ARC Review: Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman

Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library
Author: Amanda Chapman
Series: Mrs. Christie (Book 1)
Publication: Berkley (August 26, 2025)

Description: Book conservator Tory Van Dyne and a woman claiming to be Agatha Christie on holiday from the Great Beyond join forces to catch a killer in this spirited mystery from Amanda Chapman.

Tory Van Dyne is the most down-to-earth member of a decidedly eccentric old-money New York family. For one thing, as book conservator at Manhattan’s Mystery Guild Library, she actually has a job. Plus, she’s left up-town society behind for a quiet life downtown. So she’s not thrilled when she discovers a woman in the library’s Christie Room who calmly introduces herself as Agatha Christie, politely requests a cocktail, and announces she’s there to help solve a murder— that has not yet happened.

But as soon as Tory determines that this is just a fairly nutty Christie fangirl, her socialite/actress cousin Nicola gets caught up in the suspicious death of her less-than-lovable talent agent. Nic, as always, looks to Tory for help. Tory, in turn, looks to Mrs. Christie. The woman, whoever or whatever she is, clearly knows her stuff when it comes to crime.

Aided by an unlikely band of fellow sleuths —including a snarky librarian, an eleven-year-old computer whiz, and an NYPD detective with terrible taste in suits—Tory and the woman claiming to be her very much deceased literary idol begin to unravel the twists and turns of a murderer’s devious mind. Because, in the immortal words of Miss Jane Marple, “murder is never simple.”

My Thoughts: Agatha Christie takes a field trip from the afterlife to help book conservator Tory Van Dyne solve a couple of murders. 

Tory works at the Mystery Guild Library in New York City. The library was started by her grandmother who left the top two floors to Tory as her apartment and the basement as the workshop where she repairs old books. Tory suffered a trauma that has made her reclusive, but she is gradually coming to terms with the trauma.

One of the features of the library is a room set up as a duplicate of Christie's library in England. When her cousin Nic comes to her in distress after her agent was pushed in front of a subway train, Tory agrees to help her cousin, and she is aided by the appearance of a woman who introduces herself as Agatha Christie and who appears in the room set up as her library. 

But Tory isn't alone in her investigations. The librarian who is a good friend of hers and who doesn't believe in ghosts is drawn in. So is an eleven-year-old neighbor who is lonely after the death of her mother. And so is police detective Sebastian Mendez-Cruz.

And it is a good thing they have teamed up because the agent is only the first death. 

I really enjoyed the frequent quotes from Agatha Christie's works which make up a big part of the Christie character's vocabulary as well as beginning each chapter. I loved Tory's point of view. She has a really quirky sense of humor and a wonderful turn of phrase. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.