up the silver lining of his creator鈥檚 life with the line, 鈥淲hen one has walked in the valley of the shadow of death, and come out of it into the sunshine 鈥� then, mon cher, it is a new life that begins.鈥� Touch茅, Poirot!聽