A Talent for Murder (Agatha Christie #1) in Reading the Detectives

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A Talent for Murder (Agatha Christie #1)

Andrew Wilson

Start date: July 28, 2018

Finish date: August 31, 2018

Discussion: Group reads

Why we're reading this: This is the first in a series starring Agatha Christie as detective. The winner of our August poll.
[close] This is the first in a series starring Agatha Christie as detective. The winner of our August poll.

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Group reads

* Nominations for July 2025 group read
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last updated 14 hours, 57 min ago

* May 25: One by One They Disappeared (Hugh Collier #1) by Moray Dalton (1929)
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last updated Apr 30, 2025 01:22PM

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What Members Thought

Apr 28, 2017 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Having recently read a non-fiction book, 鈥淎gatha Christie and the Eleven Missing Days,鈥� about her disappearance in 1926. Although it was a fascinating read, I actually commented in my review of that book that the author was unable to really create a great deal of suspense, or mystery, about the actual events of Agatha Christie鈥檚 disappearance. In reality, it was really a cry for help, from a woman whose husband, Archie Christie, had fallen in love with another woman, Nancy Neele, and who was dee Having recently read a non-fiction book, 鈥淎gatha Christie and the Eleven Missing Days,鈥� about her disappearance in 1926. Although it was a fascinating read, I actually commented in my review of that book that the author was unable to really create a great deal of suspense, or mystery, about the actual events of Agatha Christie鈥檚 disappearance. In reality, it was really a cry for help, from a woman whose husband, Archie Christie, had fallen in love with another woman, Nancy Neele, and who was deeply hurt and unhappy. It is fair to say that events got out of hand and, so humiliated was Agatha Christie, by the media furore which unfolded that she emitted the entire event from her autobiography and interviewers were never allowed to ask about it.

Recently, there have been a number of books which attempt to either give fictional characters a new lease of life, or to put real life people in fiction. These have varied in terms of success. Author Josephine Tey has been used as an amateur detective by Nicola Upson, Poirot has been re-imagined, pretty unsuccessfully, by Sophie Hannah and Jill Paton Walsh has sympathetically extended the Lord Peter Wimsey novels. There have been other novels which have featured Agatha Christie as a character, but I do think this is one of the best. Andrew Wilson has taken the bare bones of the events surrounding Christie鈥檚 disappearance and created a crime novel, featuring many real people, which is sympathetic to Christie herself and an enjoyable read.

We begin with an uncertain Agatha Christie, who is returning from London when she is approached by Dr Patrick Kurs. What unfolds is a fiendish plot, in which Christie is blackmailed and threatened by a man who wants the crime writer to commit a murder on his behalf. Having just read a book about the real events, I was impressed at how much Andrew Wilson incorporated, while writing an entirely different version of events. As a fan of Christie, who is my favourite author, I also liked his sympathetic portrayal of her and thought he got her 鈥榲oice鈥� really well. I was delighted to see that there will be a further adventure starring Christie planned 鈥� 鈥淎 Different Kind of Evil鈥� 鈥� and I look forward to reading it. This has lots of appeal to Christie fans and crime lovers alike. ...more

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Apr 28, 2018 BrokenTune rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed

2.5*

I had high hopes for this book. Andrew Wilson wrote an excellent biography of Patricia Highsmith, and I looked forward to seeing his research and writing skills applied to this ambitious projects which sought to feature Dame Agatha Christie as the protagonist in her very own mystery: the mystery of her disappearance for 11 days in December 1926.

A Talent for Murder starts out with Agatha standing on the platform in a London Underground station, contemplating the impending breakdown of her ma ...more

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Jun 11, 2018 Marina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I will say that I have always been a bit hesitant to read fictional accounts of the lives of the people I鈥檓 a fan of. I鈥檓 afraid that I might be disappointed.

I felt so excited when I read the first few chapters and the excitement faded away slowly and I thought that this book was going to disappointment me. I was wrong. Somewhere before I read the next half of the book, it felt like it was going a little slow for my taste but I flew through the second half.

I think this rather entertaining and cl ...more

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Aug 18, 2017 Reema rated it it was ok

Meh. I think I made it through the book solely on the basis that it was centered around Agatha Christie, who is one of my ultimate favorite mystery writers. I actually skimmed over a couple of parts because I was bored.

Although the inspiration for the plot was a really creative and intriguing one, I found the writing a bit clumsy and repetitive (how many times can the villain's breath be mentioned? Apparently many times. But not before I end up rolling my eyes over and over.) The villain's prim ...more

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Mar 14, 2020 Yorky Caz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Sooooo good! A twist on the tale of the disappearance of Agatha Christie in the 1920's. Absolutely brilliant such a good read and setting up nicely for future stories. ...more

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Jul 31, 2018 Jill rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Another Fan-Fiction book! The plot was good , but any chemist would have worked. I expect adding a famous name to it made Wilson's publishers happy, and made more money all round. I would have given more stars if it had only been the story that counted. Unfortunately, all the way through, I kept thinking this is just not Agatha Christie. Yes, Christie did have some sort of break down after losing her mother and her marriage turning sour, but this character just did not ring true to me. The begin ...more

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