Publication: 26th September 2026 – Boldwood Books
Agatha Christie’s latest book, The Seven Dials, has set the literary world alight. With a new marriage to Max Mallowan and a honeymoon cruise down the Nile ahead, she’s looking forward to the trip of a lifetime. But the publication has also drawn the attention of the Secret Service, who have spotted strange coincidences within its pages.
When Eliza Baker, assistant to the secretary of the Detection Club, is asked to accompany Agatha Christie and her husband, she reluctantly agrees, determined to help clear her friend’s name. Yet her attention soon shifts to fellow passengers, the Hardwicke family, who are celebrating a daughter’s birthday aboard. And when a guest is found dead in his cabin, the idyllic voyage takes a deadly turn.
As the steamer drifts upriver, Eliza and Theo must sift through polite smiles and private grievances to find the truth. Can Eliza and Theo uncover the truth before the Nile claims its next victim?
Similar to Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile (featuring her most famous detective Hercule Poirot), Agatha herself is on a cruise on the Nile for her honeymoon, following her wedding to Max Mallowan. Unbeknown to her, on the boat with them, there are also her fellow members of the Detection Club, former Met office Eliza Baker, and struggling writer Theo Sharp, under cover for the MI5 to discover if one of the passengers, Agatha Christie included, is a spy. However, when one of the passengers is discovered dead, Eliza and Theo must reveal themselves to investigate the murder.
The Case of the Christie Honeymoon Murder is the fifth book in the Detection Club series and, although not my favourite, I still enjoyed it very much. There is the usual cast of characters (even Dorothy L. Sayers makes an appearance) and we see more of Eliza’s sister, Jane, who works for the MI5 and has recruited Eliza for the mission, and Theo’s demanding family. The two protagonists remain Eliza and Theo and their relationship is as much central to the story as the murder mystery as we see them still navigating their feelings for each other as well as family and society expectations.
The Case of the Christie Honeymoon Murder is another thrilling read from Kelly Oliver: there is murder, poison, a cast of suspects, spies, but also some romance and a happy ending. I am looking forward to reading the next one!
A huge thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.
Kelly Oliver is the award-winning, bestselling author of historical cozy mysteries for award-winning publisher Boldwood Books, including the Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mysteries and the Detection Club Mysteries. She is also the Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University and lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
