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About The Book

'A brilliant idea to turn a "lady novelist" into a sleuth . . . a fascinating blend of biography, intrigue and melodrama . . . Ingenious' EVENING STANDARD
‘Set on a luxury ocean liner and in an opulent hotel, this clever whodunit is a fitting tribute to Christie’ –The Lady

In January 1927 – and still recovering from the harrowing circumstances surrounding her disappearance a month earlier – Agatha Christie sets sail on an ocean liner bound for the Canary Islands.

She has been sent there by the British Secret Intelligence Service to investigate the death of one of its agents, whose partly mummified body has been found in a cave.

Early one morning, on the passage to Tenerife, Agatha witnesses a woman throw herself from the ship into the sea. At first, nobody connects the murder of the young man on Tenerife with the suicide of a mentally unstable heiress. Yet, soon after she checks into the glamorous Taoro Hotel situated in the lush Orotava Valley, Agatha uncovers a series of dark secrets.

The famous writer has to use her novelist’s talent for plotting to outwit an enemy who possesses a very different kind of evil.

'The queen of crime is the central character in this audacious mystery, which reinvents the story of her mysterious disappearance with thrilling results' GUARDIAN

What readers are saying about Andrew Wilson's books:

'Wilson not only knows his subject but he deftly moves the tale away from mere literary ventriloquism and into darker territory. Great fun, too’ Observer

'A crafty whodunit worthy of the queen of mystery herself . . . . Wilson does a superior job of balancing surprising plot developments with a sensitive portrayal of his lead’s inner life' Publishers Weekly

‘The initial premise of the story is pure genius, and when the reader realises by the end of chapter one whose head they are inside, goose bumps are guaranteed to occur’ Greg, Goodreads, 4 stars

‘A darkly twisting tale of murder and manipulation’ Erin Britton, NetGalley, 4 stars

About The Author

Photograph © Johnny Ring

Andrew Wilson is an award-winning journalist and author. His work has appeared in a wide variety of publications including the Guardian, the Washington Post, the Sunday Times, and the Smithsonian Magazine. He is the author of four acclaimed biographies, a book about the survivors of the Titanic, and the novels The Lying Tongue, A Talent for Murder, A Different Kind of Evil, and Death in a Desert Land.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (June 1, 2018)
  • Length: 416 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781471148255

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