In this sensitive and revealing biography of Agatha Christie, Gillian Gill probes the mysterious private life and motivations of one of the bestselling authors of all time and discovers a brilliant and eccentric woman whose passionate search for success was balanced by an obsession with privacy. The break-up of Agatha's first marriage to Archibald Christie and her subsequent ten-day disappearance had made headline news. Feeling hunted and wounded by the press, Christie determined never again to let them into her private life. Instead she developed a public persona – seemingly tongue-tied and dull – which ensured the journalists and the public would let her be. This successful strategy helped to account for a happy second marriage and family life as well as an astonishing literary productivity. Skillfully weaving the details of Christie's life with the plots and characters of her mystery novels, Gillian Gill uncovers the flesh-and-blood woman behind the popular and celebrated Marple-like image, and establishes Agatha Christie as a unique and determined person whose fictional creations sparked the imagination of millions around the world.