Having only read two of Agatha Christie’s books, I’m far from being an expert on her books or personal life. It came as a surprise to me that she disappeared for several days in 1926. That fact alone led me to request A Talent for Murder from NetGalley. Andrew Wilson takes Christie’s odd disappearance in 1926 and weaves a story around this still unsolved mystery.
Agatha Christie is boarding a train when she feels a light touch on her back, causing her to lose her balance, then a sense of someone pulling her to safety. So begins a terrifying sequence of events—for her rescuer is no guardian angel, rather he is a blackmailer. Writing about murder is a far cry from committing a crime, and Agatha must use her cleverness and resourcefulness to thwart an adversary determined to exploit her expertise and knowledge about the act of murder to kill on his behalf.
The more I read this book, the more I felt as if I were reading a true crime book and I do love true crime stories. Fact and fiction began to blur and I could no longer separate the two. A Talent for Murder is well written and suspenseful, but did not make this lover of mysterys jaw drop. I did not gasp and say out loud “Oh. My. Gosh!” Those are my signals for a mystery done just right. Not knowing Christie, I had a difficult time believing she would act the way Wilson portrayed her. I certainly hoped she wouldn’t but the not really knowing was scary. The not knowing for sure was what drew me to turn the pages.
A Talent for Murder was a quick read and I would recommend it to lovers of Christie or the mystery genre.
Advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley.
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewer: Jennifer
Title: A Talent for Murder
Author: Andrew Wilson
Release Date: July 11, 2017
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