How Agatha Christie taught her cheating husband a lesson (7 photos)

Agatha Mallowan, better known to the world under her pen name Agatha Christie, was distinguished by her keen intellect and vivid imagination, which made her the most widely read writer of the 20th century.

Her wild imagination served her well not only in creating detective stories but also in real life. She once taught her unfaithful husband a lesson.





How marriage turned into a detective story

Agatha met her future husband, Archibald Christie, at age 22. They were both invited to a dinner party. Soon after, the dashing lieutenant proposed. Two years later, the young couple became husband and wife. Archibald had a successful career during World War I, returning from the war with the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1919, the couple had a daughter, whom they named Rosalind.



By then, Agatha had published several detective novels, which brought her fame. It seemed the family idyll would last forever. Nothing foreshadowed trouble. Until one day in 1926, her husband announced his desire for a divorce. It turned out that Archibald had feelings for another woman. Agatha was shocked, as any woman would be in such a situation. She reacted in the spirit of famous detective novelists.





Instead of starting a huge scandal with tears, reproaches, and consolation from her friends, she plotted an elaborate revenge. The queen of detectives told her secretary she was going away for a few days. She got into her car and drove off. That morning, her Morris was found on the shore of Lake Silent Pool. Police found a fur coat and a suitcase inside, but no sign of the writer.

Police Investigation and Ubiquitous Journalists

The mysterious disappearance of the famous writer rocked the public. Newspapers were filled with provocative headlines. Colonel Archibald Christie fell under suspicion. Police learned of his affair. Detectives staked out the house and tapped the phone. The writer's husband found himself in an extremely awkward position.



Police thoroughly investigated the pond where the writer's car was found. Divers searched the bottom for a body and combed the lake with nets. The prim Englishmen followed the detective plot, offering their own theories about what happened. Hundreds of volunteers joined the search for the queen of detective fiction.

At some point, police were informed of a woman staying at a hotel in the provincial town of Harrowgate. She was listed in the hotel register as Mrs. Neely, arriving from Cape Town.



Agatha Christie. 1926

The detective tasked with verifying the information secretly watched the guest for two days. Somehow, information about Mrs. Neelly leaked to the press. The Daily News reporter wasn't concerned with secrecy. He unceremoniously approached the visitor from Cape Town, addressing her as "Mrs. Agatha." The writer realized she had been discovered. She graciously gave an interview, skillfully avoiding awkward questions.

Agatha Christie's Personal Life

The detective story of her disappearance caused her unfaithful husband much anxiety. Agatha masterfully avenged the affair and filed for divorce. The prim Englishmen long remembered the mysterious disappearance.

The colonel's reputation suffered greatly. Society remembered him as a suspect in his wife's murder, not as a war hero and distinguished soldier.



Four years later, Agatha Christie began a new relationship. In 1930, in Iraq, she met a talented archaeologist. Max Mallowan was 14 years younger than her. However, the newlyweds hid the age difference during their marriage.



Max Malone and Agatha Christie

The lovers lived out the rest of their lives in perfect harmony, without adventure or disappearance. The inquisitive writer happily accompanied the archaeologist on his research in the Middle East.