The Case of the Christie Conspiracy by Kelly Oliver #Review #TheDetectionClubBook1

 

 Today we have the first in a new historical cozy crime series, The Detection Club. The Case of the Christie Conspiracy by Kelly Oliver  is published today by Boldwood Books. 

Agatha Christie is about to embark on a new, gripping murder case. But this time, she’s not the author – she’s a suspect…

1926 – Christie is a darling of the literary circuit and the most desired guest in London’s glittering social scene. She can often be found at meetings of the Detection Club – where mystery writers come together to share ideas, swap secrets and drink copiously. But then a fellow author's initiation ceremony takes a gruesome turn, and one of the group ends up dead. Now, Agatha is no longer just the creator of great mystery plots – she’s a player in one.

And when Agatha disappears the day after the murder, she’s widely assumed to be guilty. Only Eliza Baker, assistant to the Club’s enigmatic secretary, Dorothy Sayers, is interested in investigating the case. But in a world where murder is the ultimate plot device, can Eliza piece together the evidence and find the killer before it’s too late?

 My Thoughts

 This is a great start to a promising series which kept me guessing for quite a while. I enjoyed getting to grips with the two central characters who are multi - layered. You find out a little about their backgrounds as the story developed but there are still things to discover, I am sure and the story ends on a tantalising point. Quirky, determined, clever and self- deprecating- these traits apply to both Theo and Eliza and the chemistry between them is undeniable.

As all good historical novels, the period is captured perfectly through the events and the domestic details. Even the dialogue points to a time gone by. I loved how the story revolved around a mix of fictional and real- life people, with events from their lives woven into the story. You even feel that you are living through an Agatha Christie story with the reveal to a chosen group adhered to. Each of the members of the Detection Club add colour and life to the story. This is a must for all lovers of cozy crime!

In short: paxy entertaining reading full of the period

 

About the Authors

Kelly Oliver is the award-winning, bestselling author of three mysteries series: The Jessica James Mysteries, The Pet Detective Mysteries, and the historical cozies The Fiona Figg Mysteries, set in WW1. She is also the Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University and lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She is bringing new titles in the Fiona Figg series to Boldwood, the first of which, Chaos in Carnegie Hall, will be published in November 2022. 

You can follow Kelly here: 

Facebook: @KellyOliverAuthor

Twitter: @KellyOliverBook

Instagram: @kellyoliverbooks

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Bookbub profile: @KellyOliverBook

Book links 

 

Thanks to Kelly Oliver, Boldwood Books and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

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