Eleven Days by Laura Thompson #bookreview #elevendays #laurathompson @bedfordsq.publishers #agathachristie #nonfiction

 

In December of 1926, Agatha Christie vanished. Eleven days later, after frenzied media speculation, she was discovered alive and well. A century on, there are questions that have never been answered.

Now Christie biographer Laura Thompson seeks to penetrate the story of the greatest mystery ever created by the greatest ever mystery writer. ​​ In a new approach, Thompson undertakes a re-enactment of Christie’s movements: from the moment of driving away from her marital home, to the abandonment of her car and her arrival the following night at a Harrogate hotel. Based on conversations with people close to Christie – including her interviews with Christie’s only child, Rosalind – Eleven Days includes entirely new information about Christie’s first marriage.

Eleven episodes examine every aspect of the famous disappearance, seeking – as far as is possible – to penetrate the blank space in Agatha Christie’s long and brilliant life, which leaves her ever more emblematic of the genre that she defines.

Eleven Days by Laura Thompson was published on 27 August 2026 by Bedford Square Publishers. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

THIS REVIEW WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE SEPTEMBER EDITION OF THE MATURE TIMES

Very few literary mysteries have captured the public imagination quite like Agatha Christie’s disappearance in December 1926. 

In Eleven Days, biographer Laura Thompson revisits this mysterious episode with such sensitivity, real insight and careful research.  This is a fascinating account that is as compelling as the fiction Christie created for her readers.

The author carefully reconstructs Christie’s movements during those missing days. She draws on contemporary accounts, personal interviews and some fresh material, including conversations with Christie’s daughter, Rosalind. The result is a wonderfully absorbing expose that shines new light on a story which, almost a century later, continues to intrigue readers around the world.

Elegantly written and beautifully paced, this is a book that can easily be enjoyed over an afternoon, and it leaves a lasting impression. It’s such an accessible narrative,  whether you are a lifelong Christie admirer or discovering this remarkable story for the first time. She presents the evidence with fairness and allows readers to reach their own conclusions, and never loses sight of the woman behind the headlines.

More than just a recounting of a famous disappearance, Eleven Days is a thoughtful portrait of Agatha Christie at a pivotal moment in her life. The reader is reminded why she remains one of Britain's most enduring literary figures and why the mystery surrounding those eleven days refuses to fade.

Stylish, intelligent and so engrossing, this is a rewarding read for anyone who enjoys biography, literary history or true-life mysteries. Highly recommended.

Laura Thompson won the Somerset Maugham Award with her first book, The Dogs. 

She wrote a biographical study of Nancy Mitford, Life in a Cold Climate, and a group biography of the Mitfords, Take Six Girls, which was a New York Times bestseller. 

She has also written two books about real life murders: A Different Class of Murder, about the Lord Lucan case, and the CWA Dagger-nominated Rex V Edith Thompson. 

Her memoir of her publican grandmother, The Last Landlady, was nominated three times as a 2018 book of the year. 

She lives in southwest London.