Book Review: The Woman on the Orient Express by Lindsay Jayne Ashford

I have a new blog!  I will continue to post reviews here until the end of September, 2016.  After that you can find my reviews, and lots of other stuff at Not Just a Stay-at-Home Mom Check it out!

I can't think of any mystery books I'd rather read than those of Agatha Christie.  She was a literary genius in a time when a lot of women still didn't do things like write murder mysteries.  While I can't claim to have read all of her books, or even most of them, I have read a few.  Murder on the Orient Express is my favorite, and I have read it at least three times.  When I saw that this book is based on Mrs. Christie's own trip on the Orient Express, I knew it was one I needed to read!  It prompted me to read a little more about her life, and I found out several things I never knew before.
Agatha Christie took a trip to Baghdad on the Orient Express during the fall after her divorce from her unfaithful husband, and a reported mental breakdown.  In this book she meets two women on the trip, Katherine and Nancy.  The three women forge a friendship, in spite of the fact that they all have secrets.  Nancy is pregnant with a baby that doesn't belong to her husband, Katherine is going to marry a man she doesn't love and Agatha is pretending to be someone else.  As each of their secrets is discovered they will set in motion a trail of events that will change the course of their lives forever.
I thought this story about Agatha Christie's life was very intriguing.  I was half expecting to read a Christie-like mystery.  While this is not a mystery novel, I did find it very enjoyable.  While I read it, I found myself disliking some of the characters.  But as the book progressed I realized that I could at least understand the reasoning behind their actions.  I didn't expect to read a love story, but there's a little one here to be found!  I think fans of literary fiction will enjoy this book, as well as those who love to read Ms. Christie's novels.  You might see where she got inspiration for some of her stories, too.  Since this month is Agatha Christie's birthday, you should celebrate by reading The Woman on the Orient Express. 
This book will be available on or around September 20, 2016, but you can preorder it today! 

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review.  All opinions are my own and a favorable review was not required.  This post contains affiliate links.