The non-mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie

And how we know what really happened

I’ve had my own dreadful little dose of being publicly shamed, which might explain why I’m obsessed with the unfairness of what happened to Agatha Christie in 1926.

The ‘mystery’ of why she ‘disappeared’ for eleven days, and media speculation about that, would shape her image as a public figure for the rest of her life. It gave her a reputation as someone devious, secretive and cold.

But before we get into it: two quick reminders: firstly, that on Sunday, 7pm London time, I’ll be having a live video chat for paid subscribers with Top Historian Dan Jones discussing the Middle Ages. To join in, just make sure you’re a paid subscriber here:

And, if you enjoy this week’s post, you might like to know that my book AGATHA CHRISTIE, A VERY ELUSIVE WOMAN, is currently just 99p in the Amazon Kindle sale in the UK!

Back to Agatha. The ‘mystery’ is usually presented like this: on 3 December, 1926, she disappeared, for eleven days, causing a national woman-hunt.

Stories about the missing nove…