Agatha Christie, one of the world’s favorite detective novelists, makes an appearance as herself in this murder mystery that also offers an explanation of the real-life mystery of Christie’s 11-day disappearance in 1926.
Christie, played by Ruth Bradley, is asked to solve the 1920 murder of Florence Nightingale Shore, goddaughter of the famous nurse and a nurse herself, which took place on a moving train and was never solved. Mabel Rogers, Shore’s longtime friend, helps Christie as they gather the suspects under the ruse of a potential inheritance from a long-lost relative. Christie disguises herself as Mary Westmacott, representative of a law firm, and begins to question the suspects, all of whom had reason to murder Shore.
One suspect is murdered, and the local constabulary are brought in to investigate. Detective Inspector Dicks remarks that they are stretched thin because all available resources are searching for the missing Agatha Christie. Suspects are questioned regarding both murders, with clues researched and revealed and both murders solved.
So many layers to this 93-minute film! The real Agatha Christie who is struggling as a writer, her real disappearance, the real murder of Florence Shore with its real suspects. The fictional gathering of those suspects, the fictional explanation of Christie’s missing days, the fictional solving of the Shore murder. Together these elements create an entertaining murder mystery solved by and starring the great Agatha Christie herself.
Fans of Christie will find much to enjoy as allusions to her life and craft abound; fans of murder mysteries will love solving two crimes; and Anglophiles will flock to this 2018 British-made film now available on Netflix. (Netflix)
About the Author
Ann Byle is author of Chicken Scratch: Lessons on Living Creatively from a Flock of Hens. She is a freelance writer and author of several other books, magazine articles, and reviews. She lives in Grand Rapids, Mich.