Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A woman who might be Agatha Christie helps a shy New York City book conservator solve a string of mysteries in Chapman's delightful debut. At the end of her shift at Manhattan's Mystery Guild Library, timid Tori Van Dyne is greeted by a posh elderly woman who asks for a cocktail and introduces herself as Mrs. Max Mallowan, the married name of the real-life Agatha Christie. Before a shocked Tori can ask many questions, her cousin, actor Nic Van Dyne, drops by to lament that a dog she's watching is seriously ill. With some skillful questions, the visitor determines that the dog was inadvertently poisoned by a crushed jewelry bead. Then Nic's agent turns up dead, and the apparent Mrs. Christie steers Tori, Nic, and the policeman assigned to the case toward a solution with the acuity of Miss Marple. Chapman has a blast with her contemporary New York setting, resettling British mystery tropes among Manhattan's rare books community, theatrical circles, and eccentric Upper East Siders. Uncovering a killer, it turns out, can be just as fun in the Big Apple as it is in St. Mary Mead. Fans of classic detective fiction are in for a treat. Agent: Sandy Harding, Spencerhill Assoc. (Aug.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Tory Van Dyne oversees the Mystery Guild Library in the NYC townhouse that also serves as her home. After a terrifying incident seven years ago, her life shrank to just the library and her work as a book conservator. This peaceful existence shatters one evening after closing when she discovers a strange woman in the Christie Room of the library--a woman who claims to be Agatha Christie. Her knowledge of all things Christie rivals Tory's own. She says she has been issued a "pass" from the afterlife to help Tory solve a murder. When Tory's cousin Nic becomes embroiled in a murder investigation, Tory must set aside her doubts about the stranger to unravel the mystery. Her instant attraction to the handsome detective assigned to the case presents additional complications. VERDICT Chapman ("Cape Cod Foodie" series, writing as Amy Pershing) does a wonderful job of bringing the iconic Christie to life in a believable manner and surrounding her with a charming cast of characters and a twisty plot worthy of the Queen of Crime. Recommended for readers of Colleen Cambridge's Phyllida Bright series and a real treat for any Christie fan.--Julie Ciccarelli
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Agatha Christie, who died in 1976, returns to solve some present-day mysteries. Tory Van Dyne, a book conservator at Manhattan's Mystery Guild Library, lives in an apartment on the top two floors of the Greenwich Village townhouse left to her by her grandmother; the building also houses the library and Tory's basement workshop. When a woman claiming to be Mrs. Max Mallowan, aka Agatha Christie, appears in the Agatha Christie room--a replica of the author's library in Devon--offering to solve a murder mystery, Tory thinks she's a wandering nut job, albeit one who's capable of trading esoteric Christie quotations with her. But in fact Agatha, who finds eternity dull, has been granted leave to solve a mystery, such as the one presented by Tory's lookalike cousin, Nicola. Unlike the flamboyant Nic, Tory is quiet, and she's no fan of Nic's friend and fellow actress, the entitled Sailor Savoie. Nic thinks someone's poisoned Bertram, her agent Howard Calhoun's pug, and she suspects Sailor. Nic, Sailor, and their mutual friend, Wren, had starred in the off-Broadway version ofBeauty and the Beast, and Nic's desperate to land a part in the planned movie. Sharp-eyed Agatha notices that Nic's wearing earrings made from the seeds of a plant that could have poisoned Bertram. When Nic turns up with handsome detective Sebastian Mendez-Cruz, Tory learns that Howard's been pushed to his death in the subway. Eager for advice, Tory tells head librarian Adrian Gooding the story of Agatha, but he dismisses it as nonsense. Upon the death of Sailor, supposedly of food poisoning, Tory, Adrian, Nic, and eventually Sebastian get together with Agatha to explore means and motives. Fans of the Queen of Crime will delight in this modernized classic mystery, heavily laden with Christie lore. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
