Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library, Amanda Chapman (Review by Kristin Kurek)

Get ready for the cozy mystery of the fall!

Tory Van Dyne is a book conservator at the Mystery Guild Library. One night, as she is closing the library for the evening, she finds a woman sitting in the library’s Christie Room. The mysterious guest introduces herself as Agatha Christie and says that she has arrived to help Tory solve a murder. Could she really be the ghost of Agatha Christie? Or, is she just an extremely knowledgeable imposter?

There were many reasons to love this book!

First of all, this novel is the very definition of cozy mystery. A team of very different people come together to solve murders through intellect and detective work. The mystery was suspenseful but never stressful. Besides the maybe-ghost of Agatha Christie, Tory is joined by her flighty cousin, a detective with terrible suits, an irritable librarian, and an enthusiastic 11-year-old. The “found family” aspect makes this novel even more loveable. They meet frequently to have a drink (or shirley temple) and discuss solving the murder. Each person immensely enjoys the camaraderie.

Finally, this novel is a love letter to Agatha Christie. The author has infused the novel with so many details of Agatha Christie’s life and works. The team uses Christie’s novels as inspiration to solve the murders. Christie’s knowledge of poisons and closed room mysteries are prominently utilized. Each chapter begins with a quote from one of Christie’s novels. Not only was the mystery solved with the help of Agatha Christie, but it also felt like Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Harley Quin, and other characters helped by imparting their knowledge through quotes and references to Christie’s works. Lovers of cozy mysteries or fans of Agatha Christie will love this book!