Mrs. Christie Series: Book 1
Publication Date: August 26, 2025
Book conservator Tory Van Dyne and a woman claiming to be Agatha Christie on holiday from the Great Beyond join forces to catch a killer in this spirited mystery from Amanda Chapman.
Tory Van Dyne is the most down-to-earth member of a decidedly eccentric old-money New York family. For one thing, as book conservator at Manhattan’s Mystery Guild Library, she actually has a job. Plus, she’s left up-town society behind for a quiet life downtown. So she’s not thrilled when she discovers a woman in the library’s Christie Room who calmly introduces herself as Agatha Christie, politely requests a cocktail, and announces she’s there to help solve a murder— that has not yet happened.
But as soon as Tory determines that this is just a fairly nutty Christie fangirl, her socialite/actress cousin Nicola gets caught up in the suspicious death of her less-than-lovable talent agent. Nic, as always, looks to Tory for help. Tory, in turn, looks to Mrs. Christie. The woman, whoever or whatever she is, clearly knows her stuff when it comes to crime.
Aided by an unlikely band of fellow sleuths —including a snarky librarian, an eleven-year-old computer whiz, and an NYPD detective with terrible taste in suits—Tory and the woman claiming to be her very much deceased literary idol begin to unravel the twists and turns of a murderer’s devious mind. Because, in the immortal words of Miss Jane Marple, “murder is never simple.”
When a woman claiming to be the renowned, though deceased, Agatha Christie appears at the library’s Christie Room, to announce she is there to help solve a-yet-to-happen murder, the story takes off from there in Author Amanda Chapman’s Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library.
I thought it was such a clever idea to have Mrs. Agatha Christie come back from the Great beyond to help solve a murder. I also thought that the author did a great job bringing Mrs. Christie “to life” on the pages of this book.
Having read And Then There Were None, I am aware of the impact of Ms. Christie’s writing style, as it haunted me for weeks. However, I am grateful to have met Ms. Christie again, this time in the form of a character in this book. I loved the way the author brought Dame Christie into the modern world.
The main character, Tory, is an introvert and a book lover, and the perfect person to meet Dame Christie in the modern world. The interplay between Tory and Ms. Christie was fun, playful, and inquisitive. Tory’s cousin Nic is self-absorbed, but she’s also funny and likable. All the characters in this book are funny and quirky, and they all work well together.
I found myself laughing at some of the situations — and the trouble — the characters got themselves into while trying to solve the case.
Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library is a cozy mystery, with the dearly departed Mrs. Christie providing clues to help solve the mystery of a murder.
Amanda Chapman (aka Amy Pershing) is a lifelong mystery lover and wordsmith. Under the name Amy Pershing, she is also the author of the Cape Cod Foodie mysteries. An enthusiastic fan of traditional mysteries and of New York City, she found herself wondering, “What if someone recreated Agatha Christie’s personal library -– even to the furnishings and architecture — in New York City? What would happen in that space?” And thus MRS. CHRISTIE AT THE MYSTERY GUILD LIBRARY — the first in a new series — was born.
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August 18 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
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August 25 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 25 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
August 26 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST
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August 28 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
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