Cathy Rentzenbrink’s love of books, life and Agatha Christie

Best-selling author Cathy Rentzenbrink tells us about her soft spot for Agatha Christie, and her own story, ahead of her talk on 3rd November at Abingdon Trinity Church, thanks to Mostly Books.

If Cathy Rentzenbrink could escape into one fictional world, it would be Narnia. The author of The Last Act of Love and Everyone Is Still Alive says that The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe remains a favourite since childhood – and one she still revisits “on a very regular basis”.

These days, though, Cathy has a different kind of literary escape on her bedside table. If forced to choose one favourite, she would plump for Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, a book she says she could read again and again.

It’s no surprise, then, that Cathy will soon be heading to Abingdon to talk about her latest book, The Agatha Christie Cure. But what is it about Christie and crime fiction that continues to exert such a powerful pull?

For Cathy, it’s partly the irresistible question at the heart of a mystery. She much prefers a good old-fashioned “whodunnit?” to the romantic uncertainty of “will they/won’t they?”, and likes her crime fictional rather than brutally realistic.

“Agatha Christie is so enjoyable because her murders are not distressing and her psychology is spot on,” she says. There are lessons for writers of every genre, too. Cathy admires Christie’s strong sense of place and her ability to scatter little mysteries throughout a story before neatly resolving them at the end.

And perhaps that’s why Cathy is so interested in characters who feel real rather than perfect. The most memorable, she believes, are often ordinary people – recognisable because they’re “a bundle of virtues and flaws”.

Her own writing career has taken her far beyond the world of cosy mysteries. Looking back, Cathy says she is proudest of the writing workshops she has delivered in prisons, where some attendees could barely write.

Finding ways to make those sessions work was challenging, but deeply rewarding. People told her that, for a couple of hours, they had felt like human beings rather than numbers.

“I’ve done swanky things in fancy places,” Cathy reflects, “but it always feels like finding a bit of connection and humanity in a grim room in a prison is a good deed in a naughty world.”

Now, she’s bringing that warmth, wit and love of storytelling to Abingdon. Expect plenty of Christie, conversation and perhaps a few mysteries along the way.

Cathy Rentzenbrink will bring The Agatha Christie Cure to Trinity Church, Abingdon, at 7pm on Tuesday, 3rd November.

Find out more and book and tickets at mostly-books.co.uk.

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