Why was Agatha Christie almost expelled from the Detection Club?

By Kelly Oliver

My new mystery series set in the late 1920’s and1930’s features the original London Detection Club, including founding members Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and Gilbert Chesterton. The first in the series, The Case of the Christie Conspiracy just came out. 

The Detection Club is the stuff of literary legend—a gathering of the greatest minds in mystery fiction who turned the art of whodunits into a collaborative pursuit. What started as a few friends gathering for supper at the home of Anthony Berkeley in North London in the late 1920’s, officially became the Detection Club in 1930 and began meeting monthly at London restaurants. 

Among its early members were some of the brightest stars of the genre, including Anthony Berkeley, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and G.K. Chesterton, who served as the first president. 

At the heart of the Detection Club was a sense of camaraderie mixed with a touch of theatricality. Meetings often involved elaborate dinners, where new members were “inducted” through a humorous initiation ceremony, swearing an oath on a skull named Eric. Members pledged to adhere to the rules of fair play in their writing, ensuring that all clues necessary to solve a mystery were presented to the reader. Ronald Knox codified the rules of fair play into what he called his ten commandments, which new initiates had to swear to uphold. 

The inciting incident for my novel is inspired by accounts of some members of the club who wanted to expel Agatha Christie after the publication of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. They argued that with her unreliable narrator, Christie didn’t play fair with the readers and therefore broke the oath of the club. Of course, Christie wasn’t expelled and in fact went on to become president of the club and its most famous member. 

In addition to being a place for comradery, the club became a creative hub where authors exchanged ideas and even co-wrote works such as The Floating Admiral (1931) and “Ask a Policeman” (1933). They also collectively crafted intricate mysteries, each taking turns extending the plot. Members also appeared together on BBC radio broadcasts and other literary readings.

Over the years, the Detection Club has included many illustrious members and has continued to attract leading figures in crime fiction. Current members include Ann Cleeves and Val McDermid among others. Under the presidency of Martin Edwards, the Detection Club continues to thrive and has produced recent anthologies like “Howdunit: A Masterclass in Crime Writing by Members of the Detection Club” (2020), featuring contributions from current members.

Last summer, I had the good fortune to visit the Dorothy L. Sayers and the G.K. Chesterton archives at the Wade Center of Wheaton College. Their archives include documents from the Detection Club, too. You might wonder how these archives ended up in the suburbs of Chicago at a small Catholic school. Well, both Sayers and Chesterton were Catholic and wrote works of theology as well as mystery fiction. Their religious writing, however, are far from orthodox. In the 1950’s English professor Dr. Clyde Kilby taught courses on Christian fiction and taught texts by Sayers and Chesterton along with C.S. Lewis. He managed to acquire their archives for Wheaten College. In 1965, he established the Wade Center and continued acquiring archival materials from British authors and the Detection club.

As the first club secretary, Dorothy Sayers was devoted to making the club a place of convivial conversation and good cheer. At the Wade Center, I read her correspondence with some of the greatest writers of her day. From what I read, she was a force of nature. And although Anthony Berkeley founded the club, and Gilbert Chesterton was the first president, Dorothy Sayers was its heart and soul. Deeply religious, she was a free spirit and boisterous presence who loved a bit of fun. 

Sayers arranged the ceremonies and wrote the script for the initiation oath and named the skull (which, by the way, turned out to be a female and as a result its name was changed to Erica). When members voted to invite a new member, as club secretary Sayers wrote the invitations, which were a combination of playful and professional. I had a wonderful time at the archive reading invitations and club correspondence, along with some of Dorothy’s personal letters. The second book in The Detection Club Mysteries, The Case of Blackmail on the Blue Train, which I’m writing now, features a secret Dorothy took to her grave. 

Like other members of the club, Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers were obsessed with unsolved true crimes and cold cases. At club dinners, the writers would discuss the latest unsolved murders, amass clues, and try their hand at arm-chair detection. With the wine flowing and Dorothy and Gilbert in their capes, along with Eric the skull atop his silk pillow, and Agatha and Anthony and other great mystery writers trying to solve true cold cases over roasts and puddings, the dinners must have been a jolly good time.

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The Case of the Christie Conspiracy: This time, she’s not the author… She’s the suspect! A BRAND NEW brilliant historical cozy mystery from Kelly Oliver 

Discover the delightfully gripping new historical mystery series that’s perfect for fans of Helena Dixon, Verity Bright and T E Kinsey.
‘If you thought the Golden Age of crime was dead, think again!’ Verity Bright
Agatha Christie is about to embark on a new, gripping murder case. But this time, she’s not the author – she’s a suspect…

1926 – Christie is a darling of the literary circuit and the most desired guest in London’s glittering social scene. She can often be found at meetings of the Detection Club – where mystery writers come together to share ideas, swap secrets and drink copiously. But then a fellow author’s initiation ceremony takes a gruesome turn, and one of the group ends up dead. Now, Agatha is no longer just the creator of great mystery plots – she’s a player in one.

And when Agatha disappears the day after the murder, she’s widely assumed to be guilty. Only Eliza Baker, assistant to the Club’s enigmatic secretary, Dorothy Sayers, is interested in investigating the case. But in a world where murder is the ultimate plot device, can Eliza piece together the evidence and find the killer before it’s too late?

Praise for Kelly Oliver:

‘Sharp, witty and full of surprises!’ Clara McKenna

‘A fast and fun-filled mystery that checks every box. If you’re new to the series, it stands on its own as an action-packed novel that’s leavened with the dry wit of its indomitable heroine. A 2024 must-read.’ Lori Robbins

‘A fun, mix of whodunnit and thriller!’ T. A. Williams

‘Fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek spy romp. Enjoy the ride!’ Frances Evesham * ‘Will keep you turning the pages and laughing all the way!’ *Dianne Freeman

‘Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and Maisie Dobbs.’ BookTrib

‘A pure delight! A bold, original sleuth, a devilishly charming adversary and a plucky Pekingese.’ Mariah Fredericks

‘Tantalizing and riveting with a good dose of humor.’ The Los Angeles Post

‘Fiona reminds me so much of Miss Fisher. Humor, action, and intrigue.. thoroughly entertaining.’ Urban Book Reviews

‘A perfect blend of wit, fun, and intrigue.’ Debra Goldstein ​ ‘Smart, sneaky, and full of surprises… A fun whodunit that will keep you turning the pages!’ Cathi Stoler

‘Rich with historical details, and perfectly laced with humor and high jinks. Brilliant!’ Margaret Mizushima

‘Lushly layered in period detail, this mystery delivers twists in a lighthearted tale of suspense and derring-do.’ Muddy Rose Reviews

‘A delightful English countryside mystery with two handsome suitors and twists and turns worthy of Agatha Christie herself!’ Amanda Flower

BUY HERE
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Kelly Oliver is the award-winning and bestselling author of four mystery series: The Jessica James Mysteries (contemporary suspense); The Pet Detective Mysteries (middle grade); The Fiona Figg Mysteries (historical cozies); her new series The Detection Club Mysteries (historical mystery).

Currently, Kelly is Immediate Past President of Sisters in Crime, and incoming programming coordinator for SinC Guppies.

Kelly is Distinguished Emerita Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. To learn more about Kelly and her books, go to
www.kellyoliverbooks.com. 

 

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing