Duchess of Death

June 29, 2009
Best known for biographies of Howard Hughes, Rupert Murdoch, Ted Turner and J. Edgar Hoover, Hack this time investigates the grand dame of the mystery novel, Agatha Christie. Hack smartly opens with the prolific U.K. author's biggest mystery: an eleven-day disappearing act she pulled in 1926, following the final breakdown of her marriage. From there, Hack meticulously recounts her personal and professional life, exploring Christie's youth in seaside Devon, her beginnings as a writer, and her global escapades with second husband Max Mallowan. Hack is thorough with the facts, but also humanizes his subject with personal details like Christie's strained relationship with her daughter, well-rooted in letters and other primary sources (including Christie's autobiography). Though occasionally overwritten, Hack's work should entrance Christie fans, as well as anyone who enjoys lively literary biography. Color photos.

July 15, 2009
Without the cooperation of Christie's family, biographer Hack ("Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos and Letters") tracked down his subject through an examination of over 5000 items in the Agatha Christie Papers at the University of Exeter. Hack begins with an episode in Christie's life when she mysteriously disappeared for over a week at the time her first marriage was ending, resulting in false sightings and daily press coverage. After this compelling opening, Hack returns to Christie's childhood and traces her development as a writer through her personal life. A bibliography of sources and detailed listings of Christie's works are included. Hack's obvious enchantment with Christie may have led him to imagine and create her private thoughts. VERDICT This far-from-factual technique could turn off readers of traditional biographies, who would better appreciate Christie's "An Autobiography" or Janet Morgan's "Agatha Christie". Many Christie fans, however, will be pulled in quickly by Hack.Stacy Russo, Chapman Univ. Libs., Orange, CA

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2009
The central mystery of Agatha Christies life was her disappearance in 1926. Christie, already famous for her short stories and novels, left behind her sleeping seven-year-old daughter and faked a car accident, leaving the constabulary and the public clueless until she resurfaced 11 days later. Christies own autobiography skims over this central trauma. Author Hack does a creditable job of giving motive and background to this episode, showcasing it as the prologue to his unauthorized biography and returning to it later. Hacks style of literary nonfiction is perfect for rendering Christies point of view, but readers are left wondering how Hack knows what Christie and others thought at precise moments. Hack claims to have examined five thousand unpublished letters, notes, and documents over a period of weeksa herculean task, prompting one to wonder why he didnt take more time. The rest of Christies story, before and after the disappearance, is less interesting, and Hack records it in straightforward chronological fashion. Despite too much hypothesizing and a fair bit of gushing, this is a solid presentation of Christies life.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)