New book by historian Lucy Worsley to unravel mysteries of writer Agatha Christie's 'disappearance' in Harrogate in 1926

In 1926, the crime writer fled to the Hydropathic Hotel in the spa resort following the death of her mother and the breakdown of her marriage. She checked into the hotel - now The Old Swan and still trading - under a false name and stayed there for 11 days, mingling with other oblivious guests.

At the same time police were searching areas near her home in the south of England and suspected they would find a body.

Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman by historian and TV presenter Lucy Worsley explores the circumstances and myths surrounding Christie's vanishing - which was front page news at the time - but also includes numerous interesting anecdotes about how she spent her time in Harrogate.

She addresses inaccuracies around Christie's motive that she was trying to frame her husband, Archie Christie, for murder and that she never spoke about the incident afterwards.

The Harrogate connection began when she bought a train ticket to the town seemingly at random and travelled from King's Cross Station. She assumed the name Teresa Neele and posed as a woman newly arrived from South Africa still awaiting her luggage.

The hotel's manager noticed that she could easily afford her room at the Hydro - she was already extremely successful by this point - and she made no attempt to disguise her handwriting when signing the register.

Worsley has testimony from the chambermaid assigned to the room, who noticed the lack of personal possessions, and from a guest who danced the Charleston with Christie, who ate in the dining room as normal during her stay. She played billiards and sang.

She explored Harrogate and bought many items, including clothes and books, from the local shops. An innocent librarian who served her at W H Smith on Parliament Street noticed her preference for mystery novels.

However, the Hydro community had begun to suspect her true identity, as newspapers had circulated her photograph. The manager's wife guessed, but her husband thought her theory was 'absurd'. Christie was even reading about her own disappearance and possible murder in the daily papers.

It was eventually two men who worked at the Hydro who reported their suspicions to officers at Harrogate police station and the sensation became public.

Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley is published on September 8.

Read The Guardian's preview of the book here.