I toss the book into the bin. I’m no expert on detective fiction, but I know the author is expected to play fair with the reader. And Mrs. Agatha Christie is not playing fair.
Standing at the stove, I tap the side of the coffee pot with one finger. Still warm. I give it a swirl. Not much left. I pour myself half a cup and save the rest for my sister. Afterall, Jane had made the coffee, not to mention, it is Jane’s percolator on Jane’s stove in Jane’s flat. And although my sister insists it’s a pleasure to have me living with her, I can’t help but feel like a burden. I’m the older sister. I should be providing for Jane and not the other way around. That’s why I absolutely have to get this job with the Detection Club, even if it means complimenting Mrs. Christie on her unreliable narrator. Hustling chess at the Gambit is not exactly a steady income.
“Eliza Baker!” Oh-oh. Jane only uses my full name when she’s upset. You’d think she was the oldest. Raising her eyebrows, she points at rubbish bin where the duplicitous Doctor stares out from the cover of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. “What’s this library book doing in the bin?” She marches over and plucks it out. “Agatha Christie. You tossed out an Agatha Christie! Have some respect. We don’t through books away in this house. Especially not by the Queen of Mystery.” She examines the book. “And this one belongs to the library for goodness’s sake.” She sits down and slides the book across the table to me. “Did you at least finish your homework for the interview?”
I give a brisk nod. Queen of Mystery. More like Queen of Misdirection and Cheating. Anyway, Mrs. Christie has only published four books, all with that queer little detective Hercule Poirot, so she can hardly be called the Queen.
‘I was going to wait until you got the job to tell you.’ Jane pauses as if having second thoughts. She reaches out and fingers the book cover.
‘Tell me what?’ I know that look. The one Jane gets when making an important decision. ‘Tell me what?’ I repeat.
‘There have been rumors.’
‘About me?’
‘No.’ With determination, Jane places her cup on the table. ‘We have reason to believe your lady detective writer and her friends know state secrets.’ She lowers her voice. ‘It’s imperative we find out what they know and how they know it. And your employment with the Detection Club presents the perfect opportunity.’
I nearly spit out my coffee. ‘You want me to spy on Agatha Christie and the rest of those mystery writers?’
‘My boss at MI5 wants intel on Mrs. Christie and you’re in the perfect position to get it.’ Jane is the youngest woman ever to work for MI5.
Blimey. MI5 wants me to spy on the Queen of Mystery. ‘Alright. I’ll do it.’ A smile tickles the edges of my mouth. ‘From now on, I’m an aspiring author of impossible mysteries.’ I doff an imaginary hat. ‘And, with any luck, future assistant, undercover, to the secretary of the London Detection Club.’ I cross her fingers behind my back, both for luck and because I’m fibbing my head off.
The Case of the Christie Conspiracy: A Detection Club Mystery, Book 1
Genre: Historical Mystery
Release: February 2025
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link
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?
Discover the delightfully gripping new historical mystery series that’s perfect for fans of Helena Dixon, Verity Bright and T E Kinsey.
About the author
Kelly Oliver is the award-winning and bestselling author of four mystery series: The Jessica James Mysteries (7-book contemporary suspense); The Pet Detective Mysteries (3-book middle grade); The Fiona Figg Mysteries (9-book historical cozies).
The Case of the Christie Conspiracy, the first in her new series The Detection Club Mysteries just came out.
Kelly is Distinguished Emerita Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. And currently, she is the Immediate Past President of Sisters in Crime. To learn more about Kelly and her books, go to kellyoliverbooks.com.