The Case of the Christie Curse - A Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Theo Sharp to Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Theo on the pages of the Detection Club Mystery series by Kelly Oliver. THE CASE OF THE CHRISTIE CURSE is the third book in the Detection Club Mystery series and was released February 21, 2026!

 

My name is Theo Sharp and I’m a character in Kelly Oliver’s Detection Club Mysteries. Of course, Eliza Baker is the main character. But I’d like to think she couldn’t solve crimes without me. Like Kelly, I’m an aspiring mystery writer. But I’m lucky enough to spend time with the great crime writers who are members of London’s Detection Club, including Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers.

In case you want to know more about me, I’ve agreed to answer a few questions from Kelly.

Where do you live? At present, I live wherever my valise lands. Hotels, trains, borrowed rooms with windows that rattle when the wind changes its mind. Officially, I’m heir to a family estate in Sussex with its lawns clipped into obedience and portraits of men who look perpetually disappointed in me. For the most part, I manage to avoid it. Too much inheritance in the air. Too many expectations pressing in from the walls.

My own address, however, is a one-room flat above a bookstore in London, which feels less like an address and more like a state of mind. The floors creak, the radiators knock like impatient readers waiting for the next installment of their favorite series, and the smell of paper and dust seeps into everything I own. I work off part of the rent by minding the shop, shelving, recommending, occasionally rescuing a first edition from the hands of someone who means it harm. It suits me. Living among books makes the world feel legible, even when it stubbornly refuses to be read.

What is a typical day like for you? Let’s say, before Eliza Baker reappeared in my life, my mornings would begin with coffee and the shop’s front door, which sticks unless persuaded gently. If it’s a good day, I would read or write before the customers arrive, usually failing to improve my reputation as a novelist. I’ve written one mystery. It was… not a success. Still, I persist. Afternoons are for observation: customers, conversations, the small tells people don’t realize they’re giving away. Evenings tend to involve the Detection Club, which is still a marvel to say aloud, as I’m newly minted and not entirely convinced someone won’t revoke the invitation.

After Eliza Baker reappeared and drew me into her orbit, there is no longer any such thing as typical, which suits me perfectly. Some mornings begin with coffee strong enough to resurrect the dead and a chess problem that refuses to be solved. Others begin with a body, a lie, or a train departing earlier than expected. I read when I can, observe always, and think perhaps too much. By evening, I am usually trying—and often failing—to articulate something important, whether in a notebook, a conversation, or a glance exchanged across a room, always involving her.

What is your favorite food? Bread with good butter, eaten late at night when no one is watching. It’s unpretentious, grounding, and deeply unfashionable, all qualities I admire. Also, it reminds me that simplicity, when done well, can be revelatory. Kelly says her favorite is something called a taco. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a taco.

What is your favorite drink? Coffee when I need courage. Whisky when I need perspective. (I almost feel back answering this since I know Kelly can’t drink coffee or whiskey anymore.) Tea when Agatha Christie is present, which is often. She drinks it with a kind of quiet authority that suggests she knows more than she’s saying, which of course she does. Dorothy Sayers prefers something stronger, and conversations with her tend to improve once you follow her lead.

What makes you happy?
Moments of clarity. A chess position that suddenly opens like a locked door. A mystery that yields. Not all at once, but just enough to keep going. And, occasionally, the quiet knowledge that someone else sees the world as sharply as I do and chooses to stand beside me anyway.
Being taken seriously. Especially by the Detection Club and writers I admire. And of course, the attentions of Eliza Baker. Watching her think, move, dismantle a room with her eyes. Loving her, quietly, imperfectly, and, if I’m honest, hoping that what feels unrequited is merely… unfinished. But, I guess whether I have a happy ending is up to Kelly… hint, hint.

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Review

THE CASE OF THE CHRISTIE CURSE by Kelly Oliver
The Third Detection Club Mystery 

 

During a meeting of the Detection Club a letter arrives for Eliza Baker. Agatha Christie feels that something is not quite right on the archaeological dig she's on and requests the presence of members from the club. Soon Eliza, Theo Sharp, and Dorothy Parker are sweltering under the sun in 1930 Mesopotamia. Eliza quickly feels that Agatha is right, something is off. Some of the workers are calling it the Queen's curse, but Eliza is pretty sure the problems are man made-including the murder of one of the archaeologists...even though the leaders of the group are quick to call it an accident. With shifty characters, an unwelcome journalist, and feelings she'd rather keep buried Eliza will have to uncover secrets some would kill to keep.

 

I truly enjoyed this trip to a 1930s archaeological dig. While everyone can enjoy this mystery those who know historical details about Agatha Christie will find it even more delightful as Max Mallowan is a character here! The detailed descriptions made me feel the oppressiveness of the dig, the atmosphere heavy with suspicion as well as the heat and desert winds!

 

The mystery was inventive with lots of possibilities. While I was pretty sure that I knew the killer, I was unsure of the motive, and was surprised by another's involvement. Almost as important as the mystery was the developing relationship between Eliza and Theo. Finally feelings are being realized, if repressed.

 

THE CASE OF THE CHRISTIE CURSE is an engaging historical mystery that provides romantic quandaries amidst an intriguing puzzle.

 

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The Case of the Christie Curse: (A Detection Club Mystery) by Kelly Oliver

About The Case of the Christie Curse

The Case of the Christie Curse: (A Detection Club Mystery)
Historical Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series
Setting – Mesopotamia
Publication Date: ‎ February 21, 2026
Publisher: ‎ Boldwood Books
Digital Print Length: ‎ 288 pages

Mesopotamia, 1930: When Agatha Christie invites fellow members of the Detection Club to witness the famous excavations at the ruins of Ur, Dorothy L. Sayers, her quick-witted assistant Eliza Baker, and Theo Sharp expect ancient wonders – not fresh corpses.

But when an archaeologist is found dead in the sand, whispers of a deadly curse sweep through the camp. Eliza suspects something far more dangerous than superstition. Amid glittering artifacts and fragile alliances, every guest harbors secrets: the Woolleys, whose marriage is shadowed by tragedy; a journalist hungry for scandal; even academic Max Mallowan, whose loyalties are not what they seem.

As theft, forgery, and coded messages surface, the line between archaeology and espionage blurs. And when Eliza and Theo find themselves in danger, they must face not only the truth about the murder – but also the truths they’ve long denied about each other. Can they uncover the killer before the desert claims another victim? Or will this dig unearth secrets too dangerous to survive?

About Kelly Oliver

Kelly Oliver is the award-winning and bestselling author of four mystery series: The Jessica James Mysteries, The Pet Detective Mysteries, The Fiona Figg Mysteries, and The Detection Club Mysteries.

Kelly is the Past President of Sisters in Crime National, current Education Coordinator for SinC Guppies, and a Distinguished Emerita Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University.

To learn more about Kelly and her books, go to kellyoliverbooks.com.  

Author Links: 

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kelly-oliver  

Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Kelly-Oliver/e/B001HN3HCM/ 

INSTAGRAM @kellyoliverbooks  

Pinterest Kelly Oliver Books https://www.pinterest.com.au/oliver743  

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