luvtoread

Official Synopsis from Goodreads: In 1926, Agatha Christie disappeared—making headlines across the world—only to show up eleven days later at a spa under an assumed name. During those eleven days, did she have time to write a play?

Jordan Kelly needs a new job and a new place to live. She’s back in Harrison Falls, New York, living with her not so law-abiding uncles, in debt thanks to a credit card–stealing ex and pending grad school loans.
Enter the perfect job, a research position that includes room and board, which will allow her to spend her days hunting down rare mysteries for an avid book collector. There’s just one problem: her employer, Vera Van Alst—the most hated citizen of Harrison Falls.Jordan’s first assignment is to track down a rumored Agatha Christie play. It seems easy enough, but Jordan soon finds out that her predecessor was killed while looking for it, and there is still someone out there willing to murder to keep the play out of Vera’s hands. Jordan’s new job is good…but is it worth her life?

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Setting: Modern day Harrison Falls in upstate New York
My Copy Came From: I borrowed The Christie Curse from a friend

*** this post contains affiliate links ***

Review: An enjoyable cozy mystery with a likeable heroine. The Christie Curse is the first book in the Book Collector Mystery series, and it’s a great start to the series. Our main character is Jordan Bingham, who returns home to upstate New York, and goes to work for an eccentric older lady, Vera Van Alst. Jordan is hired to find an Agatha Christie play. Jordan has some familial ties to the criminal underworld in the area, with her uncles, although these ties felt more comedic and kind than criminal, and she tries to use her connections and wits to see if the play is real or just a rumor.

I liked Jordan. She’s smart and ambitious, and really throws herself into her job and wants to succeed, even though she’s a bit unsure about her employer.

Cozy mysteries typically have a lot of fun side characters, and there are definitely some fun ones here! There’s Fiammetta, who also works for Van Alst, and spends most of her time making lavish meals and trying to feed Vera and Jordan. There are also Jordan’s uncles, Mick and Lucky, who run an antique store and take in the pug Walter, whose owner has gotten mixed up in the hunt for the missing play.

While there wasn’t anything tremendously memorable here, The Christie Curse was fun and was an enjoyable way to spend a few hours. I’ll definitely read more in this series! I also liked the fact that while Agatha Christie’s works and characters were mentioned, there didn’t seem to be any spoilers for any of her mysteries. I’ve only read about five or six of Christie’s books, so I really appreciated the fact that there were no spoilers!

Bottom Line: A fun beginning! Looking forward to reading more!

LINKS ***the Amazon link is an affiliate link which means I receive a small commission if you click the link and make a purchase***
Amazon
Goodreads
Author Website

The Book Collector Mysteries

1. The Christie Curse
2. The Sayers Swindle
3. The Wolfe Widow
4. The Marsh Madness
5. The Hammett Hex

Does this sound like a fun mystery series? Do you like reading mysteries with a bookish focus?