Mrs. Christie and the Mystery in the Mews Review: A Ghostly Agatha Christie Cozy Mystery

📱📖 Read on Kindle | 📃 352 pages
⏱ Duration: 4 hours | ARC by NetGalley
Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
🏷️ Publisher name: Berkley
Published date: December 8, 2026 (expected)

Book Blurb:

Book conservator Tory Van Dyne thought her life was safely back to boring, six months after meeting a woman in the Mystery Guild Library who claimed to be Agatha Christie on holiday from the Great Beyond. Then a rare edition of Murder in the Mews vanishes from under the noses of two dozen patrons at the library’s fiftieth anniversary party, and a guest is found murdered in the back alley. Mrs. Christie reappears just in time to help Tory, snarky librarian Adrian Gooding, computer whiz kid Mairead Butler, flighty cousin Nic, and Detective Sebastian Mendez-Cruz solve a seemingly impossible crime.

Let’s talk about the book:

Agatha Christie as a ghost is a fabulous concept, and adding her as a sleuth is simply marvelous. I would have been happy with the ghost alone, but giving her a murder to solve sold me on Amanda Chapman’s entire series. I was partway through when I realized this is book two, and I immediately went hunting for book one on audiobook. The book gives enough background that it mostly works on its own, but some backstory from the first installment lands better if you’ve read it, so I’d recommend starting at the beginning.

Christie fans will be delighted by the chapter openers, each of which pairs a quote from one of her novels with what’s about to unfold. It’s a gold mine for anyone who loves her work, and the title is a clever play on Christie’s Murder in the Mews, tied neatly into the stolen rare edition at the heart of the plot. The characters are a big part of the charm too, especially Mairead, a child with an old soul whom I loved from start to finish. I also spent a good part of the book wondering whether Adrian is queer, and I’m curious whether the series will ever say.

Where the book lost me was the solution. So many characters turn out to be involved in the crime that the web became too complicated to keep straight, and it stretched my patience. The recording at the end felt too perfect, and the closing was so neat that I couldn’t quite believe it. After such a charming setup, I wanted a resolution that felt earned rather than convenient.

Still, the premise, the Christie love woven through every chapter, and a cast I enjoyed spending time with more than made up for a wrap-up that didn’t convince me. I’ll be reading book one next and continuing with the series, and I’d happily recommend it to Christie devotees and cozy mystery fans who like a touch of the supernatural.

Would I recommend it?

Mrs. Christie and the Mystery in the Mews gave me a ghost Agatha Christie who also solves the crime, and that pairing sold me on the whole series. The chapter-opening Christie quotes are gold for fans, and Mairead is a character you will love from the first page. The plot got crowded and the wrap-up was a little too smooth for me, which cost it a star. Still, if you love Christie, add this to your TBR and mark December 8, 2026 on your calendar.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Keep the Ghostly Whodunit Going:

1. The Ghost and Mrs. McClure by Alice Kimberly. A bookstore owner gets help from a ghost with a mystery of his own, so it is another spirit-and-sleuth team.
   
2. Death and Other Occupational Hazards by Veronika Dapunt. A paranormal cozy for readers who want the supernatural side of this sequel in even bigger doses.
   
3. The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood. A good pick for the Christie-style puzzle, with an amateur sleuth who has a mind of her own.
   
4. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. Another modern mystery that clearly loves the Golden Age, with a cast of sleuths you will not want to leave.
   
5. The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie. Since this sequel quotes Christie at the start of every chapter, go back to the source and meet Miss Marple.
   

Your Turn, Fellow Sleuths:

Did you read Adrian as queer, or did I miss the part of the book that settled it? Drop your thoughts in the comments. I would also love to hear which Christie novel you would want quoted at the top of a chapter.

Book Links:

Want to purchase this or any of your favorite books while supporting a local bookstore? Consider purchasing using the sites below. These sites work with independent local bookstore owners to fulfill your book orders. #SupportLocal

Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Hardcover | Booktrovert | Litsy
Follow Amanda Chapman for the latest news and new releases
Check out more books from Berkley