A Detection Club Mystery: The Case of the Christie Conspiracy
A Detection Club Mystery: The Case of the Christie Conspiracy, by Kelly Oliver
A Detection Club Mystery: The Case of the Christie Conspiracy
Agatha Christie is about to embark on a new, gripping murder case. But this time, she’s not the author – she’s a suspect…
1926 – Christie is a darling of the literary circuit and the most desired guest in London’s glittering social scene. She can often be found at meetings of the Detection Club – where mystery writers come together to share ideas, swap secrets and drink copiously. But then a fellow author’s initiation ceremony takes a gruesome turn, and one of the group ends up dead. Now, Agatha is no longer just the creator of great mystery plots – she’s a player in one.
And when Agatha disappears the day after the murder, she’s widely assumed to be guilty. Only Eliza Baker, assistant to the Club’s enigmatic secretary, Dorothy Sayers, is interested in investigating the case. But in a world where murder is the ultimate plot device, can Eliza piece together the evidence and find the killer before it’s too late?
The Case of the Christie Conspiracy: A Detection Club Mystery
Historical Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – London, England
Publisher : Boldwood Books (February 16, 2025)
Paperback : 264 pages
ISBN-10 : 1836175469
ISBN-13 : 978-1836175469
Digital ASIN : B0DFXWPCFP
The Detection Club Mysteries
By Kelly Oliver
My new mystery series is set in the late 1920’s and 1930’s features the original London Detection Club, including founding members Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and Gilbert Chesterton. The first in the series, The Case of the Christie Conspiracy is out February 16th.
The Detection Club is the stuff of literary legend—a gathering of the greatest minds in mystery fiction who turned the art of whodunits into a collaborative pursuit. What started as a few friends gathering for supper at the home of Anthony Berkeley in North London in the late 1920’s, officially became the Detection Club in 1930 and began meeting monthly at London restaurants.
Among its early members were some of the brightest stars of the genre, including Anthony Berkeley, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and G.K. Chesterton, who served as the first president.
At the heart of the Detection Club was a sense of camaraderie mixed with a touch of theatricality. Meetings often involved elaborate dinners, where new members were “inducted” through a humorous initiation ceremony, swearing an oath on a skull named Eric. Members pledged to adhere to the rules of fair play in their writing, ensuring that all clues necessary to solve a mystery were presented to the reader. Ronald Knox codified the rules of fair play into what he called his ten commandments, which new initiates had to swear to uphold.
The Club also became a creative hub, where authors exchanged ideas and even co-wrote works, such as The Floating Admiral (1931) and “Ask a Policeman” (1933), where members collectively crafted intricate mysteries. Members appeared together on BBC radio broadcasts and other literary readings.
Over the years, the Detection Club has included many illustrious members and has continued to attract leading figures in crime fiction. Current members include Ann Cleeves and Val McDermid among others. Under the presidency of Martin Edwards, the Detection Club continues to thrive and has produced recent anthologies like “Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club” (2020), featuring contributions from current members.
Last summer, I had the good fortune to visit the Dorothy L. Sayers and the G.K. Chesterton archives at the Wade Center of Wheaton College. Their archives include documents from the Detection Club. Dorothy Sayers was the first club secretary and was devoted to making the club a place of convivial conversation and good cheer.
With the wine flowing and Dorothy and Gilbert in their capes, along with Eric the skull atop his silk pillow, and Agatha and Anthony and other great mystery writers trying to solve true cold cases over roasts and puddings, the dinners must have been a jolly good time
A Detection Club Mystery Author Kelly Oliver
Kelly Oliver is the award-winning and bestselling author of four mystery series: The Jessica James Mysteries (7-book contemporary suspense); The Pet Detective Mysteries (3-book middle grade); The Fiona Figg Mysteries (9-book historical cozies).
The Case of the Christie Conspiracy, the first in her new series The Detection Club Mysteries just came out (February 2025).
Kelly is Distinguished Emerita Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. And currently, she is the Immediate Past President of Sisters in Crime. To learn more about Kelly and her books, go to www.kellyoliverbooks.com.
To learn more about Kelly, click any of the following links: Facebook, BookBub, and TikTok.Visit all the Stops on the Tour!
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